MICRONESIAN DAYDREAMS

My memoirs of the time I served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in the Micronesia Guam Mission.



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I was attending Snow College in Ephraim, Utah when I submitted my papers to serve a mission
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It seemed like an eternity before the call
came and I found out where I was going to serve. It was on Saturday, 1 May 1993, when that
white envelope appeared in my mailbox. I gathered my roommates and college buddies around
me and called home. Excitedly, I tore the envelope open and read:
Dear Sister Opperman:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Micronesia Guam Mission. It is anticipated that you will
serve for a period of 18 months. You should report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo,
Utah on Wednesday, 4 August 1993.
When I read Micronesia Guam, the first thing that came to my mind was Reid Wiberg, my
neighbor from Roy, who had received his call to Micronesia Guam many years earlier. I
remember going to a Sunday School lesson and having him teach a class on missionary work. He
encouraged all of us to go on missions, just not to his mission "the hell-hole of all missions.
Reid had become very sick while over there with Hepatitis B and had really struggled. I had
mixed emotions about serving in Guam. Luckily for me, one of my friend Steve at Snow College
had just returned from serving in the Micronesia Guam mission and was able to share his
insights, enthusiasm, and love for the Micronesian people.

On 18 May 1993 I was able to take out my endowments in the Manti Temple. None of my family
members were able to accompany me; I was saddened by that fact. My escorts were my
neighbors who just happened to be the Temple President and Matron of the Manti Temple at the
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time. I felt really blessed to have President Garth Monson and his wife accompany me on that
special day. My friends and neighbors who were returned missionaries also accompanied me.
On 3 August 1993, I was officially set apart as an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. I had always wanted to be a missionary and I couldnt believe that it was
finally happening. President Heiner, my Stake President, set me apart and my mother and
brothers and sisters that were at home were able to come. I still remember many of the words
that were told to me when I was set apart. President Heiner blessed me with great faith that I may
accomplish and see a great work fulfilled that had never been done before. He also blessed me
that I would be able to feel the Spirit the minute I set foot at the Missionary Training Center. He
blessed me that I would be healthy and adjust to missionary work quickly. He also told me to
pray for the people when they needed it. President Heiner also blessed my family while I was
away. He also said that my missionary service would be something they would think on the rest
of their days. Right before he closed, he left me a special blessing for my future He told me not
to worry about my future husband. I was to work hard in the mission field and he would be
waiting to meet me when I got home.
I entered the MTC on Wednesday 4 August 1993. It was hard to say goodbye to my family, but I
was very excited to meet my first missionary companion Danielle Ross from Ohio. I was chosen
to be the Senior Companion in our companionship. We had another set of Sisters in our group
Sister Cami Denning and Sister Lisa Fortems. They also were going to be joining us in
Micronesia. Our Elders in our district consisted of the companionships of Elder Olsen & Elder
Arnold, Elder Bird & Elder Gylling, Elder Arvig & Elder Spallino, and Elder Howes & Elder
Guerrin.

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Elder David Gylling
I remember we had been at the MTC for only a few days when I got sick. I felt like I needed to
get a blessing when Elder Bird and Elder Gylling showed up. Neither one of them had ever given
a blessing before. Elder Bird anointed and Elder Gylling gave the blessing. I will always
remember that experience because Elder Gylling was shaking when he placed his hands on my
head. He started off the blessing shaky, but then paused for a moment, and the Spirit took over
His hands stopped trembling, and the words came freely and with confidence. When the blessing
was over, I looked up into these 2 young mens faces and saw that they felt and recognized the
Spirit. This experience really wasnt about me being sick at all. This experience was for them.
They learned how to give a blessing, but more importantly to learn how the Spirit can work
through them because of their priesthood. It was only a few days later when Elder David Gylling
left the MTC because of health problems. He did manage to come back for a few days to say his
goodbyes but then he had to end his mission early. It was sad to say goodbye. I was going to
miss my friend Elder Gylling.
Elder Jonathon Olsen
Elder Olsen was called to be our district leader while in the MTC. His nickname for me was
Sister S.O. (shortened version of Sister Opperman) and he always joked around saying Because
I told you S.O. We became really close friends at the MTC. He told me in one of our
conversations that President LeBaron would have liked for me to have been the district leader,
but because I was a female and didnt hold the priesthood he had to make Elder Olsen the district
leader instead. I was surprised by that! Another experience with Elder Olsen was when he and
his companion gave me a blessing after Elder Gylling went home. It brought me a lot of comfort.
