Post-Mission Talk by Suzanne

Suzanne's Homecoming Talk - 

If this talk were a movie, it would begin with Craig and me sitting on the floor of a longboat with several Lao government officials. We were on our way from a very small island to a larger one. We had just finished assessing some schools for renovation and had enjoyed a delicious lunch of small fried Mekong fish, sticky rice, and wild herbs someone had picked for us.

During lunch, we could hear ordnance exploding in the background from the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. We were far enough away to be safe, but we were concerned for those involved in the conflict. Craig will talk a little about the history of that part of the world.

As the longboat pulled away from shore and began floating down the river, we noticed the men talking and grabbing whatever bushes and plants they could reach. Because we didn’t understand enough Lao, we thought this must be how they turned the boat around to go upriver.

Their voices got louder, and some of their hands became cut and bloody. That was when we realized something was wrong. They were speaking, but seemingly not to each other.

A man on the shore ran toward the village and came back with a tool. He waded closer to the boat and threw it to one of the men. The owner of the boat worked on the motor, and once it started, we were on our way.

We found out later that the rope you pull to start the motor had broken off. The men had been doing whatever they could to keep the boat from drifting downriver.

They weren’t so concerned about themselves; we later learned they had been praying to the river gods not to let the foreigners drown and die.

But since this is not a movie, I will begin at the beginning.

I was converted to the Church and the gospel when I was 16 years old. The missionaries were my heroes, and I really wanted to serve a mission. But Heavenly Father had a different mission in store for me. I met a handsome young man who became my husband, and together we created a family.

It wasn’t the kind of mission I had anticipated, and it wasn’t always easy, as those of you who have families know. But it was what I needed at that time. My husband and children are the world to me, and I am grateful to a wise Heavenly Father who guided me in that direction.

Craig and I talked about serving senior missions for many years. I wanted the opportunity to show Heavenly Father my gratitude for all the blessings He has given me through the gospel, including my family. I cannot imagine my life without them.

When we found out we had been called to serve in the Thailand Bangkok East Mission as humanitarian missionaries, we were excited. We had lived in Thailand for many years, and I had sometimes helped with the Church’s humanitarian efforts.

A couple of weeks before our departure, we were informed that we would actually be serving in Lao PDR. Having lived in Asia for many years, we were familiar with several countries in the region, but we didn’t know as much about Lao.

We were surprised to learn that we would not be Elder and Sister Mackley’, but simply Craig and Suzanne. Proselytizing is against the law. We were not allowed to mention the name of the Church or Jesus Christ, nor were we allowed to pray in public.

It wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I applied to serve a mission!

We would be helping people in practical ways by renovating schools, digging wells, building toilets, donating wheelchairs, and teaching English to government workers. We would have many opportunities to meet people and serve them, but we couldn’t tell them about our beliefs or who had sent us.

The only people who knew why we were really there were the members of our little branch. There is only one branch in all of Lao. It has fewer than 100 members, but it is a remarkably strong branch, it is the strongest unit in the district and perhaps even the mission.

For many months, there were 12 young missionaries who had left our branch and were serving in different countries at the same time. We had many baptisms. One Sunday, there were 11! Families are baptized together.

All of this in a country where proselytizing is against the law.

When we asked how this was possible, we were told that friends and neighbors notice a difference in the members and ask them why. The members are then able to invite them to church, and many who visit are baptized.

The members there are true examples of Alma 5:14, which says:

“And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?”

Christ’s love shines through the sweet members of the Vientiane Branch.

As many of you know, no one is allowed to be baptized until after receiving the missionary lessons. Thanks to modern technology, the young missionaries who have left Lao to serve in Thailand are able to teach those who want to learn more about the gospel through Zoom.

It is amazing to live in a time when we can see President Kimball’s prophecy about the gospel being taken to every nation and people come to pass.

Unfortunately, our Lao language skills never got much beyond ordering food and giving taxi drivers directions. Not many Lao people speak English, but that wasn’t a hindrance unless we allowed it to be. There was always Google Translate and a lot of “sign language.”

We didn’t find that not speaking the same language or sharing the same culture was a problem. Language is helpful, but love does not depend solely on language.

The chorus of one of my favorite songs says, “If I listen with my heart, I hear the Savior’s voice.”

Listening with our hearts to hear and understand doesn’t apply only to the Savior, but also to the people we meet. It is amazing how close you can become to someone whose language you may not understand and whose culture and circumstances may be vastly different from your own.

Sundays were my favorite because we got to rub shoulders with the beautiful members of our branch. During the week, however, we were blessed to work with outstanding people who did not share our faith.

