MOUNT Isa members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered recently to farewell Elder Larry North and Sister Bobbie North, who have served in the city for almost eight months.
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The Norths, who are from Utah in the US, will continue their missions at Gladstone.
They have been replaced by Queenslanders Elder Trevor Donaldson and Sister Sally Donaldson who are from Warwick and have just returned from 12 months’ missionary service in Dallas, Texas.
Though they have lived in Queensland most of their lives, they have never been to Mount Isa before.
Both the Norths and the Donaldsons are referred to as senior missionaries, which usually means ‘‘aged somewhere over 60’’.
Also new to Mount Isa is Elder Cress, a younger missionary from Idaho, US. He joins Elder Josol who comes from the Philippines.
Younger missionaries are usually aged around 20.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 85,000 full-time missionaries serving worldwide at their own expense for 18 or 24 months.
Most are younger missionaries who postpone academic studies or employment to represent their church.
Elder Cress explained: “Whether older or younger it is a privilege to serve. We have a special message about Jesus Christ and the sacred nature of families. We also look for opportunities to be of service in the community.”