The phrase I remember the most from the blessing was when Elder Olsen told me that there were
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people in Micronesia that I was foreordained to teach the gospel to. That phrase never left me
when I was in the mission. I know that I found several of those people I was meant to find.
Elder Olsen and I decided that when we got to our mission areas we would send each other some
of the soil from the mission so that we could have a little taste of what it was like in each others
missions. I remember the week I got my package from Elder Olsen in the mail. It had red sand
from Tallahassee Florida. I sent him some beach sand from the Marshall Islands along with some
sea shells. It was fun. Elder Olsen said we would be friends forever and told me right before we
left the MTC that if he died before I did, he would be waiting at the pearly gates to give me a big
hug and welcome me home. I hope he keeps that promise. That would be awesome!
We are off!
There was a huge group of missionaries that left the MTC together and traveled to Guam- I
believe it was 9 Elders and 4 sisters. In those days we had a huge layover in Honolulu, Hawaii. It
was our brilliant idea since we werent leaving Hawaii until the next day, led by our fearless
group leader Elder Haskett, to take the time during our layover to try and make it out to Laie to
the Polynesian Cultural Center. We had heard that the PCC lets missionaries in for free and we
wanted to go check out the place and visit the Laie Temple Visitors Center. We had no idea
where we were going. We got on The Bus not realizing how far away it was. We never made it
there, but we do have some fun memories of being lost in Hawaii and we did get to eat at KFC
that night!
We left Hawaii at 1:00 PM on 25 August 1993. It was about 7 hours to fly to Guam, but
because of the time difference we arrived at 4:00 PM on 26 August 1993. We were met at the
airport by President Gordon S. Thatcher and some elders. Im sure they were probably the
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Assistants to the President but we were in such a haze by that time I dont really know. We were
taken to the mission home where we met Sister Beth Thatcher and had dinner. We were each
interviewed by President Thatcher and then later on in the evening we were told which island
group we would be serving on. The Micronesia Guam Mission was a unique mission. Land mass
it would probably be considered one of the smallest missions because the islands consisted of
coral island atolls. Geographically speaking, or mission was the biggest mission in the world
extending from Palau to the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The mission included the
Federated States of Micronesia- Palau, Yap, Kosrae, Chuuk, and Pohnpei; The Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, and the Republic of the
Marshall Islands Majuro, Kwajalein - the top secret military base, and Ebeye being the main
islands of the mission. The Elders were lucky and were able to go out to some of the more
primitive islands to serve. We were told that they dont send just anyone to the MGM mission
only the best of the best. Because our mission is so big, we only would see our mission president
every other month. His counselor would come around the other months for zone conference.
Each of the island groups were their own unique culture with their own unique language. Some
of the island languages were similar enough that they could understand one another. Others were
very difficult language to pick up on. Some islands were third world poverty islands, while some
islands were quite modernized.
I found out that I was going to be going to Majuro, the capital of the Republic of the Marshall
Islands. I would fly out on Sunday. President Thatcher and his wife would be there at the airport
to meet me because they were heading over there for zone conference. President Thatcher told
me during my interview that he thought I was flexible and would do well on any of the island
groups. That night, President Thatcher and his counselors laid their hands on each of our heads
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and pronounced a blessing. We were each blessed with the gift of tongues and interpretation of
tongues. President Thatcher also told me that I was to be Bold in proclaiming the gospel and not
afraid to speak the language or make mistakes. He also blessed me that I would develop a great
love for the people of Micronesia.
Majuro
Continental Micronesia is the only airlines that flies out to the islands. They dont make the trips
every day, so if you miss your flight, or there are delays, you could be stuck somewhere for a
while. The flight from Guam to the RMI is a long one called the hopper flight. It starts in Guam
and the hops to all the different islands Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and then lands in Majuro. I
landed Sunday afternoon in Majuro expecting to be met at the airport by my mission president
and trainer. No such luck! I was standing around the airport not knowing what to do or where to
go. A family at the airport decided they were going to help me. They said, in the little English
that they knew, to get into their truck they knew where the sisters lived. I didnt really have much
of a choice as they grabbed my luggage and stuck it in the back of their truck and made me get
in. We took off on our adventure, and were halfway to where the sisters lived when we spotted
their car. We turned around and caught up with them. The sisters, President Thatcher and his
wife, and the Van Burens- the missionary couple on the island, were all on their way to pick me
up. It just so happened that my plane landed an hour early. After the chaos settled, I realized I
had left my brand new scriptures on the plane. What a day!
