REXBURG—Sky and Marianne Sessions are using their experience and talents to help missionaries in Mexico prepare for service and stay healthy while serving.
The Rexburg couple serves as mission dental advisors for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, supporting the Guadalajara, Chihuahua, Culiacán and Cancun missions. Sky, a dentist at Apple Tree Dental, previously served as a young missionary in Guadalajara.
Their assignment began with an unexpected Sunday phone call inviting them to submit paperwork to serve as senior service missionaries. Today, they fulfill much of their assignment remotely while balancing family, work and other Church responsibilities.
Marianne reviews incoming missionaries’ dental paperwork, checking whether necessary treatment has been completed before they enter the Missionary Training Center or leave for their assignments. She also contacts Church leaders around the world to help resolve outstanding dental needs.
Together, the couple participates in monthly mission health council meetings with mission leaders, a doctor and a psychologist. Those discussions address the needs of incoming missionaries, those currently serving and those preparing to return home.
Sky said dental problems can affect missionaries’ confidence, comfort and ability to focus on their work. Helping address those concerns is one way the couple supports individual missionaries.
“It’s amazing to see what the Lord will do for that one person,” Sky said.
In August, the couple traveled to Cancun, where they participated in a clinic for young people preparing to serve missions. Local organizers transformed rooms in a Church building into spaces for medical and dental evaluations.
Sky helped with wisdom teeth procedures, shared techniques with local dentists and donated instruments so they could continue helping future missionaries.
For Marianne, serving has strengthened her faith as she has witnessed the care and support missionaries receive.
“God loves His missionaries, and he loves His army, and he’s going to do whatever he can to help them be successful,” Marianne said.
Although her background is in communications rather than dentistry, Marianne said her education has helped her communicate with Church and community leaders. Her experiences have shown her that talents can become useful in unexpected ways.
She encouraged others who want to serve to begin with the abilities and opportunities they already have.
“Just keep moving forward and asking God who needs me today, or what can I do? And bettering yourself, and that’s what opens doors, and that’s where you become a better version of yourself that you didn’t even anticipate,” Marianne said.
For the Sessions, the assignment has become an opportunity to serve together, strengthen their faith and witness the care devoted to individual missionaries.