Parents and Missionary Serving in the Same Mission

I discovered an interesting thing I didn't know as I have been studying up on the West Indies Mission for a different post. I discovered that parents and missionaries can serve in the same mission which I didn't know was possible. The West Indies Mission has turned out to be a very innovative mission field.

I was reading the blog of the Williamson family. It turns out their son was called to the West Indies Mission back in December 2006. After being out a short time the mission president Reid Robison contacted his parents and invited them to serve a mission in the very same field as their son.

They even ran in to their son on their mission at a conference:

We were scheduled to move to the mission office in Trinidad after a few months of training in Guyana, but a few weeks after we settled in, an unexpected call from President Robison changed those plans.

He explained that help was needed in a new branch in Vieux Fort on the Island of St. Lucia.

How soon were we needed?

Now.

Ten days later we were on the way to St. Lucia with a stop-over of two nights in Trinidad to attend Zone Conference at the Mission Home.

As a highlight, we got to spend time with the younger Elder Williamson who was then serving in Trinidad. We compared our mission experiences and caught up on Elders we now knew in common. We enjoyed the Conference together, and then we gave each other "Missionary Hugs" and a heartfelt farewell.

The parents complete their mission in February 2009 and the son finished up in December 2008. One thing that appeals to me is their desire to find their own replacement. I will keep this in mind when I go on my own mission in about eleven years when my youngest daughter turns 21. I guess there is some advantageous to serving together as you will have similar people and experiences in common.