S.E.M. Podcast - Scotland, Edinburgh Mission: Recent Episodes
S.E.M. Podcast - Jack Bryce & Zack Hewlett
The SEM Podcast is conversations with those that served their mission in the Scotland Edinburgh Mission, during the timeframe of July 2003-July 2006. The mission was then overseen by the leadership team of Bill & Heidi Vriens. As we all venture nearer and nearer to being 20 years removed from our time together in Scotland, we have created this podcast as a way to reconnect with our fellow missionaries, friends, and loved ones still in Scotland, and to share all about how we came to live and love Scotland in ways that many of us never thought possible. Come along with Jack Bryce & Zack Hewlett!
President Gary Griffiths and his wife, Laura, served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2009 through June of 2012. Together they share their journey of getting their mission call, being assigned as mission president and wife to Scotland, entering a mission that was very obedient, taking on a merger with the Ireland, Dublin Mission 1 year in, and overseeing a combined mission called the Scotland, Ireland Mission that brought two polar opposite missions together and how that posed unique challenges. Their final message is one that you will not want to miss!President and Sister Griffiths currently live in Riverton, Utah.Recorded September 26, 2024
Jason Hensley served in the Scotland, Edinburgh from August of 2008 through August of 2010. Jason shares how he bucked the expectations of a "hard mission" by starting out strong in his first area in Kilmarnock. He spoke specifically of an instance where his trainer needed to use the toilet which led to a miracle. Jason also talks about a couple emergency transfers and training a new missionary for 1 week.Jason currently lives in Olympia, Washington. He has two sons from his first marriage.Recorded September 24, 2024
Clint Smith served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2005 through August of 2007. Clint takes us on an epic experience of Scotland, including Gregg's, dental visits, and letting unauthorized companions drive their car. From the Borders to the Isle of Lewis, Clint shares some amazing adventures that helped him grow to love Scotland.Clint currently lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded September 18, 2024
Steve Harward served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2000 through May of 2002. Steve always had a kinship to Scotland from his seminary teacher sharing about serving his mission there and was overwhelmed with joy when the call came. He shares an epic story about using a trash shoot in a council flat as a toilet in an emergency, his budget-friendly mission gear falling apart early mere moments into the mission, NEDs mooning him, and sending a "Dear Jane" letter to his then girlfriend simultaneously when she mailed her own "Dear John" to him!Steve currently lives in New Albany, Indiana, with his wife and their 4 children.Recorded September 15, 2024
Chad Wilcoxen served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2006 through January of 2008. Chad shares how much his experience in Scotland has changed his life. His family has been dealt tough times since coming home, but he loved his companions and also had so many fun times. Chad worked hard and found some amazing people that joined the church and also shared his beef with Hammer Time.Chad currently lives in Layton, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.Recorded September 9, 2024
Tyrell Cellan served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2008 through January of 2010. Tyrell shares how his upbringing on a horse ranch taught him the importance of obedience and hard work as he got into the mission. His time was filled with the Paisley and Glasgow zones, with so many great successes despite many challenges. Tyrell shares some epic stories and had a great time sharing all of the memories he could recall with us.Tyrell currently lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with his wife and their 3 daughters.Recorded September 5, 2024
Chris Rogers served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 1999 through April of 2001. His memories shared included a lot of his time serving in Orkney and his love of serving there. Anna Burton served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2000 through August of 2001. She shares how her dad served in Scotland and that she actually made a request to her church leaders of her desire to serve there as well. She was elated when the call came to Scotland. She loved serving in the land her father had taught her to love!Anna and Chris met during the mission and they began writing each other once Chris returned home from his mission. They spent time together when Anna returned to Utah and quickly began their relationship that brought Chris to the U.S. for school and work. Chris is now a U.S. citizen.Anna & Chris currently live in Lehi, Utah, with their 4 children.Recorded September 2, 2024
Emily Garnham served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2006 through September of 2007. Coming from a small village in England, she felt most comfortable in the less busy towns in Scotland, but after serving in Edinburgh she learned to love the city. She loved her companions and all they taught her. Her love of Scotland has continued to grow and she is back often.Emily currently lives in Northumberland, England, with her husband and their 2 children.Recorded September 1, 2024
Dustin Cluff served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2000 through June of 2002. Dustin's adventures in Scotland included some incredible spiritual experiences, along with run-ins with NEDs, getting trapped by JWs, and bearing witness in a Church of Scotland funeral service. He loved the mission and his ability to bless people's lives. The stories he shares are some of our favorites we had enjoyed on the podcast!Dustin currently lives in White Mountains, Arizona, with his wife and their 4 children.Recorded August 25, 2024
Mauro D'Ottavio served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2004 through October of 2006. Mauro joins us and shares how his mission changed his life. The stories and memories kept flowing to him throughout and there was a surprise visit to the podcast from his mission Dad (Brandon Osmond)! Mauro loved serving in Scotland!Mauro currently lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and their 2 children.Recorded August 23, 2024
Chase Crockett served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2009 through December of 2010. His time in Scotland began with an interrogation from the APs and immediately he knew that this mission would be different. Chase loved his companions and worked his hardest to find some great success on his mission. His stories are epic and the fire one will have your jaw on the floor!Chase currently lives in Stansbury Park, Utah with his wife and their 4 children.Recorded August 18, 2024
Trevor Chadwick served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2006 through July of 2008. Trevor shares his unique story of serving in Scotland, which included a 6-week return home to receive surgery on a heart condition. He learned so much from his companions and his love of each is transparent as we spoke. Trevor talks about his spicy chili mistake and also his experience with HammerTime!Trevor currently lives in Orem, Utah with his wife and their 4 children.Recorded August 15, 2024
Jeff Hofmann served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 1999 through July 2001. Jeff was a member of the first group of missionaries from America that begin their mission in the MTC in Preston. He shares his fun memories of companions' door approaches in his sleep, very indecisive & indecisive companions, and his joy of helping some great people join the church while he was serving. Jeff currently lives in North Ogden, Utah with his wife.Recorded July 29, 2024
T.R. Brooks served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2001 through September of 2003. Arriving in the UK only days before the 9/11 attacks, T.R. found himself in the MTC and was excited to serve Scotland. His time in Scotland includes memories of pint Uno with a twist, tormenting the drunk passersby with items falling from flat windows, and collecting items thrown at him by local NEDs. T.R. also shares with us some of his talents in music that often reminds him of his time in Scotland.T.R. currently lives in Kuna, Idaho with his wife and their 2 kids.Recorded July 25, 2024
Aaron Briggs served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2005 through August of 2007. He came onto the mission in his early 20's and is happy he did come in the time of "Preach My Gospel". Aaron shares many memorable experiences, most prominently how he learned the Glaswegian accent by working at a chip shop back home before the mission. He is grateful for his T-Book and all the wonderful testimonies he was able to receive from his mission favorite people! Aaron currently lives in Northampton, England, with his wife.Recorded July 14, 2024
Ben Bright served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 1999 through September of 2001. Ben made us smile and laugh throughout our conversation. He shared one of the most epic Motherwell experiences that we have heard on the podcast, as well as confirming that he held the record for gaining 9 pounds at a dinner appointment. Ben also shared how much he loved all the people he encountered in Scotland.Ben currently lives in Morro Bay, California with his wife and their 3 kids.Recorded July 11, 2024
Jack Bryce and Zack Hewlett sit down with a brief wrap up of the S.E.M. Podcast. It is 2 years ago this week that we started this podcast and it has been a huge blessing in our life. Many conversations and incredible relationships renewed and established through our common experience in the land of Scotland. The is not us announcing that we are stopping any time soon. We are very excited to continue having more of these conversations in the future. Have a great start to summer and we will be back with more great interviews very soon!Recorded June 23, 2024
Sean Waite served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2007 through May of 2009. Sean shares his experiences from Scotland that included getting off at a bus stop without his companion and finding a "Golden" investigator by himself until his companion returned, being in a car area with a chauffeur, and his experience from the infamous story of the 6:00 AM baptism. He also speaks about Hammer Time and how he has learned from that time in his mission.Sean currently lives in Chorley, England with his wife and their 1 daughter. They are expected to welcome another daughter at any moment following this recording.Recorded June 23, 2024
Joelle Wallace served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2000 through September of 2001. Joelle shares her love of serving the people in Scotland. She loved the history of the country and enjoyed learning the language. Joelle shares fun stories that included stories about mushy peas, snoring, and moldy toast.Joelle currently lives in Medford, Oregon with her husband and their 4 children.Recorded June 20, 2024
Jordan Beal served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2010 through May of 2012. Two months into the mission, Scotland and Ireland merged into one mission. That change allowed Jordan to serve in both countries, but spent the most of his time in Scotland. Jordan shares his favorite memories, including having rocks and fireworks sent his direction, scrubbing baptismal fonts with bleach, and pretending to play the piano when asked in a small branch.Jordan currently lives in Hilton, New York, with his wife and their 2 children.Recorded June 12, 2024
Paul Blackburn was called to the Dublin, Ireland Mission in early 2009. Little did he know that midway through the mission would merge with Scotland. He shares his experiences of watching the two very opposite mission cultures work to combine. Paul also loved having a great time while serving in Ireland and Scotland. He served from March of 2009 through April of 2011. Paul currently lives in Chesterfield, England with his wife and their 2 daughters.Recorded June 9, 2024