My trainer was Sister Hanks. She only had about a month left on her mission and was there to
train me before she went home. Our companion was Sister Jaime, a beautiful sister from the
Marshall Islands. Sister Jaime was to teach me Marshallese and I was to teach her English. My
first day of proselyting was 30 August 1993. It was great to be out serving the Lord and getting
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to know these wonderful people. I came home exhausted, and actually fell asleep on the stairs of
our apartment while my companions visited some of the sisters in the branch who were over
visiting.
My first Sunday in Majuro I felt a bit lost. I couldnt understand any Marshallese although I had
just learned how to pray in Marshallese. I was sitting in Relief Society when across the way I
heard the little Primary children sing I Am a Child of God in Marshallese. It was beautiful. It
made me realize how much Heavenly Father knew each and every one of his children even those
in the isles of the sea. It was also a very special day- my first official baptism. Sister Hanks and
Sister Jaime had been teaching Marylynn Langidrik before I got there. She had her baptismal
interview on 1 September 1993 and today on the 5 September 1993 she entered the waters of
baptism. What a wonderful experience.
10 September 1993: I had a dream. I walked into a chapel and a man and his wife were sitting on
a bench. This man was one of my friends I needed to find. His name was Robert. I also felt that I
was going to be headed back to Guam soon. I was needed there. Several days later at my first
zone conference, I spoke to the second counselor in the mission presidency, President Keele,
about this dream that I had. I felt that he didnt believe it as he told me that I was needed where I
was and not to waste my time wishing to be somewhere I wasn't. I was a bit crushed by this.
Ebeye
My first transfer took place on 23 September 1993. I was being transferred to Ebeye. Because
Sister Hanks was going home, I would finish being trained by Sister Von Speireman on Ebeye
and Sister Treosti would be joining Sister Jaime in Majuro. The only way to access Ebeye was to
land on Kwajalein a top secret military base, and take the ferry over to Ebeye. Because of the
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high security clearance that was needed to access Kwajalein, members who were stationed over
in Kwajalein would have to meet the missionaries, escort them around the base and take them
over to the ferry. When I arrived, Sister Myrline Paradise met me at the airport and escorted me
over to the boat docks. I was met there by Sister Morris (the couple missionary) and my new
companion Sister Von Speierman. I cried when I heard I was leaving Majuro, but when I arrived
on Ebeye I felt such an amazing peace come over me and I knew I was right where the Lord
needed me to be. Sister Von and I hit it off right away. I knew this was going to be a good
experience for me.
24 September 1993 my first full day on Ebeye. I took my first bucket shower. Ebeye only has 2
times a day that they have running water- once in the morning, and once at night. Since we are
usually out proselyting at night we have to stock up in the morning by filling up buckets. We
have to boil the water if we are going to drink it because it is just not clean. So to have showers
or clean laundry, we heat up the water and then use our buckets to go to it. Later on in the day,
we had a district meeting. Elder Bourne was being sent to Guam because he had a broken leg,
and Elder Calloway was put in as the new zone leader. The zone was very close a little family
consisting of the mission couple Elder and Sister Morris, 2 sets of elders and us sisters. After
our district meeting we went out and followed up on some referrals from the elders. We were
also able to teach Julan and Antolynn about the plan of salvation. We are going back over there
on Sunday to help him quit smoking.
Boris Lazic
It is hard for me to write about Boris. I dont know why it is hard for me to write down the
words, but I dont think I have the right words to do it all justice. I will try to give it my best
shot. I saw Boris briefly my very first day on Ebeye. He was this person I felt drawn to even
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though I had never met him before. He was standing by the Seventh Day Adventist School and I
could just see him from a distance. I asked Sister Von Speierman if she knew who he was. She
told me that his name was Boris Lazic and he was a Seventh Day Adventist missionary from
Serbia who was on Ebeye teaching English at the school. Boris had met up with Sister Von and
Sister Treosti earlier and had requested a Book of Mormon. They hadnt had any copies at the
time but had promised to bring one by. He looked up and I felt this connection.
