Sendai Japan Mission 2011-2014: Elder Palmer Returns Home for Two Weeks

We received a phone call from Elder Palmer's Bishop back home informing us that his Father passed away very suddenly. Gary knew he would have to break that news to Elder Palmer which is the hardest thing a Mission President is asked to do. Gary called Elder Palmer and asked him (and his companion) to catch the Shinkonsen and get to Sendai as quickly as they could. We picked them up about 9PM and brought them to our home. Gary took Elder Palmer into his office and I spoke with his companion. That was the beginning of a long night for Elder Palmer and his Mission President. E. Palmer spoke with this Bishop and his Mom and other family for several hours and it was decided that he would return home for his Father's funeral. He is the oldest child in the family and he has 5 younger siblings, four of them young boys who needed him as did his Mom. We knew that once a missionary goes home, it is rare that they return but it was important that he go. The next morning Gary and I drove Elder Palmer and Elder Paxton back to their area in Akita so that a suitcase could be packed and we drove back to Sendai with Elder Palmer. We were so impressed with this wonderful missionary as we watched him talk to everyone he met and shared his testimony and spirit even though he was broken on the inside. He assured us he would return to the mission and we put him on the plane to Utah. He spoke at his Father's funeral and we learned from his Stake President what a blessing he was to his whole family during his visit home. He was a different man than the one that left on his mission a year ago. What a blessing a mission is in a young man's life!

NOTE: Elder Palmer did return to the mission two weeks later. It has been hard for him at moments when he felt he couldn't go on, but he seems to keep moving and pushing through his sorrow and is a wonderful missionary and trainer.