Most Lao people are Buddhist, and even though they do not believe in Jesus Christ, they are wonderful examples of how to be Christlike.

We were blessed to be adopted into many of our Lao friends’ families, both Latter-day Saint families and those of other faiths. The Lao people have a way of bringing you into their close circles and enveloping you in their love. It is one of the many things we can learn from their culture.

Although I have always felt that the most important communication happens heart to heart, that became especially evident to me while serving in Lao.

I think back to that day in the longboat. Those men did not share our faith, and we couldn’t even communicate with them very well. Yet they were genuinely concerned about our safety. Their actions spoke louder than words ever could.

I learned that love doesn’t need translation. Kindness doesn’t require a common language, and we don’t have to be in a position to teach someone about the gospel to demonstrate what it means to live it.

I believe that when we allow the Savior’s love to show through us, others can see His image in our countenances, even when we don’t share a common language or the same beliefs.

Perhaps the greatest blessing of our mission was realizing that while we went to Lao hoping to bless the lives of others, Heavenly Father had arranged for them to bless ours as well.

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to see His love demonstrated in so many different ways and through so many different people.

Suzanne speaking, wearing the sinh (Lao skirt) some of our students made and gifted her. You cannot see it, but it matches Craig's dress coat 💖

Picture taken by Elder and Sister Hastriter 💗

Post-Mission Talk by Craig

Craig's Homecoming Talk - 

When we first came to Laos, we came with work to do.

We wanted to renovate schools, distribute wheelchairs, teach English, and support people who were already doing this work. We brought with us the habits we had learned from years of working in other countries. We expected plans to move quickly, problems to be solved, and each project to become a little better than the one before it.

Some things worked that way.

Some did not.

At first, we wondered why things did not move faster. A decision that seemed simple could take a long time. Even when a process could be made more efficient, there wasn't always much interest in changing it.

But over time, we began to see something different.

We saw it in our English classes, where government employees came not only to learn English, but also to get to know one another and us. 

More often than not, class would end and Lao delicacies would suddenly appear. They would encourage us to join them, share their food, and simply spend a little more time together.

We saw it in the schools we helped renovate, in the children and families who welcomed us, `and in the government workers who partnered with us to provide wheelchairs to people who needed them.

Again and again, people invited us into their lives.

We were not simply people doing projects together. We were becoming part of a circle of relationships.

That made us wonder if we were seeing a different idea of what is important.

The year Joseph Smith received the gold plates, 1827, the Lao capital of Vientiane was destroyed by Siam, the country we now know as Thailand. In the years that followed, tens of thousands of Lao people were forcibly moved across the Mekong River.

Then, six years before the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated, Luang Prabang—the country's royal capital and an important religious and cultural center—was attacked. Many of its temples were burned or badly damaged.

Then came the twentieth century. Laos became a battlefield in larger wars involving outside powers. Villages were destroyed, families were displaced, and after the communist victory in 1975, hundreds of thousands of people fled the country.

In an up-country city, we were distributing wheelchairs to people with polio, paralysis, and other disabilities. `Some had lost limbs when they encountered bombs that had been dropped near their homes or in their fields during the war, but had not exploded.

After thanking us for the wheelchairs, one local official looked at us and said, “It is good that you do this, because the bombs that maimed our people came from your country.”

We could feel the sadness and frustration behind his words. And yet, we were met with kindness and appreciation.

In less than 150 years, Lao people repeatedly experienced governments changing, cities being destroyed, communities being scattered, and families being separated.

Yet something remained.

The family remained.

The village remained.

Friendships remained.

Faith and religious traditions remained.

People continued to care for one another.

We don't believe this history proves that conflict and turmoil created the character of the Lao people. Their kind way of life existed long before these wars.

But history may have reinforced those values.

In Laos, we found that getting things done often depended as much on personal relationships as on formal processes—on trust, patience, and taking the time to get to know one another.

When governments change, relationships can remain.

When a city is destroyed, people can build another home.

When political systems disappear, family and friends are still there.

Among the people we met, we often saw a strong value placed on family, friendship, community, hospitality, patience, and continuity.

They are certainly not perfect. There are difficult people there, just as there are everywhere.

But something about ordinary Lao social life increasingly impressed us.

At first, we measured success by how quickly something was accomplished.

Now we sometimes ask a different question:

What if the relationship is part of the accomplishment?

A society can become very good at making things faster, more efficient and more productive.

But those things are means, not ends.

The people we met there reminded us of another measure of a good life:

Who do we care about?

Who cares about us?

Who do we welcome into our circle?

And what relationships will remain when everything else changes?

We came to Laos to help.

We discovered that we also had much to learn.

