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David Mayberry Texas North (Dallas) Mission 1972-1974

I grew up in Ogden Utah. As a teen I was ok but not very motivated about the Gospel. I attended church and was generally a good kid, but that was it. I graduated from Ogden High in 1971 and went to Utah State for a year. I spent the summer before I turned 19 golfing, working a little, playing tennis and basketball with my best friend Bill, sleeping in until 11 everyday and thinking very little of a mission. Bill’s birthday was also in August so we did talk about maybe going. Obviously, not among the top 10 best ways to prepare for a mission. By the end of summer, Bill and I decided to “give it a try.” I talked to my Bishop, got the papers in and was off to Texas in September. Back in those days the “bar” was very low and I still had to pretty much crawl under it. By the way, my Farewell talk was pitiful! Now for the worst and most embarrassing part: My testimony was so weak that I was truly concerned that being in the Bible Belt, I could possibly run into a Preacher or someone that co

Noah Simmons

“Bakersfield, California…California! I love that place. Where is Bakersfield though? Is that the city with all the outlet shops off of I-15? Or is that Barstow? I just have never heard of Bakersfield…” That’s what ran through my head as I read the text from my dad, relaying information back from President Evans. I had made myself comfortable, finally, during my time home in between missions due to the pandemic. I knew that returning to the field was what I should do, even though I had grown accustomed to being at home with my friends and family again. My first week my area went by fine. I was excited to do missionary work during the pandemic, to continue learning and sharing about Jesus Christ, and I felt a lot of confidence from my new mission president. All that excitement slowly started to fade as reality began to creep in. My companion and I had the occasional disagreement, teaching appointments fell through, and the amount of time we got to spend outside each day seemed to get