Blake Bockholt served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2005 through August of 2007. Blake came to Scotland and brought his passion and love of life to the mission. He shares some amazing stories about friendship, education, and epic games of tag and sardines! Blake also shared some of his most memorable moments and how much he loved serving the people in Scotland!Blake currently lives in Syracuse, Utah with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded June 6, 2024
Charles Fife served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2002 through May of 2004. Charles came into the mission from a small town and that suited him as he served in some of the more rural areas of Scotland. He didn't enjoy the food in the UK, but he shared many of his skills with his companions, including gutting fish! Charles shares some amazing memories from his service in Scotland.Charles currently lives in Parker, Idaho with his wife. He has 3 children from his first marriage.Recorded June 2, 2024
Paul Burnett served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2007 through November of 2009. His mission was filled with a wild transition from the harshness of Hammer-Time to the love that the mission needed afterwards. Paul served a fourth of his mission with the Chinese-speaking missionaries and was part of the group that was the initial Glasgow Mandarin church group. Paul loved his mission and the opportunity to serve the people of Scotland.Paul currently lives in Highland, Utah with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded May 22, 2024
Matthew Dearnely served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2000 through January of 2003. From the moment he submitted his mission papers, he felt a draw to Scotland from this grandad's experience as a convert and the first branch president of the Galashiels branch. Matthew was super excited to receive the call to Scotland and he went in with love of the people. Filled with many memories, he served hard and played hard too. The final 4.5 months he was awarded an opportunity to serve in Galashiels by President Wilkinson.Matthew currently lives in Huddersfield, England with his wife and their 2 children.Recorded May 19, 2024
Andrew Merrick served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2007 through September of 2009. Andrew shares his own personal conversion story to start and how he joined the church at 18 years old. He quickly prepared to serve a mission by doing his own missionary work at home and seeing miracle happen with his family. Andrew was elated to find out he would serve in Scotland, despite having his mom open his call over the phone. He loved serving in Scotland and put into practice all he learned in a short time. Andrew loved his mission and all the people that impacted his time there.Andrew currently lives in Rexburg, Idaho, with his wife and their 4 children.Recorded May 15, 2024
Tye Shumway served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2000 through November of 2002. He was asked before his mission where he'd like to go and he said he would love to serve in Scotland. Tye shared his adventures throughout Scotland, most notably his multiple car issues and wrecks, several miracles, and all his other shenanigans. Tye currently lives in Moab, Utah, with his wife and their 2 daughters. They had a son that passed away at 16 months old.Recorded May 14, 2024
On behalf of Evan Slade and his family, we wanted to invite all who would like to participate to join in a fast for Evan and his wife as they are experiencing challenges in their current pregnancy with twin boys. We hope you will join us in this fast to help them through this challenging time. Thanks!
Clark Davis served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2002 through May of 2004. He comes on the podcast and shares some epic tails, mostly involving NEDs in the Glasgow triangle and how he always made it out to tell the tale! Clark loved serving in Scotland as it means much to his family history. He had past family members that served there and he loved coming in contact with people throughout the country that knew his extended family!Clark currently lives in Lehi, Utah, with his wife and their 1 daughter.Recorded May 6, 2024
Jonathan Morgan served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2004 through October of 2006. Jonathan shares his adventures throughout his time in Scotland, as he overcame some past medical difficulties. He was diagnosed with M.E., which is a chronic fatigue syndrome, prior to his mission. Despite this, he served a full mission and was never truly limited apart from a couple short instances. Jonathan loved his time serving in Scotland and all of his companions taught him great lessons.Jonathan currently lives in Lancashire, England.Recorded May 5, 2024
Rhett Udy served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 1999 through January of 2001. Rhett was one of the last groups of missionaries from Scotland to attend the MTC in Provo (prior to Preston opening). He came into the mission and fell in love with fish and chips, and was told to have "Jobbie Sauce" on it the next time by a member as a joke. Rhett loved the camaraderie with other missionaries and most enjoyed being in a flat with multiple sets of elders. His adventures and experiences in Scotland are many of his greatest memories he loves to share today, to the disapproval of his kids.Rhett currently lives in Providence, Utah, with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded May 1, 2024
This is a special episode to make all those listeners aware that our friend and fellow S.E.M. Missionary, Quin Kofford, passed away last week.
His funeral services are on Saturday, May 4th, at 11:00 AM at the Chase Lane Ward, 1125 North 400 West, Centerville, Utah where a viewing will be held Friday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. and Saturday morning 9:30 -10:30 a.m. prior to services.
As a way to pay tribute to Quin, I am asking that all of Quin's friends from the S.E.M. send in a recorded memory that I can compile as a tribute to this great man that we lost far too soon. Send your recorded messages to sempodcast@51spylaw.com.
Thanks!
Joseph Oliver served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2001 through June of 2003. Joseph tells of his many memorable experiences in Scotland, including being held up at gunpoint until they sang Christmas Hymns for an inebriated man, confirming he ran for his life when a man chased them with a cricket bat, eating for double the amount of missionaries in the MTC, and his experiences with all his American companions. He also share how he met his wife and her gifts of helping him make ideal decisions and having foresight of things to come.Joseph currently lives in St. Helens, England, with his wife and their 4 daughters.Recorded April 28, 2024
Jared Musser served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission for a few days before the merger with Ireland took place. He was part of the last group of missionaries officially called to the S.E.M. Upon arriving in Scotland, he found himself promptly moved to an area in Ireland. Jared's mission was filled with many wonderful experiences, and he quite literally bounced back and forth between Ireland and Scotland his entire mission. His craziest experience was learning to drive a manual transmission car for the first time, while also driving on the lefthand side of the road!Jared currently lives in Maryville, Tennessee, with his wife and their 2 children.Recorded April 16, 2024
Aaron Jones served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 1999 through November of 2001. Aaron shares his experiences from the mission that included a car crash, writing epic rewrites of songs for the S.E.M., insane ferry rides to and from Shetland, and more! He shares of his love of each companion and how much he loved the land of Scotland! This was a fun conversation that you won't want to miss!Aaron currently lives in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, with his son.Recorded April 14, 2024
Keenan Price served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January 2006 through January 2008. After waiting much longer to receive his call, he was relieved to know that he was called to the correct mission and had a great trainer (Cameron McDonald). Keenan worked hard and saw much success in his mission. He experienced multiple funeral services of beloved people, overcoming challenging situations including an elderly woman pinching his backside, and he served from the south to the north of the mission! Keenan was an excellent example to many throughout his mission and loved each of his companions!Keenan currently lives in Bountiful, Utah, with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded April 10, 2024
John Richardson served in the Ireland, Dublin mission from September of 2009 through July of 2010. He was part of the merger that took place when the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission combined with his original mission call, to form the Scotland, Ireland Mission. John shared his experiences of going from large cities in Ireland to smaller villages in Scotland and the challenges that came there. He also loved his time where he focused on refining himself from items that may have had an impact on his work, such as his brief Irn-Bru addiction! John saw the differences of each mission's culture first-hand and was a key player in making the S.I.M. what it is today!John currently lives in York, England, with his wife and their 2 daughters.Recorded April 7, 2024
Mark McCormack served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2000 through November of 2002. Mark had a unique experience on the mission, which was split in half after breaking his back early in his mission while playing basketball. He returned home to have surgery and serve in Delta, Utah, before returning to Scotland to finish the last year. Mark had the attitude of work hard, play hard on the mission, with his funniest story coming from singing Christmas music in the large Glasgow mall to a crickets response.Mark currently lives in Bluffdale, Utah, with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded April 2, 2024
Paul Williams served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 1999 through July of 2001. To start the podcast, Paul shares his own brilliant conversion story that resulted in a challenge to prepare to serve a mission after being a member for 2 weeks. He prepared and was underwhelmed to have been called to Scotland, but he soon grew to love the land and the people. Paul shares stories of being moved to the Shetlands after a rough first month, adapting as each leadership role was given to him, and growing to love every missionary as he served as a mission assistant to the president.Paul currently lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded April 1, 2024
Conor Muirhead served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through December of 2005. Conor comes on the podcast and shares his journey through the S.E.M. His stories of MTC antics, his love for battered pizza from the chip shop, and his hot/cold relationships with companions are enjoyable. Caleb loved his mission and all the people that impacted his experience there. Conor currently lives in Spokane, Washington with his wife and their 5 children.Recorded March 27, 2024
David Pilkington served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2005 through January of 2007. David comes on and shares memories of hard work, wrestling companions, and inviting a murderer into his flat. He also talks of his love of each companion and how they all had an impact on his life. David was a great leader in the S.E.M. and it was great having him on the podcast.David currently lives in Gloucester, England, with his girlfriend and their combined 4 children. David's two sons are from his first marriage.Recorded March 24, 2024
Greg Paxton served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 1999 through November of 2001. He shares some memorable stories including New Year’s Eve Y2K in Aberdeen, jumping the border to watch a England football match and having their car breakdown, and showing an adult film to a less active member by mistake.