It wasnt until 8 October 1993 that I met up with Boris again. Sister Von and I were coming
home in a taxi (back of a pickup truck) for lunch when we saw him walking down the street. The
taxi driver pulled over to let off some passengers so we had a chance to talk to him for a few
minutes. I had the strongest impression that he came over to talk to us because he felt this
connection to me too. I knew I found one of my friends I had known before in the pre-mortal
existence. This feeling of knowing was a tangible thing. While on Ebeye, I could sense/feel
Boriss presence before I ever saw him. I knew he was there. Never have I had such a strong
spiritual connection to another person.
Sister Von Speierman introduced us and before the taxi left told him that we had a copy of the
Book of Mormon we could give him and drop by his place (the SDA School). Later that night,
we dropped by the school to give another teacher, Deanna, a copy of the Book of Mormon that
she had requested as well. Deanna was so excited to learn more about the Book of Mormon and
couldnt believe that we could give out free copies. Boris showed up as well and we gave him his
copy of the Book of Mormon. He was amazed. He wanted to borrow a copy to read, but was
excited to have his own copy. While he visited, he told us about a minister friend of his who said
that if he wasnt Seventh Day Adventist he would be Mormon. Boris said that he didnt think
that the Seventh Day Adventists had the whole truth. He knew a lot about the Mormon religion
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and was searching for truth. In Doctrine and Covenants 29:7 it says, And ye are called to bring
to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts.
This scripture reminded me of Boris.
On my mission I was blessed with the gift of dreams. I had many of them. I had a powerful
dream about Boris and myself in the pre-mortal existence and our roles that we played while
there. I knew especially after that dream experience that Boris Lazic and I were friends eternal
friends and had known each other before we came to earth. Its been many years since I have
served in Micronesia. We have had many discussions great discussions about the gospel but he
has yet to join the church. When I got home from my mission, Boris sent me a copy of a poem he
wrote about me in Serbian with his English translation. Its English title was To Sing about You.
Boris said that many people loved the poem because it was just so joyful! In 2004 I had the
opportunity to go to France for my brother-in-laws wedding. I was able to meet up with Boris,
his wife, and their son. It was wonderful to see him again and hear what was going on in his life.
I keep in contact with Boris every once in a while with the great technologies we have today like
Facebook. He has 2 sons now and is living in Nice, France. He used to teach at a university over
in France, but I think he has stopped with the teaching and is concentrating more on his writing
always in the Serbian language. Perhaps we will meet up again in this life, but if not, I know I
will see him again.

On Ebeye especially, I had a lot of spiritual experiences that happened to myself, my
companionship, and my zone. I had always grown up having different experiences of visiting
spirits good and evil; I had felt the presence of administering angels; knew what it felt like to
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cast out evil spirits; I could see an aura around people; and I knew what it was like to draw upon
the powers of heaven to receive answers to prayers. I had thought these thing were normal. But
when these things began to occur, my Ebeye Zone didnt know what to make of them.
Julan Jabjulan and Antolynn
Sister Von and I were teaching another discussion to Julan and Antolynn when I felt that their
baby was going to be very sick. About 10 minutes later, the baby did become really sick. Julan
asked if we could find the elders and ask them if they could bless their baby boy. Sister Von and
I had no idea where the elders were at this time but before we left, we said a prayer asking that
the Lord guide us in finding the elders. We left the house, and immediately were told where to go
and what roads to take to find the elders. A few minutes later we arrived at the home Elder
Heward and Elder Jalley were finishing teaching a family a discussion. They came out of the
home and were astonished to see us. Elder Heward asked us flippantly if we were led by the
Spirit to them and Sister Von and I answered yes, it was an answer to prayers. We told them
about the sick baby, and the elders went quickly to provide a blessing for the baby.
Another experience with Julan and Antolynn that I will never forget is one of the final
appointments we had with them before they were to be baptized. I call it their test of faith. Sister
Von and I went over to their house to teach them another discussion. While we were there, Julan
and Antolynn offered us some dinner. It was a package of hot dogs and a plate of rice. We
learned while we were there, that Julan had not been paid for the work he had done. They didnt
have any money, and they didnt have any food. They felt it important to feed the missionaries
who were teaching them about God so they went next door and borrowed some food from the
neighbors. We knew that if we ate all their food, they would go hungry, so we ate as much as we
possibly could so that we were not offending their generous offer, but little enough so that they
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could eat. They told us that they had prayed and asked God to bless them with the things that
they needed. They trusted him completely and knew that He would take care of them. Of course
when we finished the discussions, Sister Von and I went home and took them a secret food
package. The next day we went to check on them and their prayers had been answered. Julans
missing check arrived in the mail. He was able to buy food for his family. Julan was so excited
because he bought his soon to be wife a new dress for their wedding/baptismal day. He also
bought his son a special outfit as well. On 17 October 1993 I got the special privilege of seeing
Julan marry his beautiful bride Antolynn. A few minutes later, I watched as Elder Calloway took
each one out into the Pacific Ocean at sunset and baptized them into The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. It was Elder Calloways birthday and the best birthday presents ever!

