03/19/2026
It’s basically a sport in our religious culture to guess where a missionary will be called to serve.
For a while, Nolan was convinced he was headed to Africa. Then he started eyeing places like Sweden or Switzerland—you know… cows, gardens, ancestral homelands… it all felt very fitting.
As the days dragged on and we waited for the text, he had one consistent request:
“Anywhere but Nevada, Utah, or California.”
Last Sunday at church, a friend laughed and said, “Careful what you say—my nephew from Gilbert got called to the New Mexico Farmington Mission… it covers a lot of Utah and Arizona.”
We all laughed. Because obviously that would be too ironic, right?
Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon—Nolan comes in from working in the yard and gets all of us gathered. The text had finally come.
He starts reading… and I’m waiting for the twist. Then he keeps reading. And keeps reading.
And I’m thinking, “Okay, he’s definitely joking…”
He was not joking.
New Mexico Farmington Mission!
We immediately pulled up the mission map…
Utah. Arizona. New Mexico. Colorado.
Basically everything he said he didn’t want… neatly packaged into one mission. 😂
I’ll be honest—I was a little confused for a minute. But there was no time to overthink it. We had a yard to clean, treats to bake, and people to invite for the big reveal.
Something interesting happened that night— Everyone we talked to said the same thing:
“This is perfect for Nolan.”
Apparently this mission includes:
✔️ Dirt roads
✔️ Driving trucks 🛻
✔️ Chopping wood 🪓
✔️ Cowboy boots (with suits, obviously)
✔️ Potential Navajo, Hopi, and Spanish languages to learn
✔️ Animals & farms 🐴
✔️ Plenty of opportunities to roll up his sleeves and do some hands on service
So basically… everything he secretly loves & wanted but didn’t know how to request. He didn’t get the mission he asked for… He got the one that fits him perfectly. God knows us best! 🤍
We are honestly still kinda in shock but can’t wait to cheer him on!
