John & Leesa Dupree's Alpine German-speaking Mission

    My name is John Dupree, and I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My wife and I are about to embark upon a one-year mission, and so many of our friends and acquaintances have asked us to post news and pictures, so here we are at the beginning of this adventure. Warning! This blog will contain a lot of religious references, which are necessary because they speak to our core motivations for doing what we do. At the same time, we don't want to get too preachy. 😁

    A brief bit of history is in order. I am a convert, and was baptized into the Church at age 19 in 1975. My wife, Leesa, is a lifelong member. Both of us served missions when we were single, and both of us were originally called to the Germany Frankfurt mission in 1976. We had not yet met, and though we served in the same mission, we always served in the different zones, and didn't really become acquainted until we returned from our missions in 1978, to the Fair Oaks, California stake.

    Incidentally, I was transferred for the last five months of my mission to the Switzerland Zürich mission before coming home to Fair Oaks. I came home in March of 1978, Leesa in April, and we were engaged in May. I proposed marriage on our second date. Leesa, thankfully, accepted my proposal. By way of explanation, even though it happened quite unexpectedly, we both simply felt that it was the right thing to do. We married in the Salt Lake Temple on December 19th of that year. Despite the abruptness of our troth, I'd have to say, having the benefit of 44+ years of hindsight, that it worked out pretty well.

    Both of us speak fluent German, which was handy around the house when we were discussing something we didn't want our children to hear, usually at Christmastime, on the subject of Christmas presents for the kids. Speaking of whom, we have six: Anna, Esther, Lucy, Lorelei, John III, and Katy. We also have 5 1/2 grandchildren: Juno, Allie, Claire, Connor, June, and baby Harold will be born May 16th, 2023.

PREPARATION

    The whole idea of a senior mission for us really took hold on a Sunday in the Spring of 2022. We were sitting in church, and I felt the strong impression that now was the time to begin mission preparation in earnest. We had both toyed with the idea for years, but this was a definite call to get things moving. We both deeply desired to serve a German-speaking mission.

    So we set an interview with our Bishop, Brian Jenkins, to get things moving and to figure out what to do first, which turned out to be to get our medical records in order. We would both need current physical and dental exams. In my case, a man over 50 who wants to serve an overseas mission is required to have a colonoscopy. We also needed multiple vaccinations. 

    I had always avoided the idea of a colonoscopy, owing to the horror stories I had both heard and experienced. But if that was what was needed to get to Germany, I decided an attitude adjustment was in order. Let the Roto-Rootering begin! (In reality, it was nothing like an unpleasant experience. I underwent general anaesthesia, so for me it amounted to a nap in a hospital gown.)

    Records were gradually gathered, and we were finally ready to submit our application to Church headquarters. The process of getting assigned to a particular mission carries much less uncertainty for a senior couple as it does for the young and single folks. Bishop Jenkins opened up for us what's called a Senior Missionary Portal on the Church's website, and we had the chance to set some parameters. 

    For instance, we could choose the length of our mission: 6, 12, 18, or 24 months. And we were able to look over some mission opportunities having to do with our desire to serve in a German-speaking area. There are Office mission opportunities, in which we would serve primarily in mission headquarters as staff. There are Mental Health opportunities, as I have a Masters degree in Counseling, specializing in Crisis Intervention, or what is sometimes called First Aid counseling.

    But the mission that appealed to us both by far was the Member/Leader Support mission. There were similar mission openings available in the Berlin, Frankfurt, and Alpine German missions. We preferred the last mission, as the Alps are the most beautiful mountains in the world, in my opinion, and I had already served five months in Switzerland, albeit way back in 1977-78.

    So a Member/Leader Support mission (MLS) in the AGSM was at the top of our preference list when we interviewed with our Stake President, Todd Johnson, in early November. So began three weeks of waiting and hand-wringing, especially for me. Even though we had submitted a list of preferred missions, there was always the lurking chance we might be called to less-interesting places like Chicken Gut, North Carolina or Brass Monkeys, Minnesota.  

    By way of explanation, an MLS missionary seeks to just do nice things for people. We seek out lapsed members, maybe bake them cookies, chat with them, maybe help them move or garden or paint a room. They are there to be the eyes and ears of local leadership, helping them bless lives and encourage people to come closer to their Savior. In short, MLS missionaries are supposed to be true friends to non-members, members and other full-time missionaries, supporting them in their efforts. 

    One quality of the preparation process has had to do with my own perception of my first mission and how I want to improve upon it this time around. To this day, I feel that my first mission was not what it could have been due to my own immaturity. To some degree, that attitude is a load of fertilizer, because I know the Lord fully accepted my first mission. He was (and presumably still is) pleased with my faltering efforts. At the same time, I want to do it right this time. I want to love better, and I want to serve better. I am highly motivated to do a terrific job.

Next up: The Call.