Through the people we met, we came to appreciate more deeply the grace of Jesus Christ in our own lives—and how we can extend something of that grace to one another in the ordinary moments of our lives.

Jesus offers His grace to us. His sacrifice draws us to Him, and He helps us through our weaknesses.

There is also the grace we extend to one another: the simple act of sharing ourselves and making room for others.

This is at the heart of what Jesus taught: visiting those in prison, as in Matthew 25; the compassion of the Good Samaritan; and loving our neighbors as ourselves, as Jesus demonstrated.

The people of Laos have taught us that our circle of relationships can always be widened to include one more.

We hope we will carry that lesson with us for the rest of our lives. And we pray that each of us will consider what is really important, widen our circle, make room for one more, and draw more of our brothers and sisters in.

Craig speaking, wearing the dress coat some of our students made and gifted him 💖

Picture taken by Elder and Sister Hastriter 💗

Safety and Peace

I had a wonderful father whose only wish was to keep my brother and me safe. He had poor self-esteem and was not built like a boxer, but he understood the importance of walking confidently and with purpose. This was something he felt strongly about teaching us: keep your head up, look people in the eye as they walk toward you, do not act weak, but show strength even if you do not feel it.

Dad’s teachings have helped me tremendously when it comes to meeting strangers on the street. However, having lived in different places throughout my life, I have found that it is not always prudent—or safe—to look at people’s faces while walking. Sometimes we have to look down.

  Some obstacles are obvious and easy to see.

Sometimes you can see them if you look down and ahead.

But sometimes you really have to pay attention to where you should place your feet in order to not fall and/or get hurt.

It is important to know where to look in order to stay safe. When walking on an uneven surface, look down; if you are in an unsafe neighborhood, show strength and do not appear afraid. My father had many experiences to draw from, and I am grateful that he was there to guide me. He has been gone for many years, but I still follow his rules for safety.

However, life is not easy. There are many difficulties that cannot be helped simply by looking down or looking people in the face. We need help from Someone who loves us and has knowledge we do not possess. Our Heavenly Father and our Savior are always there to help and guide us. All we need to do is look to Them. They want us to succeed in life and do not ask for much in return.

In order for us to be happy and safe, our Heavenly Father has given us guidance. If we look to Him and His Son and follow Their counsel, we have a better chance of becoming the best people we can be, and we will feel the kind of joy and peace that are only possible through Their help and guidance. There is a children’s song that explains this well:

“Keep the commandments; keep the commandments!

In this there is safety; in this there is peace.”

I can testify of the truth of this song, and I have seen the difference in my life since accepting the gospel. It is difficult for me to imagine going back to the way my life was before. Like my earthly father, our Heavenly Father is kind and loving, and I am grateful to Him and the Savior for all They do for me. I want the safety and peace that come from looking to Them, even during difficult times. 

Because everyone has been given moral agency, it is impossible to live a completely problem free life. However, we have been given commandments to help us, and by keeping them we are more likely to live with as much safety and peace as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3--thiRbM_I

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square singing "Keep the Commandments". 

Elder and Sister Kearon's visit, March 2026

Elder and Sister Kearon were visibly moved as they exited their car and walked toward the wide stairway leading up to the second floor of the church building in Vientiane, Laos. On the steps stood the members of the small branch, dressed in their Sunday best, with some wearing traditional cultural attire, eagerly waiting for the chance to meet an apostle in person.

The members greeted the couple with a respectful “nop,” pressing their hands together at chest level while bowing their heads. Elder and Sister Kearon paused to take in the reverent scene, returning the nops with warmth.

After a group of Young Women presented them and President and Sister Johnson, the area leaders, with a beautiful bouquet of cut flowers for Sister Kearon and leis for the other leaders, they ascended the stairs and took their places among the members for a group photo. Inside the chapel's entrance, everyone received a personal greeting from Elder and Sister Kearon as well as President and Sister Johnson.

Following a few testimonies from local members and the Johnsons, the Primary children sang a beautiful rendition of "I Am a Child of God" in Lao.

Sister Kearon gave a short talk where she reminded us that contention is not Jesus’ doctrine, that He wants us to live in love and harmony. She also emphasized that next to the temple, our homes are among the most sacred places, and that Jesus’ Spirit can be more abundant in our homes as we focus more on the Savior.

After her talk, Elder Kearon began his remarks by expressing how he felt the children's testimonies reflected the truth of the song—that they know they are children of God. These were the voices of future missionaries sharing their testimonies.

