REXBURG— Serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a big decision many young adults make every day. Each story is different from the next. But for BYU-Idaho students Sydney Telford and Maria Timm, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Telford is an Idaho resident who was trying to find a job for the summer before she left for BYU-Idaho. Telford’s sister worked at the Redfish Lake Lodge the summer prior, and after tagging along for a tour of the lodge with her sister, Telford knew that’s where she needed to be.
“I just went with them and as she was getting her tour, I was like, holy cow, these people are literally the best people alive and they're so sweet and so kind,” Telford said. “I want to be here and be in this environment.”
For Timm, who comes from Washington state, the circumstances were quite similar. Her sister-in-law suggested she work at the lodge for the summer.
“But she recommended this job because it has a good environment and it was a good first step out of independence on your own,” Timm said. “So, I kind of just applied and got the job. And we met amazing people there and we had great connections, and it was a really fun time.”
While working at the lodge, Telford was surrounded by people who were preparing to serve missions, which sparked an interest within herself to serve.
“Being up in Redfish, there were lots of girls that were getting their papers ready. And I'm like, wait, that's actually kind of cool,” Telford said. “And so a couple of them got their callings when they were working there and so it was super cool just to be with them as they were going through the whole process. And I was like, wait, I kind of want to serve a mission too.”
Timm also saw plenty of friends and coworkers get their calls, but it was the influence of a returned missionary who joined the Redfish Lake Lodge that solidified her decision to serve.
“So, a returned missionary came, and he actually pinpointed my focus on serving a mission because he was like, we should do a scripture study every morning before work. And I was like, that sounds like an awesome idea. This might help me think of why I need to go,” Timm said.
Telford was called to serve in the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission and Timm was called to serve in the Toronto Canada Mission. They start this summer.