By David Johnson
The call of a mission president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no small task, but four BYU employees, who received calls in February 2006, say they are excited to fulfill the responsibility.
After a lengthy three to four month mission-call process, each said they have hopes to apply their experiences at BYU to the call of mission president. Their time at BYU has taught them the importance of young adults within the gospel. They said they want to instill the importance of the gospel''s doctrine to teach missionaries how to more effectively strengthen the church.
Brad Farnsworth, BYU administrative vice president, received his mission call to the Spain Madrid Mission. Gary Doxey, managing director of the International Center for Law and Religion, received his call to the Mexico City South Mission.
Reid Robison, director of Alumni Activities, was called to the West Indies Mission. His son was also recently called to serve as a missionary in the Canada Calgary mission where Gene Priday, BYU''s university registrar, was recently called as the president.
Although all four newly called mission presidents have served in a stake or branch presidency, that is not the basis for calling mission presidents, said Scott Trotter of the church''s public affairs office.
'Mission presidents are called by an inspired president of the church, after a review of the individual''s church experience, his and his wife''s family circumstances, their health, availability, knowledge of the church''s doctrine and government, proven leadership experience and other factors,' Trotter said.
Doxey, who served in Santiago Chile as a young missionary, said the calling of a mission president is not something that an individual can specifically prepare for.
'I have always felt that life of itself is a mission,' he said. 'It doesn''t matter what our calling or assignment is, you just try to do the best that you can to serve.'
Doxey and his wife were asked in late fall of 2005 to have an interview with a member of the Twelve Apostles in consideration to receive a call as a mission president. That following December, he and his wife were interviewed by a member of the First Presidency, who explained that they would formally receive a mission call in late February 2006.
'It''s not the process that is important, it is the call and who it comes from - we are called of God,' Doxey said.
With a plan to take all six children to Mexico, Doxey said his family has shown nothing but excitement. He said his 7-year-old son, Michael, was excited to eat 'great Mexican food every night!'
He said the excitement of his family and the uplifting atmosphere at BYU is helping him to prepare for his mission now that he has received his call.
'It''s part of the fabric here at BYU,' he said. 'The students here are of such high caliber both in their academic preparation and the quality of their character.'
It is that quality of character that has taught Brad Farnsworth, who has worked for BYU nearly 12 years, the importance of one-on-one time with students. In his association with students, Farnsworth said he teaches a Book of Mormon class every Winter Semester and he takes the time to sit down and personally speak with each student about their life.
'It makes all the difference in the world to get to know and work with the students,' he said.
Farnsworth said in his first three years of working as the administrative vice president, he failed to realize the importance of working with the students, but that it has now become a meaningful part of his job. As a mission president, he said he wants to conduct the same sort of personal relationship with the missionaries he oversees, to help them grow in the gospel.
Caring for individuals is something that Priday has also done, said Jennifer Southern, who has worked as his administrative assistant for seven years. Priday takes the time to sit down and speak with each new part-time and full-time employee hired under his stewardship, she said.
'He really empowers me to feel like I can give input, like a voting member of the team,' she said.
Southern said it is Priday''s spirit of caring that will help him to become an effective mission president.
Priday, who has worked as the BYU registrar for the past 18 years, said he felt is was essential to care for the missionaries as well as teach the importance of gospel doctrine.
The doctrine and its teachings help the gospel to move forward because it does more than talk about changing behavior, he said. Priday, like his colleagues, said while serving as a young missionary his mission president placed a great emphasis on the doctrine, which is something they have found continually helpful in teaching the gospel.
Robison, whose son was recently called to the mission where Priday will serve, said he is grateful that men like Priday not only care about missionaries personally, but also emphasize the doctrine of the gospel.
'I think that it is more important to have a good mission president than where they serve,' he said.
It is through an understanding of the doctrine that will help the church to grow in areas of the world, such as the West Indies, Robison said.
Since Robison''s first interview for his mission call, he said he has kept a journal that categorizes the different points of doctrine to help him teach the gospel more effectively. He said the doctrine would cause the gospel to go forward.
'The missionaries are not the light, they are the conduit,' he said.
Robison said the French speaking area he will serve in does not have stakes or wards. His wife, Diane Robison, said the current mission president over the West Indies has worked hard at preparing the area to grow into wards and stakes. She said her husband''s abilities to organize would help the work to move forward in the mission.
'He''ll be great at putting together the finishing touches in preparing the saints to become a stake,' she said.
Robison, like Doxey, Farnsworth and Priday emphasized that a mission president who teaches the doctrine will not only help missionaries to grow in the gospel, but it will also spread the message of the gospel more effectively than any other way. Each said they were excited to serve as a mission president but were humbled by the importance of the call.