He acknowledged that he cannot adequately express the love he feels in his heart but knows that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. The incredible faith and devotion to the Savior was felt. Reflecting on his journey, he mentioned that at the age of 26, while learning about the gospel from missionaries in London, he felt a deep sense of peace and attributed it to the missionaries themselves. However, he later realized that it was much more than that. When he received a blessing from a friend, he experienced something beautiful and profound—an extraordinary lightness of feeling, love, and wonder.

That same overwhelming feeling returned when he saw the Lao members on the stairs. It is indescribable; the love felt is more than his own—it is the love of God and Jesus Christ for us. He noted that Paul faced similar difficulties in expressing his feelings. Words cannot adequately describe Heavenly Father’s love.

Elder Kearon expressed gratitude for the members’ goodness, for living the principles and practices that the young children sang about, and that Elder and Sister Johnson and Sister Kearon taught earlier. He reminded them that while we will not be perfect, we must continue striving for more faithful and devoted lives.

He conveyed love from President Oaks and the Twelve Apostles, noting that it had been too long since a member of the Twelve visited Laos. It seemed fitting to be prompted to visit Laos shortly after the passing of Elder Holland, who may have advocated for this trip.

Pointing to the beautiful roses on the pulpit, he compared them to the members of the branch. The flowers are a symbol of love and celebration, looking beautiful from a distance. Each member is like a rose; however, he cautioned against putting yourself, brother, sister, husband, wife, parent, child under a microscope. Instead, appreciate the beauty from a reasonable distance. Everyone is a precious child of God, and we should avoid contention.

President Oaks recently spoke about humility, a challenging concept to define. It involves subordination, putting others before ourselves, and avoiding the pride that leads to negative moments. Hopefully, the congregation has recognized this.

Elder Kearon described the Plan of Happiness as beautiful and encouraged everyone to see themselves absolutely in the plan. We should be surrounded by that plan, which brings peace, love, and joy—even during difficult times. It surrounds us and is central to our lives.

Heavenly Father wants us to experience eternal joy, to deepen our understanding, and to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. He urged everyone to find time daily for scripture study and prayer, noting that covenants draw us closer to the Savior.

Elder Kearon expressed gratitude for the wonderful teachings and the light emanating from the members. If you feel your light isn’t as bright as you wish, identify and fix what is wrong. As you address challenges and strive for greater understanding, you will not be pulled back down.

He shared an analogy about a specific type of crab caught and placed in a bucket. While in the bucket, the crabs do not interfere with one another, but if one tries to escape, the others pull it back down. This behavior mirrors human nature. You may encounter family members or friends who try to pull you down. Be ready – resist it – be happy.

In 1 John 4:16, it states, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” This is so true. God is love. It is what they felt when they arrived and saw the members on the stairs.

Elder Kearon emphasized how blessed they felt to experience some of Heavenly Father’s love for us when they saw the members. Even if we are not perfect it is a blessing to have everyone present. God sent His Son to help with that. He encouraged everyone to focus on Christ and to seek Him daily, recognizing themselves in the Plan of Happiness. Each day offers a fresh start.

He reminded them that the fruit of the Spirit includes joy, peace, love, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith—our true blessings. Heavenly Father gives more freely than we understand. He sent His Son to help us understand and save us from death and sin. We are all children of God.

Apostolic Blessing:

- See yourself as a treasure of God

- Respond to and trust your best impressions and inspirations

- Feel the enveloping love of Heavenly Father and the Savior

- Be blessed in your studies, work, and family life

- Cultivate love in your heart for your brothers and sisters

- Embrace a love that is beyond description

It was a wonderful opportunity for the Lao members to be able to be so close to and speak with a servant of God. The last time an apostle was here was 2006 when Elder Jeffrey R. Holland dedicated Lao for the work of the gospel. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2006/06/news-of-the-church/jeffrey-r-holland-dedicates-laos?lang=eng

My personal favorite picture of our branch because Craig is in it 💕 He was the official photographer, so he took all the other pictures. Elder Kearon asked one of the men who came with him to take this so that Craig could be in it.

The official branch picture. Love, love, love these people! The chapel is on the second floor.

A young woman presents Sister Kearon with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Everyone is greeted by Elder and Sister Kearon and Elder and Sister Johnson, our area leaders, as they enter the chapel.

Our cute Primary choir singing I Am a Child of God in Lao.

Our brand president's wife, Kong, translating for Sister Kearon.

Our branch president, Tiengsack, translating for Elder Kearon.

Most of the Hmong members in our branch, I adore their traditional outfits! There are coins in them that tinkle when they move. The clothing makes them hot, so they do not wear them regularly. I wish they would!

Craig and I with the Kearons.

Surprise! This man who travels with Elder Kearon is married to a cousin of Steve Harshberger, a good friend! The world is SO small!