HANDCART-L Archives

From: JCBrooks <>
Subject: [HANDCART-L] Freed Missionaries/Their Family's Story
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 15:50:13 EST

Suzanne Miner Fjeldsted forward this to me.....as you can see it has been
forwarded a couple of times but is the account of a member of the Arizona
elder's family's ward of what happened to them during the kidnapping and
after...the attention and help they got. It's informative and informational
as well.....

Michele Brooks

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------

Subject: (Fwd) Freed Missionaries.
I thought that you guys might find this interesting. One of my
sisters lives in Gilbert, AZ and attends the same ward as the family
of one of the 2 abducted missionaries in Russia. The family spoke in
church today of their experiences over the last few days -- this is
my sister's account of what they said.
Eric

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------

Subject: Freed Missionaries.
This morning right after I had written about not knowing much about the
missionaries in Russia, I saw the e-mail about them being freed.
Apparently
it was early Sunday morning our time. I'm sure you've heard they were just
let go in the country and walked back to the city, etc. Needless to say, we
all are very grateful and relieved, but not nearly as much as the families
involved.
As most of you know, the Tuttles are in our ward. They came and spoke
today
in church, along with the Bishop and Stake President, about the whole
ordeal.
I was wrestling with Tyler most of the time so I missed a few things that
were
said, but I thought y'all might want to know at least some of what they
talked
about. Not surprising, they were very grateful for all the prayers and
fasts
held for the two elders. Donna said their phone rang off the hook, mostly
from people she did not know from all over the country and some out of the
country, wanting to let them know their prayers were with them. Many of
these
people were not LDS, but wanted to do their part in praying for their safe
release. President Hinckley also called them and she said he was very
concerned and reassuring to them about the whole situation, and that it
gave
them much needed peace. Jeffrey Holland was down for a regional conference
or
something in Mesa and called and took them out to dinner, as well giving
both
Donna and Roy special priesthood blessings.
Another incident Donna told us, was that late Thursday night (the day they
found out about the abductions) they got a phone call from a doctor at the
Mayo Clinic who is also LDS. He told them that 20 years ago as a
missionary
he and his companion were kidnapped in Argentina and held for four days.
He
wanted to let the Tuttles know what Travis and his companion were going
through. He told them that they would be most worried about their families
because their families did not know where they were. He told them they
would
have the comfort and peace of the spirit and that their abductors would
eventually feel that and let them go, just as had happened to him 20 years
ago. He then related how he was let go (details of which escape me because
Tyler was screaming in the foyer so I couldn't hear). Donna said that that
conversation helped her immensely and she slept soundly all night long.
The
next morning, she got another call from a lady who said her son was
kidnapped
in Argentina 20 years ago (the other gentleman's mother) and wanted to tell
them of her experience as a mother of a kidnapped missionary. She
basically
related that what she went through was much worse than the missionaries
because she did not know at the time if they were safe or not, but that
again
she was able to feel at peace knowing they were doing the Lord's work and
leaving it up to the will of the Lord.
They all mentioned the scriptures referring to missionaries in D&C 84 (not
sure of the verse - somewhere in the 80s), about how the Lord would be on
their right hand and their left hand and there would be ministering angels
around them. That gave them tremendous comfort as well.
Roy talked about what type a person Travis is and how he knew he would be
able
to handle this type of situation. He talked about his companion, Elder
Probst, and how Travis would write home and tell his parents what a great
"greenie" he was and how much he enjoyed being his companion. He talked
about
how much Travis enjoyed being a missionary and the joy he found in serving
the
people he taught. He gave an experience about an elderly man who Travis
and
his companion taught and baptized.. They would go over to his house and
help
bathe him and wash his clothes and home, as this man was unable to do that
himself.
One of them (can't remember which one) quoted D&C 121 (?) about when Joseph
was in the Liberty Jail and likened it to these missionaries.
All in all a wonderful Sacrament meeting. With all the publicity this has
received, a lot of people now know more about the church. The Bishop, who
spent quite a bit of time at the Tuttles during this time, said he had the
opportunity to bear his testimony more times during the last three days
than
he has since he was a missionary himself, and what a blessing that has
been.
So, there is a brief summary of what was talked about. Quite a meeting, I
must say, with very few dry eyes. Oh yeah, the parents both bore their
testimonies about how God lives and miracles still happen, of which they
are
living proof.
I'm sure we will all find out more as the days go on and the details get
released. For now, this is it!
Shauna

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• [HANDCART-L] Freed Missionaries/Their Family's Story by JCBrooks <>