Greg currently lives in St Johns, Florida, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded March 20, 2024
Blair Shumard served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2000 through September of 2002. Blair shares his favorite moments from the mission, including ice-cold showers, miraculously passing the driving exam, and falling asleep at the wheel of a car! He loved the people that gave so much for his experiences in each area he served!
Blair currently lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his wife and their 4 children.Recorded March 13, 2024
Justin Whitehead served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2007 through November of 2009. Justin served in 4 areas and loved each of those places in Scotland. He shares some of his most epic stories with us, including his best accents in each situation as well. Justin also shares his experiences with "Hammer-Time" and how it made a major impression on his mission, both good and otherwise.Justin currently lives in Delta Junction, Alaska, with his wife and their 4 sons.Recorded March 10, 2024
Janssen Vanderhooft served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2001 through July on 2003. Janssen shares about his experiences watching a NED knife fight on a large group of missionaries, being in the MTC when the 9-11 attack happened, and waiting for a bus on the incorrect side of the road. Janssen loved serving with his companions and his time in Scotland.Janssen currently lives in Sandy, Utah, with his wife and their 3 children. He also plays with the "Bells at Temple Square" group and has been involved in the group since 2005. Recorded March , 2024
Tyler Snow served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September 1999 through October of 2001. Tyler comes on and shares about his experience in Scotland when there were well over 200 missionaries in the S.E.M. He served in a number of places, but most memorably was when overseeing the Highlands Zone in Inverness with missionaries crashing cars, day long drives all over the north of Scotland, and more. Tyler currently lives in Puyallup, Washington, with his wife and their 4 children. Recorded February 22, 2024
Kenton Karrasch served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2002 through May of 2004. "Superman" came on the podcast and shared his experiences that included speaking to people in Farsi, having mortar shells fired at him on Guy Fawkes Night, and leading the Edinburgh (Throat) Pipe Band. Kenton shares his unique story of being called to Scotland on the same day as his friend, Clark Davis, and the same place his bishop had served a couples mission. He loved serving and having a fun time together with each of his companions.
Kenton currently lives in Reno, Nevada, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded February 18, 2024
Ben Buckner served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through December of 2005. Ben shares his love of the Saviour and how his mission helped shape the life ahead of him. His stories of bird poop, playing hymns on the harmonica, and his love of his Swedish heritage is all heard in our conversation.
Ben currently lives in Lehi, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded February 11, 2024
Terence Stegelitz served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September 2001 through September 2003. Terrence talks about his desire to serve a mission from a young age growing upon the south of France. His mom made certain that all options were available to him to serve internationally. Terrence shares some great stories from his mission, including the epic moment of head butting a NED on the bus for refusing to put out a cigarette (fag). He loved all of his companions and has had some incredible coincidences with those he has known in the church throughout his life.
Terence currently lives in Quebec, Canada, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded February 8, 2024
Rui Sousa served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2009 through September of 2011. Rui shares his experiences of moving to the UK from Portugal as a teenager, and also how going on a mission wasn't his initial plan. He also shares how he ended up finding his wife in his last area of Aberdeen, as well as his perspective on the merger of the mission to the Scotland, Ireland Mission while he was serving. Rui loved his opportunity to serve the people of Scotland (and Ireland).
Rui currently lives in Ipswich, England, with his wife and their 4 sons.
Recorded February 6, 2024
Daphne Lane served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2008 through June of 2010. Daphne comes on the podcast and talks about her journey through the mission, most notably her experiences with NEDs, really spicy curry, and experiencing miracles. She also shares how the end of her mission set her on a path that has been rocky ever since coming home. Her story includes how she made a tough decision to transition into who she is today, as well as how she has overcome many hardships in her life.
Daphne currently lives in Salem, Oregon. She has a daughter from her first marriage.Recorded February 4, 2024
Allan Slater served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2007 through April of 2009. He shares his favorite memories, including a 3-D.A. day, having to find a miracle ladder to get back into their flat they were locked out of, and judging a German vs Italian meal contest. Allan loved serving in Scotland and all he learned from his time in the mission.
Allan currently lives in Scarborough, England, with his wife and 2-step daughters, as well as another little girl on the way!
Recorded February 4, 2024
Jeff Webb served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2002 through April of 2004. As a convert to the church, he came to Scotland feeling overwhelmed with the pace of the work, but soon found his groove. He loved his companions, learned how to communicate through with the spirit, and survived rock fights with N.E.D.S. Jeff is proud he was able to serve in Scotland and loved his experiences there.
Jeff currently live in Creston, British Columbia, Canada. He has 3 children from his former marriage.
Recorded January 24, 2024
Martin Quick served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2002 through June of 2004. Martin came into the S.E.M. as a convert to the church and knew that this was an opportunity to make an impact on many lives, as missionaries had done for himself. He shares his love of companions and areas he served in, as well as the memorable moments with companions making him eat their food at D.A.s, epic games of Risk, and answered prayers when GQing!Martin currently lives in Hereford, England, with his wife and their son. He also has two step-sons and a grandson!Recorded January 21, 2024
Landon Wells served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2007 through July of 2009. Landon loved his time serving in Scotland, as you can hear in his voice throughout him speaking about his companions. He talks about Glasgow kisses, bowling over sea gulls, and chest bumps to start his day.Landon currently lives in Austin, Texas.Recorded January 18, 2024
Darren Allen served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through December of 2005. He came to the mission from rural Washington and experienced a culture shock, like many of us! Darren served primarily in Edinburgh and Glasgow zones, with a vacation to Dundee later on. He made great friends and had a wonderful time impacting those he served with.
Darren currently lives in Richland, Washington, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded January 10, 2024
Cristian Mannino served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2001 through December of 2003. He had a very unique experience coming to Scotland, with a month-long stop in the Provo MTC before arriving at the mission home. Cristian had great companions and loved the people he served in Scotland. He was privileged to serve in the office during the transition from the Wilkinsons to the Vriens, and he found that miracles abounded with the people he shared the gospel with. His favorite way to contact was GQing and he still loved speaking with people on the street to this day!
Cristian currently lives in Germany, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded January 2, 2024
Sara Ott served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2008 through December of 2009. Sara shares her lifelong dreams of visiting England and after a lengthy wait she made it prior to deciding to serve a mission. Amongst the amazing memories Sara shared with us, her incredible testimony of serving her companions and helping them through their time together was inspiring. Sara also gives some shout outs to her favorite people from each of her areas. She loves the therapy of each podcast as it helps her remember the good things that came from serving in Scotland.
Sara currently lives in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their 4 sons.
Recorded December 19, 2023
Steve Gardner served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2007 through July of 2009. Steve takes us on a journey through Scotland, that included a death-defying hike of Ben Nevis, multiple NED riots, and many amazing roadtrips during his mission. His love of the people of Scotland is apparent and he loved each of his companions.
Steve currently lives in Kaysville, Utah, with his wife and their two daughters.
Recorded December 14, 2023
We are humbled and so grateful for the wonderful year we had on the S.E.M. Podcast. We have had some incredible experiences through this podcast and all the wonderful people that have given their time to share their mission memories have warmed our hearts. The reminders of all the great places, the people, and the moments are what keep us going. Thank you so much. Our hope is that the podcast has allowed you to reconnect with people you love, whether living in Scotland or your former companions. We will keep this going as we move into the 2024 year and we look forward to many more wonderful memories. Merry Christmas to everyone and have a Happy New Year's celebration! Auld Lang Syne!
Billy Dalebout served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2002 through February of 2004. Billy shared his unique experience of having visited Scotland and hiking Pratt’s Hill before being called to Scotland. He also shared many adventures from living in Scotland, including fishing with a serial killer, almost chasing down a thief, and his time loving the people of Scotland.
Billy currently lives in Shawnee, Kansas, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded December 3, 2023
Chance Clarkson served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through August of 2004. Chance shared with us all the variables of caused him to return home early after dealing with serious injuries from a wakeskate accident. He served his time in Scotland in the Dunfermline Ward and we walked down memory lane together. Chance loved serving in Scotland and made the most of his limited time serving. Chance currently lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with his wife and their 5 children.Recorded November 28, 2023
Jesper Andersen served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2002 through January of 2004. Jesper shares his love of the work in Scotland and all the wonderful missionary companions he had. While he was in Edinburgh, the transition from President Wilkinson to President Vriens took place. He and his companion also had one major miracle there, when they taught a man named Jaf who was a refugee from the middle east. Jesper loved the tradition of Pratt's Hill and returned there with his family when they visited Scotland in recent years.