I knew I wasnt going to be on Ebeye for very long. I had had another dream about my going to
Guam. I had seen my mission companion that I was going to be with and new it was coming
soon. I had also had an experience on Ebeye of being too spiritually sensitive for lack of better
words that showed me that I couldnt last much longer on the island. Sister Von and I had been
out proselyting and we went over to this house to follow up on a person we had met. This lady
was not at home, but instead there were several men outside standing around. Sister Von started
speaking to them in Marshallese inquiring about this lady that we were looking for. While she
was talking, one of the men came over to me and grabbed my hand. I remember looking into his
eyes and seeing and feeling nothing but blackness. This man was evil and with his touch, he was
draining the light. I pulled my hand away, and told Sister Von that we had to go now. She was a
bit surprised, but agreed and we left quickly. I explained to her what had happened, and how I
felt physically drained by the experience. She took me over to Elder and Sister Morriss home
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and Elder Morris gave me a blessing. I was surprised that Sister Von hadnt felt the evil that was
there.
Elder Paul Lloyd
It was only a short while later that I got the call telling me that I was going to be transferred to
Guam. Elder Paul Lloyd was going to be coming in from the outer Marshallese Atoll of Lae and
would be flying to Guam with me.
Elder Lloyd, and his Marshallese companion, Elder Kaminaga arrived on Ebeye on 21 October
1993 we took the Ferry back over to Kwajalein and flew back to Guam. We had a brief stopover
in Kosrae so we got off the plane and had a look around the airport. We were able to have some
great talks while we were waiting. Elder Lloyd had spent most of his time out in the Marshalls,
especially on the beautiful atoll of Lae. He had some amazing stories to share. He did not want to
leave the Marshallese people he had come to love so much and was frustrated that he had been
called back to Guam. I shared with him my experiences of how I had known I was going to be
headed to Guam because of the dreams that I had had. I also told him that I knew who my
companion was going to be and that there were people on Guam I needed to find. He wasnt
shocked or amazed by what I was telling him, he simply accepted it as truth. I found this very
interesting and asked him why. He told me that his companion, Elder Kaminaga, was the same
way. He dreamed dreams, and he could see the auras around people as well although Elder
Kaminaga saw colors as aura. He had had many experiences casting out spirits in the islands so
he knew what I was talking about. It was a relief for me to have someone believe me and trust
my dreams. I was grateful I was traveling with Elder Lloyd. We had a bit of a support system for
each other on the island of Guam which was needed on both sides. I have always wondered what
happened to Elder Lloyd when he returned home from his mission. He was a spiritually sensitive
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person and many of the experiences he had while serving was incredible. He was a true believer
and had been blessed with great faith. Elder Lloyd reminds me of the verses recorded in
3 Nephi 7: 15-20
15 And it came to pass that Nephihaving been visited by angels and also the voice of the
Lord, therefore having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him
that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness to their quick
return from righteousness unto their wickedness and abominations;
16 Therefore, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds
went forth among them in that same year, and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission
of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
17 And he did minister many things unto them; and all of them cannot be written, and a part of
them would not suffice, therefore they are not written in this book. And Nephi did minister with
power and with great authority.
18 And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than
they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on
the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.
19 And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did
he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people.
20 And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power;
and he did also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.
Elder Lloyd was given great Faith and Power with which he did many might miracles throughout
Micronesia.

Guam
By the time that flight ended, I was pretty sick. A super typhoon had struck Ebeye about a week
before I left. Us, missionaries had to go out in the storm to fix a wall to the building that we used
as the church building. After going up and down up and down, my ears couldnt take it anymore-
they were completely blocked and I could hardly hear anything. (I have partial hearing loss in
my right ear because of that flight.)
