Financing a Mission: A Selfless Family

I would be remiss if I did not give a bit of a back-story at this point of my mission story.  When I was confirmed, (which I guess I should also write about at some point as well), Lars' friend, Drake, performed the ordinance.  Some time prior to that time, Drake's teenage daughter, Courtney, passed away unexpectedly.  I still remember Drake and his family talking about seeing her again and I felt that they knew it, they didn't just hope it or think it would be nice.  That night, I learned the reality of eternal families and how it can provide such perspective and comfort in this life.  After the loss of Courtney, Sue knew they would have more children.  However, Sue was in her mid-40's at the time and so it was a somewhat risky situation.

Later that summer, Drake and his wife, Sue, and their 2 other daughters, all came out to Rochester to attend the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  I got to know them better during that time.  When I called them about a year and a half later to tell them that I had decided to serve a mission, Drake immediately offered to pay for my mission.  (For those unfamiliar, that is not a small offer but an extremely generous one.)  Drake also informed me that they were pregnant.  With twins.  The twins were due the same day that their daughter had passed away.  (Definitely some divine intervention involved there.)

I would not have been able to serve a mission if it were not for their selflessness and willingness to help.  Their gift is beyond recompense; it is impossible to repay them for all of the experiences I had and all the changes that occurred in my life because of my mission.