Jesper currently lives in Holbæk, Denmark, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded November 19, 2023
Brent Littlefield served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2004 through June of 2006. While serving, Brent found joy in the subtleties that came from hearing bagpipes, attending the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and not understanding the words out of people's mouths as his sign that he was there to serve the people in Scotland. He loved serving in the Orkney Islands and shares his experience of jumping into the Kirkwall Ba', walking the beaches, and nearly getting caught out on the Brough of Birsay. Brent also shared his most memorable spiritual moments and his desire to have fun amongst the tough work in Scotland.
Brent currently lives in Woods Cross, Utah, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded November 13, 2023
Yulia Corca served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2008 through December of 2009. Yulia decided to serve a mission only 18 months after she converted to the church in Romania. She was a bit worried to inform her parents of her decision to serve, and she also was dreading the idea of serving in the UK due to the weather. Yulia came into the mission at a time when expectations of missionaries were on the extreme end and it made her experience challenging and anxiety-ridden. She worked hard and saw much success and loved serving in Scotland with incredible sisters as her companions.Yulia currently lives in Yeaden, England, with her husband and their 3 children.Recorded November 12, 2023
Colby Hawkins served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2004 through November of 2006. Colby shares his memories of full-flat forts, retrofitting a Vauxhall Meriva into a snow plow, learning to play the guitar, playing basketball with the Chinese investigators, and sleeping in a car when locked out of their flat. He also shares his incredible stories of converts to the church, learning to be the best GQ'er in the mission, and finding ways to love on the missionaries through training and motivation!
Colby currently lives in Arbuckle, California, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded November 4, 2023
Alexandra Berry served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2007 through April of 2009. Alex shares how her mother became a convert to the church as a single mother, and how the missionaries impacted their lives. In Scotland, she experienced miracles of many people joining the church during her mission. Alex helped a lot of people as the spirit guided her to make decisions as she went to each area she served in.
Alexandra currently lives in North London, England, with her husband and their son.Recorded October 29, 2023
Jeremy Rehm served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2008 through August of 2010. Jeremy shares his fun memories of the mission, including using his musical talents on the piano in many areas, cleaning up awful messy flats, and connecting with wonderful members in each of his areas. He also shares a moment of breaking the rules by reading a chemistry book at the library to remember scientific formulas!
Jeremy currently lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Recorded October 25, 2023
Devin Fisher served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2005 through January of 2007. Devin shares his experiences of starting in the Govan/Pollack area and how his mission was much nicer after his first area. He shared how their first flat was a literal tip and took multiple days to clean. Devin loved the people he served in Scotland and how they continually made him feel at home.
Devin currently lives in West Point, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded October 19, 2023
Jason Howard served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2004 through November of 2006. Jason experienced some highs and lows from his time in Scotland. His companions were great for him and he loved the work. Jason shares how much he loved being around other missionaries and how that helped him through the tough times of Scotland missionary work. He loved the Military Tattoo and visiting historic areas within the mission.
Jason currently lives in Star, Idaho, with his wife and their 5 children.
Recorded October 10, 2023
Rebecca McLean served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July of 2005. Despite health challenges from a young age, Rebecca decided to serve a mission and had miracles happen to allow her the opportunity to serve in Scotland. She found that her largest challenge on her mission was places at the top of hills or flats on the top floor, of which she experienced a lot. Rebecca expressed so much love for her companions and gave her everything, often going well beyond the recommendation of President Vriens to take naps. Overall she loved her mission and the people she was able to serve.
Rebecca currently lives in Lancashire, England, with her husband and their son.
Recorded October 8, 2023
Preston Kelly served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2006 through July of 2008. Preston shares how much he learned on his mission, and how it shaped his life. The more memorable moments from his mission he shared included a bout with IBS, his pure disdain for Hammer Time, and how his struggles shaped his future for the better.
Preston currently lives in Wendall, Idaho, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded October 3, 2023
Ben Tomlinson served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2005 through December of 2007. Ben shares how he overcame a delay in going on his mission due to an ask to lose some weight, but he made it into the mission a few months after. He shares how he found joy with his fellow missionaries that helped him through the challenges, including sand dune jumping, many sleepovers, and other fun times.
Ben currently lives in Huddersfield, England, with his wife and their daughter.
Recorded October 1, 2023
Caleb Loveless served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2002 through May of 2004. Caleb shares with us how much he loved serving in Scotland and has visited often since serving there. He proposed to his wife in Scotland and they may move there in the future. Caleb talks about his companions who snored, pronounced "Squirrel" in a funny way, and talking about the mission song parodies we all enjoyed. He thinks he may have some unpublished tracks on his mini disks that he will try to unearth.
Caleb currently lives in Springville, Utah, with his wife and their daughter.
Recorded September 27, 2023
Roy Peckham served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2006 through November of 2008. Roy tells the story of how he arrived in the MTC with his California surfer haircut, shares stories about his wonderful companions, and the challenges he endured throughout the mission. He also shares his experiences with "Hammer-Time" and his own perspective of how that had an impact on the mission.
Roy currently lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded September 21, 2023
Julie Cahoon served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2003 through December of 2004. Julie shared her journey of getting on a mission and once there experiencing mighty miracles. She was lead to people, places, and even a lost glasses lens through the power of the spirit. Julie handled her mission with poise despite many challenges. She loved those she served with and the people of Scotland. Julie currently lives in Centerville, Utah. Recorded September 17, 2023
Matt Fischer served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July of 2006. Matt shares how an ankle injury sustained in the MTC had an impact early in his mission, but he found ways to cope with it. He loved the time he spent with other missionaries and her shares fun times fishing the ocean to talk to people in Thurso, having the highest gas bill in the mission in Glenrothes, and many adventures with pint Uno, extreme road trips in a rental car, and popping the clutch on a car to avoid giving it to the zone leaders.
Matt currently lives in Richmond, Utah, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded September 13, 2023
Devin Goodwin served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2006 through May of 2008. Devin shares his journey where alcoholism overtook his life. By a miracle and a major injury that had him in a coma, Devin woke up and his desire for alcohol was removed from his mind. He loved his mission and his companions, and shares his favorite memories with us.Devin currently lives in Highland, Utah, with his two children from his first marriage.
Recorded September 7, 2023
Demeron Ashton served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2006 through November of 2008. Demeron wowed Jack and I throughout our conversation and all the great stories he shared with us. He has so many memories from companions, other missionaries, and the members during his time in Scotland. Demeron is our top fan and we are grateful for his support of our podcast.
Demeron currently lives in Tremonton, Utah, with his wife and their 2 sons.
Recorded September 6, 2023
Denis Grinevicius served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2001 through November of 2003. Denis comes on the podcast and shares his love of the work as a convert to the church. He had experiences that brought joy to him and his companions and many miracles while serving in Scotland.
Denis currently lives in Vilnuis, Lithuania with hi wife and their 3 children.
Recorded September 3, 2023
Jeff Marble served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2002 through January of 2004. Jeff comes on the podcast and shares his unique experiences, including getting separated from his companions on the first day in Glasgow, a ceiling collapsing in a flat in Dundee, and talking about the multiple flat clean outs that were complete tips.
Jeff currently lives in Claremore, Oklahoma, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded August 29, 2023
Chad Piersky served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2001 through November of 2003. Chad new before his mission that he would serve in a place foreign that ended in "land", so his call was no surprise. He shares about his memories of companions playing pranks on him, learning how missionaries were received in Scotland (in Glasgow), and learning to agree to disagree with companions while long serving in the Shetland Islands.
Chad currently lives in Tupelo, Mississippi. He has 3 children from a previous marriage that live in Texas.
Recorded August 28, 2023
Jack and Zack have had a wonderful time in the midst of this podcast. One consistent things we have heard from those we have reached out to, there are those that aren't comfortable coming on the podcast due to their current circumstances. We want to let everyone know that this is a platform where you can comfortably share what you feel and have dealt with. Those that have come on have found our conversation therapeutic and also a way to voice their personal worries about things they did while in Scotland.To make it clear, this podcast is a NO JUDGMENT ZONE! We want to connect with each other because, despite where life has taken each of us, we all have gone through our own unique set of challenges. Whether it is spiritual, physical, emotional, relationships, financial, or any combination of the above and beyond, we are hear to connect and help one another know that you are loved by an extended family of brothers and sister that were together in Scotland as young adults (many of us were still children too).This is our way to invite all former missionaries to come on the podcast and share your experiences in Scotland. We, along with those watching/listening, will love to hear your words of love, kindness, and also all the funny, crazy, ridiculous, and otherwise entertaining stories. We love you and we can't wait to have you come on to talk with us in the future.Recorded Monday, August 21, 2023
Brady Casaday served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2006 through May of 2008. Brady boldly went into the mission field secretly wearing an intense back brace after a snowboarding injury. He told no one about it because he didn't want to delay his mission. Brady experienced many adventures in Scotland, including getting robbed in Glasgow, living in the Leith flat with only a bathtub (no shower), and drinking from the waters of Loch Ness for gain his super powers.