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Elder Lloyd and I finally landed and made it off the plane. Elder Whittemore and his companion
met us at the airport. The sisters who were supposed to meet me didnt show up, so I had to jump
in the car with 3 elders. I know- here I am breaking the mission rules again
Elder Whittemore told me that my companion was to be Sister Brown. I looked over at Elder
Lloyd and we exchanged looks because on the flight over I told him that I knew my companion
was going to be a Sister Brown and described her to him. I do have to say one more thing. My
return to Guam happened a few days before President Keele and his wife finished their missions
and returned home. I dont know if he remembered what he told me when I told him I was going
to be transferred to Guam but I remembered. I am sure it is not healthy to want to say I told you
so, but I was happy to show him that I had made it to Guam.
Jeff Aflague
There are so many people I still need to write about, but I couldnt tell my mission story without
including my friend Jeff. I first met Jeff on a Sunday in Guam. I was serving in Yona, and my
companion and I had just arrived for Sacrament Meeting. Standing outside was the young man
just kind of hanging around outside. We stopped and talked to him for a minute and found out
his name was Jeff Aflague. Jeff was being taught by the Elders in Barrigada but he wanted to
come visit different chapels where he wasnt known to see what church was really like. We
became instant friends. People came up and asked how long we had known each other. When I
said about 5 minutes they were really surprised and said that we acted like we had known each
other forever. I am sure we did. Jeff went back home to his Barrigada branch and eventually did
join the church. He was one of the very few of the original Chamorro people on Guam to join the
church. Unintentionally, people put a lot of pressure on him because he was one of the few
Chamorros to join the church.
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I eventually was transferred up and served in the Barrigada Branch where I would occasionally
see Jeff at church. We had many discussions about the gospel. He said he had never felt anything
as joyous as the gospel. And it scared him to death! He told me that when he had taken drugs he
would get on a high, but eventually you had to come down and then you would have to take
more drugs and try to achieve that same amount of high but you could never get it. But the joy
that comes from living the gospel was greater than all of that and he was afraid of failing.
Jeff impacted my life in many ways. He taught me a lot about living the gospel and what being a
member of the church really meant. He also helped me to remember what my purpose as a
missionary was. I had really been struggling a lot with my mission. I had been in several bad
companionships, I was struggling with homesickness, and I had been thinking about going home
and just giving up. I had had enough. My companion and I had gone to the mission home one
Sunday evening for a special fireside the mission president was putting on for newly baptized
members of the church. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Jeff was attending. After the
fireside we had the chance to catch up. I told him of my feelings and frustration. He let me talk
and let it all out. Then he patiently pulled out his scriptures and starting looking for a verse. Jeff
asked me, You know why you do it, dont you? You know why you are here? He had turned to
Alma 26 and read verses 27-30 to me.
27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord
comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the [Micronesians], and bear with patience
thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.
28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in
our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house,
relying upon the mercies of the worldnot upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the
mercies of God.
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29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their
streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their
temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit
upon, and smote upon...
30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the
means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be
the means of saving some.
This is why you are here, Sister Opperman. You are here to save souls! What a truly humbling
experience for me to be taught by a newly baptized convert to the church. Jeff was right. I was
there to save souls in Micronesia and I wasnt going to go home until the Lord said it was time to
return home.

At the end of my mission when I returned to Guam before I went home, I was able to get back in
contact with Jeff. I asked if he would come to the airport with some of the other members and
say goodbye. Jeff said that he was really sick and wouldnt make any promises as he hasnt been
leaving his house to do anything anymore. I said goodbye over the phone and thought that was
the end. Jeff surprised me. I wasnt the only missionary going home and there were a lot of
members at the airport saying goodbye to everyone. Standing in the back away from everyone
else I saw Jeff. He had come. He really was very sick. I was so touched that this man, who had
taught me so much, would come sick as he was to the airport to see me home.
Jeff and I wrote letters back and forth a few times before we lost contact with each other. Jeffs
greatest dream was to fly to the Mainland (what the locals called the US) and see the sites. It
wasnt until I was attending BYU Hawaii that I found out what had happened to him. I was
attending a fireside that one of the counselors from my mission was speaking at. After the
fireside I asked President Lopez if he could tell me any information about Jeff. I was shocked by
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his reply. It was something to the affect that Jeff had died a few years earlier from AIDS and that
he was a bit of a disappointment. I hadnt realized that my sick friend who came to see me at the
airport was battling AIDS. He never told me. I was so devastated by his death. I always cry when
I think of those caustic remarks made by President Lopez. Jeff was not a disappointment! He was
a child of God. His soul was of great worth. Jeff struggled with his addiction to drugs. He told
me that he felt like he was going one step forward and 2 steps forward. He was trying to fight but
he wasnt always successful. One thing I know for sure. I cant wait to return home and see my
friend Jeff Aflague again. I will thank him once again for helping to save my soul as a
missionary and remind me of my greater purpose as a missionary and in life Saving Souls.

