New Family Search Missionary Couple Comes To Micronesia

Larry and Tawana Christensen are the new Family Search missionaries for the Micronesia Guam mission for one year. They have been assigned to serve on the island of Pohnpei. They have come to the mission from Nampa Idaho.

This is their third mission. They were called to serve in the Brisbane Australia mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2019-2020.  As part of this mission, they taught institute and were facilitators for BYU Pathways to students from Tonga, Samoa, and New Zealand.  After serving there and working with CES (Church Educational System) for five months, COVID-19 changed everything.  All the non-native missionaries were sent home on a Church-chartered plane which included the Christensen’s. They continued to work with their pathway students to finish the semester.  This meant that in Idaho, they began teaching at 2:00 a.m. because of the time difference. 

After their mission to Australia, their desire to serve continued.  They were called as Service Missionaries with the Pathway program.  This time they were teaching students in Brazil.  They did this for another sixteen months.

They both enjoy doing family history work.  Larry was called to work in the Stake Family Search Center for a couple of years.  He had a lot of success helping others search out their family names as well as his own.  He enjoyed planning ward parties that focused on different countries with displays and food provided by members of their ward.  Tawana’s father was a convert to the Church, so she had been researching and preparing family names for the temple for many years.  Because they had been actively engaged in family history work, they became excited when they saw several Family Search mission opportunities on the senior missionary portal.   

They said: “We knew that we wanted to serve another mission within a couple of years.  When we heard Elder Rasband’s talk pleading for more senior couples to serve a mission, we decided the time was now.”  Sister Christensen was worried about leaving her aging parents.  She said: “I was comforted that all would be as it should be with my parents as they are aging.”

Larry worked hard as a farmer growing sugar beets, potatoes, sweet corn seed, alfalfa seed, wheat, and beans.  He also had some cattle that he tended to as well.  One of their sons is now running the farm. His favorite hobby is having deep gospel discussions with their family.  He also finds great joy in serving others.

Tawana retired from teaching kindergarten for fifteen years.  She loves making memories with their six children and eighteen grandchildren. She is a great organizer and enjoys traveling the world. She loves to plan events including the many trips they’ve been on. 

The Christensen’s love working and playing together with their family.  A fun fact about their family is that they all have a special nickname!

Their favorite scripture is found in the Book of Mormon in Alma 37:37 “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”