Brady currently lives in St. George, Utah, with his wife and their 3 sons.
Recorded August 17, 2023
Adam Rollo served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2003 through November of 2005. Adam shares his top rated showers, his experience teaching his greenie about "Cornflakes", and falling asleep in a warm house after a dinner appointment. He talks further about his experience with a member visiting Utah and talking about how much Utahn's pray for "moisture".
Adam currently lives in Layton, Utah, with his wife and their 5 boys.
Recorded August 7, 2023
David Richards served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2002 through May of 2004. During his time in Scotland, David survived the Huntly floods, Hamilton's acid rain, and breaking ribs to baptize an investigator (on accident of course). David shares about his love of sharing the gospel and loved his companions.
David currently lives in Exeter, England, and he has published his thesis called "The Book of Mormon and it's relationship with the Bible" as part of his doctorate program. It is available to purchase on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Mormon-Its-Relationship-Bible/dp/0244648492)
Recorded August 6, 2023
Chad VanLueven served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2002 through January of 2004. Chad was over-the-moon excited to go to Scotland after a fun year of basketball his final year of high school. He had many fun adventures in Scotland, including participating in the Greenock Branch's Road Show and playing the role of Mingin' the dwarf, mouthing off to a group of NEDs that they couldn't seem to get rid of, and having unlimited miles to explore the Highlands and all the islands as a ZL in Inverness!
Chad currently lives in Payson, Utah, with his wife and their son.
Recorded July 30, 2023
Joel Turvey served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2002 through September of 2004. Joel comes on the podcast and shares fun stories of destroying the oil pan of a brand new Corsa, trying to resolved the Johnstone flat wasp nest, and deciding if he was allowed to swim when being shoved into Loch Doon. He also shares how President Vriens completely changed the course of his future career in a single conversation.
Joel currently lives in Evesham, England, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded July 23, 2023
Trey Jenkins served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2001 through December of 2003. Trey comes on the podcast and shares how his testimony grew a great deal in the MTC in Preston. His first Scottish meal was beans and toast, and his first winter was a dark one to get through. Trey loved the challenges of serving in Scotland and loved all that he learned during his time in Scotland.
Trey currently lives in Cumming, Georgia, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded July 13, 2023
Christopher McClure served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2004 through June of 2006. During his time in Scotland, Chris was determined to each chocolate for every meal. He became known as "Elder Chocolate" and gained a few stone whist serving. Chris shares all his funny stories, including poisoning and shooting multiple companions (squirt bottles and bb guns). He was an incredible journal keeper, with his own volume of records from serving the people of Scotland.
Chris currently lives in Manchester, England, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded July 9, 2023
Scott Jump served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through December of 2005. Scott shares about his tough time adjusting to the cold and wet world of Scotland. He mentions his love of the summer months and his feelings of gloom during the winter. Scott also shares how much his time in Scotland helped him prepare for his life beyond the mission. We had a great time reminiscing with him.
Scott currently lives in Florence, Kentucky, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded July 6, 2023
Paul Christensen served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2004 through June of 2006. Paul comes on the podcast and does an incredible job of helping us see the faces of the S.E.M. through photos he compiled. He is incredibly humble about his time as a missionary and gives much appreciation to his companions and the missionaries he served around in his districts and zones for helping him keep going. Paul mentions his favorite moments of fun throughout serving in Scotland and how much that helped him as well.
Paul currently lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife and their 2 daughters.
Recorded June 25, 2023
Andy Harper served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2008 through February of 2010. Andy takes us all on a journey with his stories and memories of his time in Scotland. He starts off sharing his talent of playing the bagpipes, and then talks about his fun experiences, including learning to drive in Dundee, having his flat broken into, and more.
Andy currently lives near Fairbanks, Alaska, with his wife and their 3 daughters, with another baby on the way.
Recorded June 21, 2023
Garrett Smith served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2005 through October of 2007. Garrett shares his incredible experience of coming on a mission, including keeping his papers secret from his parents. In Scotland, he talks about how playing pint Jenga ruined his ability to hold his bladder, pinning down Elder O'Bryan in the mission home and "Air Mail" stamped him all over, and breaking his bed frame in the mission office.
Garrett currently lives in Montgomery, Texas, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded June 11, 2023
Tom Carlton served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2008 through August of 2010. Throughout his time serving in areas with council flats, he found himself wondering is there was something more. Then he was moved to the area of Perth where it was lush countryside and beautiful. Tom loved serving in Scotland and later discovered he is more Scottish than English in his genealogy.
Tom currently lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia (Canada) with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded June 8, 2023
Shaun Thomas served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2002 through October of 2004. Shaun shares his incredible journey, including nearly getting stuck on a remote island in Orkney, serving in the mission home and preparing a farm breakfast that Sister Vriens loved, and having some NED girls offer him and his companion to "have your babies". Shaun loved his companions who learned a great deal about South Africa having served with him. His companions loved that he wasn't another American missionary and his experience learning the Scottish accent or adopting his own American accent.
Shaun currently lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with his wife and their 3 daughters. (4 total children for Shaun)
Recorded May 29, 2023
Craig Stratton served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through December of 2005. Craig opens up about his tasks he was handed by President Vriens to help get some of his initial companions on track. He also shares his love for competition, including taking a swing at his MTC companion (Jack Bryce) and beating him in a footrace that lead to a pull hamstring for Jack. Craig loved his companions and the wonderful areas he served in throughout Scotland.
Craig currently lives in Lexington/Columbia, South Carolina, with his wife and their 3 sons.
Recorded May 25, 2023
Trent Clawson served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through December of 2005. Trent shares with us his journey through the mission, including beat boxing with Eminem's brother (Devin Fisher), going to court after crashing the Thurso Elder's car, and creating a replica Nessie to float down the River Ness. He also shares some insight into a very spiritual experience with his youngest son having dealt with some health issue.
Trent currently lives in Pocatello, Idaho, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded May 24, 2023
Tobias Luchs served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2006 through January of 2008. Toby comes on the podcast and shares his journey of becoming a missionary, including setting aside a life that was set in place to come to Scotland. He also shares about his companionship unifiers and other fun experiences that helped him overcome his shyness during his time in the mission.Tobias currently lives in Düsseldorf, Germany, with his wife and their two children.Recorded May 21, 2023
Evan Slade served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2007 through November of 2009. He comes on the podcast and shares his incredible family history ties to Scotland, along with his prediction that he would serve in Scotland since he was 5 years old. Evan also shares about his adventures of riding bikes through Paisley, serving in the branch presidency in Greenock, and so much more. I highly recommend you watch this episode on YouTube to see the incredible presentation Evan put together for our conversation!
Evan currently lives in San Tan Valley, Arizona, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded May 18, 2023
Amy (Cooper) Taylor comes back on the podcast. As another one of our original guests in the infancy of the S.E.M. Podcast, she has been an avid listener since her original episode and had more she wanted to share. She talks about all the experiences she had with each of her companions and the things she learned from each of them.Amy currently lives near Vernal, Utah, with her husband and their 4 children.Recorded May 17, 2023
Zack Hewlett comes back on the podcast after his episode in the early days of the S.E.M. Podcast was filled with his most fresh memories. Nearly a year later, so many memories have come flooding back that there was more to share. Zack currently lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with his wife and their daughter.Recorded May 4, 2023
President Tom Fredrick and his wife, Barbara, served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2006 through June of 2009. They both came on the podcast and shared their unique conversion stories, their sealing adventure, and the details of how they got their call to Scotland. This is one you don't want to miss.
President and Sister Fredrick currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah. They have 11 children, 67 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren (and counting).
Recorded May 11, 2023
Drew Allen served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2007 through November of 2009. During his time in Scotland, he had many fun adventures, including a streak of baptisms/confirmation no-shows, making pheasant curry from road kill, and having his flat broken into several times. His favorite area of his mission was Dundee, Bingham Ward, despite his challenges of finding investigators there to teach.
Drew currently lives in North Ogden, Utah, with his wife and their 5 children.Recorded May 7, 2023
David Lehmann served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2002 through September of 2004. David shares about his fun times, including learning to fish in the Shetland Isles, running the coal race in Kelty, and day trip drives to the Isle of Skye from Inverness. He loved serving in Scotland and all the wonderful people that he served with.