I have so many stories and memories to share of my mission surviving Typhoons and Super
Typhoons, surviving a car crash on Guam, or Pizza Hut golden couple, my experiences on
Saipan (I even got to travel out to the island of Tinian for the day which is a story in itself) and
my many adventures on Yap with its beautiful stone money. And the people that I love. There
are so many stories President Bill Davis, Edward and Donna Spix, Grant Johnston, Peter and
Liz Gordon, Estella and Roger Pachecco, Dave (although I always called him John for some
reason) and his 2 kids Josh and Kristina, Henry, Janet Chiren a ten year old Chuukese girl,
Martin Raymond and his family, the amazing conversion story of Dino on Guam, Pilung Aliliy
on Yap who always asked me to bake him cookies and cakes and his biting son Max, finding my
twin sister from Nepal, and many others. I have yet to mention the cultural experiences as
well like talking with your face raising eyebrows to say yes, pointing with your nose or chin,
eating with your hands, and other odd habits I picked up out in Micronesia that my Uncle Larry
still teases me about. But those stories will have to be written at another time.
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I am sure you are all wondering if I ever found my friend Robert, my first dream in the mission. I
did. And it was an incredible experience of recognition.

Robert Campbell
After spending a good portion of my mission on Guam, I was transferred to Saipan. On the first
Sunday there I was introduced to the branch president, President Campbell and his beautiful
family. They loved to feed the missionaries and have them into their home. I learned from my
companion that President Campbell had been called from inactivity to become the branch
president. President Campbell struggled with his calling, but he loved those people he served. All
of the missionaries spent time helping him and supporting him and his little family any way we
could. It was district conference and everyone was gathered in the chapel on Saipan to be taught
from our church leaders. It was an edifying day and we were all spiritually uplifted. President
Campbell was one of our speakers. I had never known this before but on the program I found out
his name was Robert. I remember the meeting being finished and we were starting to sing our
closing hymn I Know That My Redeemer Live. I glanced down at the program again and Robert
Campbell jumped out at me. The words came to my mind: This is Robert. This is who you have
been looking for. I looked up at him sitting on the stage on and he looked at me and something
happened between us at that moment. I dont know exactly what, but we both started crying.
After the meeting was finished President Campbell came over to me shook my hand and said.
Thank you. I asked him for what. His response was, You know why. And for some reason I
did know. I havent heard or seen President Campbell since my time in Saipan but that is ok
because I know that I had found my friend and was there for him at a time when he needed it.
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My last experience I will share about my mission actually happened when I came home from my
mission. My friends father, Keith Burnett, was a university professor here in Utah. He had been
given an assignment to visit the Micronesian islands as part of some study the school was doing.
(I think he was a botanist and were doing some samplings and study of the flora over there.)
President Burnett was going to be visiting most of the island groups while in Micronesia and was
going to be gone for quite some time to the islands. The incredible part of this story was the
President Burnett was a patriarch. Before he left for the islands he was given special permission
by Elder Boyd K Packer to give patriarchal blessings to the islanders who were worthy to receive
them. When President Burnett came home from his trip, I had been home from my mission about
6 months. President Burnett looked me up and shared with me some of the marvelous and
miraculous stories of giving patriarchal blessings to the wonderful islanders. President Burnett
said that he was amazed because on each island the people would ask him where he was from,
when he said that he was from Utah they wanted to know if he knew Sister Opperman. He said it
happened island after island. He told me how much those island people loved me and were so
grateful that I had come to preach the gospel to them. I couldnt believe it. I only spent a month
or so in some of those islands before I was transferred. But they had remembered me and were so
grateful that I had come. I know it wasnt me, but the Spirit of the Lord that had come and
touched their lives and converted them to the gospel. I am just so grateful that I could be an
instrument in His hands in teaching these wonderful people His gospel. I didnt have many
baptisms. There were many times in my mission that I didnt think anyone wanted to hear the
message I had to bring. But President Burnetts experience taught me that I had made a
difference and for that I was very grateful. Serving a mission really was the best (almost) 2 years
of my life!