Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Meet Elder Gardner, Elder Dalley, Sister Tolman and Sister Shepherd. These young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are volunteering in our area currently. They are staying in Tallahassee and may spend one or two days a week in Monticello, teaching lessons, meeting with people who have requested information about their church and fulfilling church members' requests for assistance. Like most Latter-day Saints missionaries, these young Mormons are under the age of 25 and have committed to 18 to 24 months of service to share and practice their faith in the wider world. They may be in our area anywhere from six weeks to two years.
Elder Gardner recently graduated from high school in Kaysville, Utah, where he enjoyed many sports, including mountain biking and playing football, basketball and spikeball. He has been a missionary in our area for four months.
“My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ and find everlasting joy,” says Gardner. “I've found a lot of joy in my life, and I think a lot of other people need it.”
This is Gardner's first time being away from his parents, and he says the experience is teaching him how to rely on himself and on Jesus Christ.
Elder Dalley, also a 2021 high school graduate, hails from Springville, Utah, and has been in our area for one month. He plays the acoustic guitar in his personal time and enjoys playing tennis and snow skiing. Elder Dalley and Elder Gardner work together as companions. They are roommates and do their service activities together.
“We are always with each other,” says Dalley, “We help each other meet our goals.”
Mormon missionaries set daily and weekly goals for themselves – such as how many people to meet and 
how many lessons to teach – to help them accomplish the broader purpose of their mission.
Sister Tolman arrived in Tallahassee last week and is looking forward to her first visit to Monticello. She is halfway through her 18 months of missionary service, which so far has taken her to Orange Park, Fla., Branford, Fla. and Valdosta, Ga. Some of her service activities have included helping out at various food banks and holding free car washes as a venue for distributing cards that tell how to request information or services from a Mormon missionary. Tolman is from Tremonton, Utah. She graduated from high school in 2020 and then earned her animal science certification from Bridgerland Technical College. She worked at Zootah in Willow Park, Logan, Utah. After she completes her missionary service, Tolman plans to study veterinary science at Utah State University, get married and have a family.
Sister Shepherd graduated from high school in Vail, Ariz., in 2020 and worked for a year in a dental office to earn the money she needed to do a mission. After doing missionary work in Gainesville, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla., and Palatka, Fla, Shepherd arrived in Tallahassee last week and will be a companion with Tolman.
More than 53,000 men and women are serving as volunteer missionaries worldwide for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Missionaries receive their assignment from Church headquarters and fund their own missions. Missionaries avoid entertainment, parties or other activities common to this age-group as long as they are on their missions, so they can focus entirely on the work of serving and of teaching others the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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