David currently lives in Freiburg, Germany, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded May 7, 2023
Brian Baer served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2004 through April of 2006. As our first ever podcast guest, Brian was our guinea pig and came on early in our podcast. Since then, he has been reflecting on all the memories that have been flooding back to him about his time in Scotland. In this episode, Brian recalls memories of street contacting on his own in his greenie area, being asked to hold an investigator under the water longer to get all the sin off, wrestling with a bishop to gain his respect and love, and more. Brian and Zack also recall times from their 2 weeks together in Glasgow, including making chocolate chip cookies from an American recipe only to discover the metric measurements were not the same as US measurements. The cover photo is of us taking the cookie dough and skipping them like rocks because they had too much flour! Enjoy this incredible ride of stories and memories about Brian Baer's mission.
Adam Payne served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2006 through March of 2008. He experienced visa issues coming from Canada and had a temporary assignment to New Jersey, Cherry Hills, but was blessed to receive his visa just in time to leave for England and the MTC in Preston. Adam shares about zone olympics, learning to drive in Scotland, and being pooped on by a pigeon to get him out of GQ'ing.Adam currently lives in Calgary, Alberta (Canada) with his wife and their 3 children.Recorded April 27, 2023
Craig Day served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2008 through July of 2010. Craig shares with us how he was coerced by a girl he fancied to serve a mission, along with some amazing stories about learning the mission expectations during the prime of "Hammer Time". He shares his experiences in leadership, along with his fun times that included snow balls that destroyed a NED, filling the font with a garden hose and drinking jugs, and guiding district leaders up Ben Lomond blindfolded for a monumental impact.
Craig currently lives in Macclesfield, England, with his wife and their 3 daughters (one is only two weeks old as of this recording).
Recorded April 23, 2023
Tyler Monteath served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2008 through December of 2009. Tyler shares his amazing story of how he came to serve a mission, and an epic story about his epic blind date with his wife when he got home from Scotland. He also shared some amazing memories from the mission, including eating his companion's food they didn't like at dinner appointments, a pet mouse in a flat, converting a language translator, and teaching lots of women whose partners were in prison.
Tyler currently lives in Saratoga Springs, Utah, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded April 20, 2023
Zac Lovell served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2008 through July of 2010. Zac spent a nearly perfect split of his mission between President Fredrick and President Griffiths. During this time, Zac experienced the hustle of the mission and baptized many people during the beginning of the mission. He followed the direction of the mission leaders during "hammer time" and had a baptism at 6:30 am, baptized another person in one week of teaching, and had baptisms in one area that he was in for only a few days. Zac also talked about having a stalker towards the end of his mission. Zac shared loved serving the people in Scotland and all of his companions.
Zac shared an announcement toward the end of his episode regarding the launch of the S.I.M. (Scotland, Ireland Mission) Podcast. Zac will be one of the hosts of this podcast and will cover anyone that has served in the Scotland, Ireland Mission from January of 2009 through to the current day. Please reach out directly to them at simpodcast@51spylaw.com to schedule a time to meet with them.
Zac currently lives in Salem, Utah, with his wife and their son, with another child expected in the coming months.
Recorded April 10, 2023
Adam Cummins served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2008 through July of 2010, with his last 3 transfers taking place in the Scotland, Ireland Mission. Adam comes on the podcast and shares his experiences, including being egged 2 days into the mission field, finding his flat door completely kicked in and nothing missing, and the intensity of "Hammer Time". He also shares his work ethic that was instilled in him early in his time that led to him finding a person he baptized in his last transfer.
Adam currently lives in Billingham, England, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded April 16, 2023
Sarah Jagger served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2006 through September of 2007. Sarah shares about her incredible journey serving in Scotland, including serving as a young women's president, attending multiple youth camps, and learning to drive a stick shift in her first area. She enjoyed prank wars with the Elders in Ayr, and pulled the ultimate prank when she and her companion attended a district meeting wearing suits they found in the closet of their flat. Sarah loved that she brought home her Scottish grandpa (Jimmy) to California when she left the mission.
Sarah currently lives in Medford, Oregon.
Recorded April 13, 2023
John Coon served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2007 through December of 2009. John comes on the podcast and shares how amazing his time was in Scotland. He recalls seeing a knife fight, driving to a light in the right lane (the opposite side of the traffic), throwing away an investigator's cigarettes (3400+ fags), and being in Elder Holland's splash zone at Zone Conference. John also talks about how his companions made him better in so many ways and he shared about some of their inside jokes.
John currently lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with his wife and their 2 children, with another on the way.
Recorded April 12, 2023
Chris Martin served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2001 through October of 2003. Chris comes on and shares how his decision to serve a mission truly shaped his life. During his mission, he met J.K. Rowling his 2nd day in Scotland, broke a big toe during a football match, and destroying a Vauxhall Corsa's oil pan attempting to blow through a monster puddle. Chris also shares about his early retirement from law enforcement due to a heart condition that he learned of after an extreme physical fitness competition.
Chris currently lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded April 6, 2023
Jonathan Shenton served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2006 through May of 2008. He came into the mission and loved the work and the people of Elgin to start. Jonathan shares how his time from the beginning evolved a great deal as "hammertime" changed how he went about sharing the gospel. He stood his ground and did the work in the way he felt best benefitted his areas and companions. As a result he was highly praised by the mission president for his consistent success throughout his service in Scotland.
Jonathan currently lives in Leicester, England, with his wife and their 5 children.
Recorded April 4, 2023
Heather Bond served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2002 through September of 2004. She is joined by her husband, Scott Christley, who uniquely was very involved in Heather's mission and shares some of his memories. Heather has some incredible stories, including moments of unexplained sluggishness, being pushed out of the way of bottle rockets, and avoiding death. She also shares about drinking undiluted diluting juice, loving Indian takeout, and how her letters from Scott were famous from the office elders.
Heather currently lives in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, with her husband and their 4 children.
Recorded March 28, 2023
David Cain served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July 2008 through July of 2010. David comes on the podcast and shares about how the mission's culture was a tough one to crack. Nevertheless, he showed resilence and determination to be the best missionary he could be while serving the people in Scotland. David had a different MTC experience, as home was 20 minutes down the road and many teachers there were in his singles ward. While in Scotland, he survived a 2 hour sneezing fit, being quarantined at the A&E because they thought he had the Swine Flu (later determined he didn't), and having a bishop ask for him to be moved from an area.
David currently lives in Bolton, England and continues to pursue his passion of music. Check out his music by searching "David Hall Cain" and he intends to have new music out in the near future.
Recorded March 26, 2023
Russ Bass served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through February of 2006. Russ came on the podcast and immediately admitted that he would likely not remember much. However, Russ shares so many great memories, including recording music in castle ruins, gaining his sight back (through prescription glasses), visiting people in the jail as the clergyman, and being invited to Stonehenge for some "high time". He shares about his incredible experience of receiving his patriarchal blessing in the Preston MTC, baptizing many throughout Scotland, and how a special blessing from President Vriens at his exit interview scared him.
Russ currently lives in Lehi, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded March 23, 2023
Blake Farnsworth served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2004 through April of 2006. Blake shares his experience of flying to Scotland as his first official time flying and how that was an adventure. He shares about his time serving with amazing companions and the fun times they had, including sliding down a water slide in full suits, coming in 2nd in the caber toss at a ward activity, miraculously walking away from a car crash, cutting tops off a tree with a butter knife for Christmas, and painting on a broken bed in one of his flats. Blake had great success in bringing many people to the church, and had a great influence on the mission as a leader.
Blake currently lives in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, with his wife and their 2 children, with another on the way.
Recorded March 19, 2023
Rory Grant served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2003 through April of 2005. Rory comes on and tells his incredible story of going home on his own accord during his first area, then promptly returning back to Scotland. He shares about his funny memories and loving showing others his love through sharing his talents in wood working. Rory talks about pulling prank calls to other missionaries, and then thinking that President Vriens was joking when he called and asked him to move areas unexpectedly. He and Chris Pattenden coined the phrase, "Chuffing Bandit!"
Rory currently lives in Dundee, Scotland, (in the Bingham Terrace Ward) with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded March 19, 2023
Michele Menini served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2003 through November of 2005. Michele starts his episode by giving us a walking tour around the Rome, Italy Temple ground, where he is the head gardener. As we get into the mission, Michele shares about his intent to keep a strong Italian accent as a great conversation starter, which worked really well. He tells fun memories from each area, including making a fake "Nessie" and floating it down the River Ness, fully renovating a member's bathroom, off-roading in the Vauxhall Corsa (and getting stuck) multiple times, and breaking down the door of his own flat when the keys were forgotten. Guest hosted by Andre Zinkovski.
Michele currently lives in the countryside just outside of Rome, Italy, with his wife and their son.
Recorded March 17, 2023
Catherine McConkie served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2003 through September of 2004. Catherine shares about her fun memories, enjoying all the fun food and sweets in Scotland. She shares about having so much fun on her mission, including dance parties, sleepovers (with her companions), and always having a plan on preparation day for an adventure. Catherine loved laughing through her mission and had many memories of things that made her laugh. She also shares about how her hair turned green in one of her areas.
