Guam Welcomes New Self-reliance Missionary Couple

The Micronesia Guam Mission welcomes a new Welfare and Self-reliance Service Missionary Couple assigned to Guam. Arriving the end of May, Elder David, and Sister Ilene Jenkins left their home in Ione, California, as well as their four children and twelve grandchildren, to serve on the tropical island of Guam for the next eighteen months.

Elder Jenkins, the fourth of six children, was born in New York. Growing up in Carmichael, California, he then served a mission in the Idaho Pocatello Mission and continued with his education to earn a master’s degree in Geology from BYU-Provo. Elder Jenkins previously has served as Bishop, Bishop’s counselor, Elders Quorum president, Sunday School counselor, Primary teacher, self-reliance group facilitator, and volunteer chaplain for the California Department of Corrections.

Sister Jenkins, born in Sacramento, California, and an only child, previously served as Relief Society President, Stake Young Women’s President, Seminary Teacher, Primary President, Primary counselor, Nursery Leader, Primary Pianist, Choir Pianist, Relief Society visiting teaching coordinator, Relief Society secretary, and self-reliance group facilitator.

The Jenkins talked about serving a mission for many years. Sister Jenkins said, “it felt like the Lord was saying ‘You’ve talked about this enough, are you going to do it?’ It felt like a good time to serve and suddenly everything fell into place.”

Having a desire to serve as Self-reliance missionaries they looked for higher-need opportunities they were capable of doing. Being open to serve wherever the lord wanted them, Guam was not an opportunity they had selected on their paperwork. Recalling back to when they opened their mission call, Sister Jenkins felt like, “Wow. That’s pretty exciting.” Elder Jenkins shared, “there weren’t any clouds of doubt or any apprehensions with this call.” They thought it a pleasant surprise to be called to the Micronesia Guam Mission. 

Elder and Sister Jenkins mentioned how they are counting miracles. They told of a granddaughter who has been very ill since February 2020. After two years, the doctors finally figured out what was wrong but for one ‘high level’ that no one could figure out. No sooner did Elder and Sister Jenkins arrive in Guam to begin their mission than their daughter called to tell of their first miracle. “As we began our mission in Guam,” states Sister Jenkins, “the granddaughter went back for another set of tests which, to everyone's surprise, came back normal. She is now on the mend. Our first mission miracle has happened.”

Elder and Sister Jenkins felt completing the MTC and all that was required to be done before their departure was also a miracle. It felt a bit overwhelming at first to have such a quick turnaround. “I literally thought there was no way,” Sister Jenkins recalls. Then they “watched the hand of the Lord helping them onto this mission,” confirming that this is the right place for them at this time.

Now, having been in Guam a few weeks, Elder Jenkins expressed, “I have really felt the spirit of the Holy Ghost. At stake conference or late at night where I get impressions, the Holy Ghost is in Guam.”

Feeling very welcomed by everyone and excited about this mission opportunity, Elder and Sister Jenkins are currently teaching a Finance Class on Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm at the Barrigada Guam Stake building in the Young Women’s room. This class is open to anyone that is interested.

The work of the Lord continues to move forward in Guam. The Micronesia Guam Mission continues to be blessed with people to bring about its success.