Missionary Companions

One of the best parts of our trip to Brazil was hanging out with Jason's missionary companions. Three of them came from the U.S. for the dedication and it was a nonstop party while we were together. We met up with Greg and his mom in the Sao Paulo airport and she and I instantly bonded as the Portuguese was flying everywhere around us. We all stayed in the same hotel in Curitiba which was so fun. We shared a room with Brien and his wife Amy and when Glen arrived at 1 am on our first night there he crashed in our room as well. These guys talked nonstop about their mission adventures. All of them are sucessful in all areas of life and we loved just hanging out with them. On Friday we took a two hour train ride from Curitiba to Paranagua. It is very scenic and goes through beautiful mountains. They had these great seats that face each other and we talked non-stop the whole way.

Later, there was a reunion for all of the missionaries who had served under Jason's mission president. This man was beyond amazing. Jason took me to meet he and his wife right after we were engaged and I instantly adored him. He is one of those people who you instantly feel good around just because he is so good. He was always so encouraging to Jason. Several years after the mission President Covington went into cardiac arrest and was dead for 25 minutes. They were able to bring him back but he lost a lot of his memory. I can remember going to visit him and he had labels on all the family photos to help him remember the names of his grandchildren. Four years later he died from Melanoma. This reunion was a bittersweet moment because his absence was deeply felt. There were at least 40 missionaries who attended from the U.S. and all over Brazil. All of these guys are beyond successful and they each spoke so tenderly of their love for their mission president and the influence he had on their lives. The majority of them have already been bishops and several were stake presidents or in the stake presidency. It was so amazing that as they all were missing their mission president they were a legacy to his life to see the success of these missionaries who have been home only 16 years.

We got the chance to spend quite a bit of time with several of Jason's Brazilian companions. I can't believe how much I loved hanging out with these guys even though I couldn't understand much of what they said. Their wives were all awesome and I could tell we would be chatting non-stop if only we could. Many of them said that Jason was their favorite companion because he was always so calm and laid back. One of them said how he always wanted to argue with Jason but he would never argue back. I had to laugh at that one because it's so true. It was great for me to see the love they all had for Jason. They were so happy to see him and wanted to spend more time with us than was possible.

I came away having learned so much:

• Life is short--we have to do what is best and essential first. There is so much time that we can waste doing frivolous things but we need to do that which will have a lasting influence.


Glen with Sister Covington, the mission president's wife. What a legacy all these missionaries are to her late husband.

The church is truly worldwide and knows no cultural barriers. This is such a miracle.



The couple on the left had us over for dinner after the temple dedication. I loved that their scriptures were stacked up by the tv just like where we keep ours.

There are people that we may only know for a small moment in time but our relationships with them have eternal consequence.




Serving a mission is the beginning of a lifetime of great experiences. It shouldn't be the best time of one's life but the beginning of great things to come. We came back wanting to help all the boys we know serve a mission.