Catherine currently lives in the Holladay area in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and their 4 children.
Recorded March 15, 2023
Charles Noble served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July of 2006. Charles shares with us his amazing areas and companions that he loved serving with. He only had 5 areas in his mission, which is a rarity. Charles talks about the great people he taught and brought to the gospel. He also shares funny stories such as getting drunk inadvertently from a piece of chocolate, playing Hacky Sack and football with the other missionaries, and losing over 5 stone (70 pounds) and using a rope for a belt on his oversized suits.Charles currently lives in Green Valley, Arizona, near Tucson, with his wife and their cats.Recorded March 9, 2023
Seth Wright served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2002 through January of 2004. Early in his mission experience, Seth experienced not one, but two separate altercations with NEDs that left him with a broken nose, broken jaw, and internal bleeding. This story is one you don’t want to miss. Seth finished his mission and shared his love of his companions and also the Wilkinsons and the Vriens.
Seth lives in South Salt Lake, Utah with his wife and his two children from his first marriage.
Recorded March 6, 2023
Joe Patel served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2007 through October of 2009. Joe comes on and shares some great memories from serving in Scotland, including a MTC companion having a mental breakdown, receiving a threat to be murdered, being iced out by a bishop, and splitting his trousers from belt to zipper. He had a laundry list of companions due to a couple of emergency moves (not on his accord) and rarely having a companion longer than 6 weeks. Joe has some great stories that those who served with him and around him will relish.
Joe currently lives in Leighton Buzzard, England, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded March 5, 2023
Travis Trottier served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2005 through October of 2007. Travis shares with us his fun stories of the mission, along with some unique challenges that he faced. After a bizarre situation with his trainer, Travis had some tough times with stress management that lead to a few visits to the hospital and more calls home to mom and dad than normal. Nevertheless, Travis worked through those challenges and served a honorable mission and loved serving the people of Scotland.
Travis currently lives in West Jordan, Utah, with his wife and their 2 daughters, with another daughter on the way!
Recorded March 2, 2023
Kevin Verdegem served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2003 through October 2005. Kevin shares with us some of his favorite memories from serving in Scotland, including seagulls with a vendetta against him, using sunscreen as hair gel, and earning his own set of golf clubs by selling ribbons on the street. He tells of his diagnosis of autism and ADHD since being home and how that may have caused friction with some of his companions. Kevin was a bold missionary and unapologetically did his best to serve all the people of the areas he served in. Kevin lives near Brugge, Belgium with his wife (Sasha) and their 3 children. Recorded March 1, 2023
Sasha Bogomolova served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through July of 2005. Sasha came into the mission as a powerhouse teacher, despite still learning the English language. She shares with us some fun stories, including telling a man in her first area she could "probably" go out with him, eating cucumber sandwiches as a companionship unifier, and GQing J.K. Rowling in Edinburgh.
Sasha currently lives near Brugge, Belgium, with her husband (Kevin) and their 3 children.
Recorded March 1, 2023
Roman Bredlow served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2003 through August of 2005. Roman comes on and shares so many fun memories from his time as a missionary, including being left in Shetland for 3 days by himself, memorizing all the songs from Disney's The Lion King, placing apple stickers on his companion, raising a pet carrot, drinking too much laxative hot chocolate, and so much more. He still to this day is reminded of Sister Vriens when it comes time to service a vacuum cleaner.
Roman currently lives in Berlin, Germany, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded February 26, 2023
Christopher Lewis served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2008 through October of 2010. Christopher came into the mission with the anticipation of having fun whilst serving, but was soon introduced to a mission culture that was opposite his expectations. He bought in and as a result worked extremely hard to be diligent to the already set expectations. Christopher shares how that impacted him during his first year and how eventually he found joy in his second year with great companions and lovely members. Christopher also shares the experience of serving with a missionary from the Ireland mission after the merge in July of 2010 and how that was a very unique experience overall.
Christopher currently lives in Gloucester, England, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded February 23, 2023
Ren Hardy served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2005 through October of 2007. Ren shares about his wilder side before his mission and how he claims his dad used magic to get him to decide to serve. He tells us stories about 14-hour ferry rides, having his companion lie to him, laughing in the face of a NED trying to rob he and his comp, and disagreements over the temperature of the fridge. Please be advised that Ren shares his thoughts with the inclusion of some scriptural curse words.
Ren currently lives in Carefree, Arizona, north of Phoenix, with his wife and their 3 sons.
Recorded February 21, 2023
Andre Zinkovski served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2004 through June of 2006. As a convert to the church, he had to work very hard to make a mission possible. He was born and raised in Ukraine and struggled early in Scotland to learn how to speak English. Andre shares some of his favorite memories, including riding a ferry by himself to Isle of Lewis, asking members to make him potato skins and fish lips for dinner, and interpreting his patriarchal blessing from English to his native tongue.
Andre currently lives in Kharkov, Ukraine.
His fresh food business, Smart Food, has helped many who have been unable to flee the country during the current war. If you'd like to help Andre with the work he is doing for those in Ukraine, follow his Instagram page "@andrepolonski" and you can donate to help him buy food for those in need through his PayPal account, AndreTheDeliverer@gmail.com. Andre is grateful for all those who have donated items and funds thus far and he is in great spirits considering his current situation. Please continue to keep him in your prayers as well.
Recorded February 20, 2023
Allison Laird served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2003 through January of 2005. Allison shares about how she has since her mission learned that she has ADHD and that it was a likely factor in her missionary service. She loved her companions and all the areas she served in. Allison shares some funny stories about unique GQ'ing tactics, learning the ropes of being a young senior companion, and avoiding potential problems while not following mission rules.
Allison currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and their 4 children.
Recorded February 19, 2023
Garrett McLeod served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2005 through June of 2007. Garrett shares with us all about his experiences with his companions, including stories about hemorrhoids, being the victim of revenge via stool softeners in his food, and being kissed on the mouth by his companion before moving. He talks about his ability to find joy through laughter and fun.
Garrett currently lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada with his dog, Velcro.
Recorded February 16, 2023
Thomas Brownlow served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2004 through March of 2006. He shares his stories of how he arrived in the MTC as a shy young man that was helped out of his desires to sit back. Through this, Tom became a leader in the mission. He loved all of his companions, especially Brandon Egan (story to hear). Tom also had the opportunity to teach the caretaker of a 110-room working castle in Fyvie. Overall he loved serving in Scotland.
Tom currently lives in York, England, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded February 12, 2023
Alberto Marcone served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2006 through September of 2008. Alberto had a unique MTC experience because his sister joined him as she prepared to serve her mission in Manchester. He came to Scotland with a very limited grip on the English language. Over time and through many wonderful challenges, he developed the skills and thrived in large cities, along with small villages.
Alberto currently lives in Pescara, Italy, with his wife and their 2 daughters.
Recorded February 9, 2023 & October 25, 2022
Jack Bryce is back with an episode to recap all the fun memories that have come back to him since we began the S.E.M. Podcast. Back when he shared his initial thoughts about the mission, he was going off of memory and he had not gone through his journals. Today, Jack reflects on his companionship unifiers, shows off some of his favorite treasures he collected in Scotland, and talks more in depth about his companions and their time together!
To re-listen to Jack's original episode, check out Episode 1 of the S.E.M. Podcast.
Jack currently lives in Firestone, Colorado, with is wife and their 3 children.
Recorded February 5, 2023
Jeremiah Johnson served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from early November of 2006 through late October of 2008. Jeremiah comes on and shared his favorite memories from serving in Scotland, including run-ins with NEDs, open bathrobes at the doorstep, and loving the people through all-out obedience. He shares about giant pizzas, car crashes, and all things he loves about Glasgow. Jeremiah loved sharing all of his great memories from his companions and favorite people from the areas he served in.
Jeremiah currently lives in Port Angeles, Washington, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded January 29, 2022
Chris Mace served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2004 through March of 2006. Chris tells us about his plans to serve a mission, which came after being in uni for a few years and being engaged. He shares some of his favorite memories, including authoring the famous S.E.M. Expositor & playing Golden Eye on N64 for a week between Christmas and New Year. Chris loved serving in Scotland and had an incredible list of companions, which helped him learn wonderful lessons during his mission.
Chris currently lives in Huddersfield, England, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded January 26, 2023
Krista Heap served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through July of 2005. Krista comes on and shares all about her decision to choose to serve a mission, and finding joy with her fellow missionaries during a difficult times. She loved all of her companions and also talks about her unique relationship with President Vriens.
Krista currently lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and their 4 children.
Recorded January 22, 2023
Hannah Macfarlane served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2006 through September of 2007. Hannah shares about how she came to serve a mission and how one of her brothers played a nasty prank on her when she received her call. She came into the mission and trained many new sister missionaries, while experiencing many miracles and tender mercies. Hannah loved serving in Scotland and told us it was the best mission for her.
