Elder Proper is in Samoa. Sister Spencer is in Paraguay. Elder McKee is in Ghana. Sister Mahoney is in New York City.
They’re among dozens of young people from the Heber Valley serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for as long as two years. And for Christmas, thanks to a longstanding Heber tradition, all of them will receive a book full of letters and photos from their friends all over the world.
Parents gathered at a meetinghouse in downtown Heber Thursday, each carrying a stack of photos and stories from their children to add to the collection.
Abby Bocanegra is a veteran of parenting far-flung missionaries. Her son is serving in Barcelona – her fourth child to be away on a mission at Christmastime.
“My kids have said that it’s fun to see what their peers are up to and where they’re serving,” she said. “It’s a tradition.”
She said holidays can be difficult for missionaries and their parents. The books help as reminders of home and a glimpse of what life is like for their childhood friends.
“It kind of buoys their determination and their feelings that they’re not alone,” she said.
Bethany May agreed. Her daughter arrived in Albania a few weeks ago.
“I’m excited for her, because she doesn’t know it’s coming,” she said.
Jenny Zabel has organized the letter exchange for the past eight years. Her fourth son is serving a mission in Washington, D.C. She said she hopes the tradition goes strong for years to come.
“I think it’s kind of a bonding thing for the kids to be able to read them – and also for the parents to get together and see that we’re all in the same boat, missing our kids and wanting to see what everyone else’s kids are doing,” she said.
Zabel said the books have even led to love.
“I even heard of someone’s companion dating someone that they had read about from the book,” she said.
Julie Lundskog is one of the original organizers of the event. As a parent, she said she valued making sure that everyone from the valley had something from home over the holidays.
“We pray for our kids, and we know they’re in God’s hands, that everything will be OK,” she said. “But you know, it was just such an amazing experience to do that and to send it to them and have them read through all the pages.”
Lundskog’s four children are long finished with their missions in South America and the Philippines. Years later, she said her family still cherishes the books they assembled over the years.
