Worldwide Collection Project 2023: Stories from Returned Sister Missionaries

During the past months across our area, the Church History Department has conducted oral interviews with returned sister missionaries and mission leaders who served from 2011 to 2015. The worldwide collection project coincides with the tenth anniversary of youth missionary service age reduction as announced by President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) and the later introduction of the sister training leaders to help the mission leadership cope with the surge in the number of serving missionaries.

Conducting these interviews with this Church history focus group has blessed lives. For the sisters, sharing their stories bring to remembrance the tender mercies of the Lord as they reflect on their conversions, desire to serve, preparations, own endowments, time in the missionary training center, mission experiences and life after mission. The Church history specialists have felt the joy of service participating in this project. In many cases, it was highly emotional documenting the lives and services of these faithful sisters. It was wonderful receiving journal donations as well as seeing some pictures, mufflers and tags as they shared their stories.

We are so grateful for the lives, services and testimonies of all our faithful sisters who served missions for the Church. This project invoked beautiful sentiments among the sisters.

Here is one of such shared with us by Sister Aghojare Chika who served in Nigeria Benin City Mission about this project and its impact on her personal and family lives: “Dear Elder and Sister Ihesiene, I am very grateful for the great opportunity the prophet gave me to share my mission experience as regards to President Monson’s declaration of the new age of serving missions and including sisters in the leadership council in the mission field.

“I am grateful to you for remembering and reaching out to me to be part of those to be interviewed. I feel so privileged and honored. I am delighted to inform you that this interview has blessed my life and family miraculously.

“Honestly, before the invitation and the interview, we have been going through so many challenges and difficult times. I became so worried about my situation that I was almost going into depression. My companion (husband) tried speaking to me severally and reassuring me of things getting better but to no avail.

“During the interview, listening to the questions and recounting my challenges and difficulties while preparing for mission in 2013, most especially being beaten and slaps received about two days before my departure for MTC which left me with a bloody eye, brought me strength and hope. Remembering while I was on the field and how the Lord used me to reach out to countless numbers of His beloved children and bringing them into His fold, and to inspire my fellow missionaries especially sister missionaries as a sister training leader and strengthening many families brought me so much joy. Seeing how much the Lord has blessed me, as I was recounting my blessings during the interview, such as serving my last three months with a great member missionary who acted as our third companion as he was ready to proselyte and teach lessons with us, and who later became my eternal companion and the father of our lovely kids.

“How the Lord made me become a registered midwife with the help of the Perpetual Education Fund and my husband and above all having my family join the Church immediately after I returned from my mission were miracles beyond my comprehension and am sincerely grateful.

“Dear Elder and Sister Ihesiene, all these amazing memories remembered during the interview; and whilst on my way home brought me down on my knees in tears to converse with Heavenly Father which has been a routine for the past few weeks. But this time, instead of kneeling in tears of confusion and questions, I kneel in tears of repentance and gratitude. Since that day I have got peace beyond human understanding and a hope of better days for me and all around me even as I continue to remain faithful in my service to God and man. I will always overcome, and His blessings and promises are sure to be mine in the name of Jesus Christ”.

Indeed, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! (See Isaiah 52:7.) How profound the testimonies and lives of these wonderful sisters and mission leaders who understood that there can be no greater service rendered than to labor for the salvation of the human souls! We know that the Lord remembers these sisters for their worthy examples and immense contributions to the work of salvation. Sweet is their remembrance and eternal their rewards!