When Leslie and David Rupper retired in 2019, they wanted to serve a senior mission, but at the time their elderly parents in Utah needed their time and attention. They moved to Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and while helping to care for their parents, they served from home by volunteering as Church Service Missionaries for the Salt Lake City Mission. Sister Rupper served as the Mission Health Advisor during the COVID pandemic. The couple also served with Latter-day Saint Charities, sending doctors to China, and worked with BYU-Pathway Worldwide.
After their parents passed away, the Ruppers submitted their application to serve a full-time senior mission, putting their trust in Heavenly Father and knowing that “God is in the details of our lives.”
The couple was surprised and thrilled when they received their call to serve in the Micronesia Guam Mission. They arrived in Guam on October 22, 2024.
Elder Rupper will serve as a finance specialist and Sister Rupper, a registered nurse, will serve as the mission health advisor.
In both their professions and at church, Elder and Sister Rupper have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord by serving others.
Both Elder and Sister Rupper have served in a wide variety of responsibilities in the Church. Their favorite calling is to be mother and father to 4 adult children, 2 boys and 2 girls.
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Sister Rupper is uniquely qualified to serve the missionaries in the Micronesia Guam Mission. After receiving a BS degree in nursing from the University of Tulsa, she worked in hospitals in California. Eventually, she was certified as a school nurse and worked in a local elementary and high school nurse in Pennsylvania. She has also worked as a telephone triage nurse in Utah.
Elder Rupper graduated from BYU-Provo with a double major in accounting and international relations, then received an MBA from Golden Gate University. Most of his career was with MetLife, which included responsibilities in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan. During this time, the Ruppers lived in Hong Kong where he oversaw ten countries on the Pacific Rim.
The Ruppers operate two non-profit organizations in Africa. “The Lord’s Hands” is an organization that provides laptops to Pathway students in Africa. The other organization, “Inclusion Afrika” helps with micro-lending (mostly for Church members) and also helps with training in computer literacy. The organizations are funded through charitable donations.
“We have been inspired by the faith and resilience of the Saints in Micronesia,” say the Ruppers. “We are excited to ‘lift where we stand’ in our respective assignments and to help hasten the work of the Lord.”