The Preslars: Thirty Years Ago

Sunday, October 05, 2025

Thirty Years Ago

In the spring of 1994 I opened an envelope which contained a call to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, assigned to the Korea, Seoul West Mission. I left for the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on I think June 30 (maybe the 29th?), then boarded a plane for Korea on August 30th of the same year. I returned on December 30 of 1995. That mission was quite an experience. I loved it, I struggled so hard, sometimes I think I did some good and sometimes I think I was just a big dork who missed the point of a mission. I'm sure it was both and everything in between as well.

Oh my gosh. I was so young. And had so much hair. (One second, I need to go cry. Be right back.)

Okay, moving on. Several months ago I started hearing about a mission reunion happening in July. Honestly, I was really nervous to go. I kind of felt like maybe I didn't actually have real close friends from mission. I was definitely feeling more focused on the "I think I might have been an idiot for my whole mission" side of things. I almost didn't go.

OH MY GOSH I'M SO GLAD I WENT.

The reunion consisted of a whole weekend of events, and I was able to attend three things.

On Friday night, there was a casual dinner at a Red Robin restaurant. Then on Saturday morning we reserved a whole bunch of seats for a session at the Draper temple. Finally on Saturday evening there was a Korean dinner and program at a stake center in Riverton. There were the fewest people at the Friday night restaurant. At first I was just kind of glomming on to a couple of elders I knew a little bit but not super well. Such nice guys. Funny, both named Elder Richards. One really short, one really tall. Great guys. And then two absolutely wonderful sisters arrived - Sister Bissey and Sister Brown. They actually were companions at the time I arrived in Korea and I spent my first day and night in the mission with them. They just made me feel taken care of. So great to see them! But best of all was towards the end of the evening, probably my best friend from the mission arrived. I honestly didn't expect to see him - I thought he lived in Arizona. His name is Elder Sanders, and we were in the same district in Incheon for a long time. He's just a dear dear friend. We were pretty close when we both got home but of course life happens and we hadn't been in touch for years and years. And the reunion was so sweet. He's just a brother of my heart.

The next morning was the temple session, and I was able to reconnect with a different group. I was just glowing inside. Elder Little, Sister Backman, and more.

I had to skip out on lunch at the park that afternoon because of the play at Hale Center Theater, but that night was the Korean dinner. I saw so many more people I was excited to reconnect with. The best was my big buddy Elder Brock from Florida. How cool that he came! He used to call me biscuit. Probably not appropriate for missionaries. But it was never meant in any way but dearest affectionate friends who were getting through missions together. I had been on a zoom call with him a couple of years before and there was no chance to connect because it was a big group. I was nervous he wasn't going to be that happy to see me. But the reunion was joyous, and the first thing he said was, "Biscuit!!!!" I'm grinning right now just thinking about it. I got to meet his wife too, who is just a total sweetheart.

I felt so comforted, like actually I hadn't been just a dork out there. I am so grateful I got to serve that mission. Would I do a better job today than I had when I was 21? Of course. But this reunion helped me feel better about the ways I wasn't perfect and better about the time I spent. That love we all felt was so real. I'm so glad I didn't chicken out.