Hannah currently lives in Sheffield, England, with her husband and their 5 children.
Recorded January 16, 2022.
Joe McLean served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2006 through January of 2008. Joe comes on and talks about some incredible mission experiences, including fainting multiple times during medical procedures, eating too spicy Indian food, and bookending his mission in the same ward in Irvine. He loved his companions and all those that he taught. Joe also shares about how his mission taught him about urgency in the gospel.
Joe currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife and their 3 sons (with a little girl on the way).
Recorded January 15, 2022
Jade McGowan served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through July of 2005. She is joined in this episode by her trainer, Catherine McConkie Larson, and they share some of their fondest memories of serving together. Jade shares about her challenges in the mission, including always feeling cold. She talks about times where they were held against their will, narrowly avoiding being murdered, and getting stuck in a phone booth. Jade shares he unique relationship with President Vriens and how much she loved serving with him as her mission president.
Jade currently lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband.
Recorded January 11, 2023
Andrew Bonin served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2008 through June of 2010. Andrew was thrilled to learn that he was called to Scotland, as it checked all his wishlist items. As a particularly picky eater growing up, Andrew had a good number of fun food stories to share with us. Andrew was in the mission during the transition from President and Sister Fredrick to President and Sister Griffiths. He also told us that 6 weeks after he returned home, the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission combined with Ireland to become what it is today, as the Scotland, Ireland Mission.
Andrew currently lives in Danville, California, with his wife and their 3 sons.
Recorded January 8, 2023
Brock Wilke served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July of 2006. Brock comes on and shares about his experiences with his incredible companion group. He talks about visiting the town of Campbeltown, and likely being one of the only missionaries to ever visit this area of Scotland. Brock also shares his experiences fights wasps with a fly swatter, waking up at 2:00 am to catch a phone call from a potential investigator, and going on double-dates on the way to dinner appointments.
Brock currently lives in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas, with his wife and their daughter.
Recorded January 5, 2023
Michael Chambers served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2005 through December of 2007. Michael, also know by many as "Phil", shares some of his favorite memories of the mission, including exploring castles on non P-Day, as well as convincing alcohol shops to close their doors. He also talks about the times he found the spirit was guiding him to the things he needed to do or where to be and how that has been a constant in his life.
Michael currently lives in Merced, California, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded January 4, 2023.
It has been nearly one year since Jack Bryce & Zack Hewlett came up with the idea of what is now the S.E.M. podcast. In this episode, Jack & Zack reflect back on where this year has taken us. The joy discovered through having conversations with incredible people that we served along with in Scotland, as well as those before and after our times there, has been amazing! Since our first published episode in early July, we have been able to reconnect with so many people that mean so much to each of us! We appreciate all of those that have followed our journey and we are just getting started. We will be back with more amazing friends from Scotland in the first weeks of January!
Please reach out to us at sempodcast@51spylaw.com if you'd like to schedule your date to come on and speak with us!
Recorded December 5, 2022
A Merry Christmas to all of you and a Happy New Year as well!
Auld Lang Syne
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and the days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear for auld lang syne
We'll drink a cup of kindness yet for the sake of auld lang syne”
Richard McConkie served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2005 through June of 2007. He comes on and shares about his experiences and the people from all the areas he served in Scotland. Richard gives his thoughts about Hammer Time and how he saw the true transition of the S.E.M. He loved serving in Scotland and all the good that happened during his time in the mission. Richard currently live in the Washington D.C. area, living in Maryland, with his wife and their 2 children. Recorded on December 5, 2022
Matt Fisler served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2007 through December 31st 2008, which he shares about. Matt comes on and talks about his experiences as the mission shifted in the Fredrick's leadership. He talk about endless adventures in Inverness, then losing his hair due to stress in Glasgow, and a few times where death was at the doors. Matt also shares an incredible personal experience he had with then President Thomas S. Monson after his mission, so be sure to listen to that.
Matt currently lives in Vineyard (West Orem), Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded December 4, 2022
Anthony Stoddard served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2006 through July of 2008. Early in his mission he speaks about struggles with working at a slower pace and he considered going home. However, Anthony saw the mission through and loved his 5 areas in the central and southern zones of Scotland. His most unique experiences were finding a "Platinum Investigator" and proving himself as the Master of Tri-Training Companionships.
Anthony currently lives in West Jordan, Utah, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded December 1, 2022
Lauren Sammis served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through July of 2005. She shares the incredible relationships she built with her companions. Lauren talks about telling her trainer that she would serve in the Orkney Islands, and how that came true, along with discussing all the moments where she has seen the Lord guide her through her life.
Lauren currently lives in Silverdale, Washington, with her husband and their 3 children.
Recorded on November 28, 2022
Richard Dunn served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2002 through October of 2004. He comes on and shares the love he has for the time serving in Scotland, along with the impact it has had on his life to this point.
Richard currently lives in Sandy, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded November 15, 2022
Lizzy Kenny & Merron Roberts served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2005 through September of 2006. They both entered the MTC in Preston, England, at the same time and they enjoyed amazing experiences in Scotland during exact parallel timelines. Merron & Lizzy share incredible stories from their missions, including digging up dead dogs (almost), getting stuck in a chimney, and consuming a companions cream to avoid disaster! They both expressed their immeasurable love for their companions and their fellow missionaries. Don't miss a special Thanksgiving story near the end. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Lizzy currently lives in Buxton, England, with her husband and their 3 children.
Merron currently lives in West Chiltington, England, with her husband and their 5 children.
Recorded November 13, 2022
Alek Gilmore served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2002 through June of 2004. He shares about his unique experience of deciding to serve a mission. Alek talks about his amazing companions, the areas he serve in, and the incredible people he enjoyed being around in the mission. He also shares some fun memories, including punching his greenie in the face and pranking President Vriens. Alek also talks so much about his most memorable gospel conversations and the power and joy he found in sharing the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Alek currently lives in Cokeville, Wyoming, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded November 13, 2022
Brady Hess served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2005 through December of 2007. Brady comes on and shares his areas and the amazing lineup of companions. He served in areas throughout Scotland, but spent a majority of his mission in the two wards in Dundee! Brady loved his experiences and is so grateful for all those that contributed to his mission!
Brady currently lives in St. George, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded November 10, 2022
Jonathan Dippold served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June fo 2005 through June of 2007. He shares with us his incredible full circle experiences that brought him to Scotland, amidst stops at the United States Air Force Academy and moving to many places growing up. Jonathan was an integral contributor in the transition from President & Sister Vriens leaving the mission, to President & Sister Fredrick entering the mission. His companions were self-selected often, having the opportunity to shape the outlook of the mission with the help of his companions and the mission presidents. Jonathan has some great memories of Scotland and shares all about how much his service there has shaped his life.
Jonathan currently lives in Goldsboro, North Carolina, with his wife and their 2 sons.
Recorded November 9, 2022
Tobias Halford served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2006 through August of 2008. He shares with us all about his companions and how much he learned from each of them. Tobias shares about how much he enjoys the proximity of his mission has been since being home and being able to run into familiar faces often.
Tobias currently lives in Billingham, near Middlesbrough, in England, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded on November 6, 2022
Dan Nay served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2006 through March of 2008. He comes on and shares his favorite memories of serving with great companions and in areas from top to bottom of Scotland. He even negotiated extra driving miles in one area because the bus route conveniently had a stop in England. Dan loved his time in Scotland!
Dan currently lives in Spanish Fork, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded November 3, 2022
Spencer Hagger served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2002 through December of 2004. During his time in Scotland, Spencer loved the people he served with all his heart. He recalls many wonderful people's names and shares his memories of those that meant so much to him whilst serving. Spencer was very excited to serve the people of Scotland and we are grateful for the great recall of his mission he shared with us.
Spencer lives in Asford, Kent, in England, with his wife, and their son, along with his step-daughter.
Recorded October 30, 2022
Glen Parmenter served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through February of 2006. He comes on and has a one-on-one conversation with Jack Bryce, whom was part of Glen's MTC group and they were companions for the last 5 months of their time together in Scotland. Glen recollects his experiences serving the people in Shetland and throughout mainland Scotland, but most importantly recollects the amazing people he served and was around while in the mission.
Glen currently lives in Arlington, Texas, with his wife and their daughter.
Recorded October 25, 2022
Chris Harlow served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2006 through January of 2008. He shares all about his decision to serve and the unique nature of his trainer (Dan Conway). Chris, Alberto, and Zack talk a great deal about our time serving together in Aberdeen. He shares all about his amazing companions and their incredible and special circumstances, especially whitewashing areas and moving into new flats.
We are grateful to have had Alberto Marcone as our guest host!
Chris currently lives in West Yorkshire, near Leeds, England, with his wife and their son.
Recorded October 25, 2022
Justin Wong served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August of 2006 through August of 2008. Originally called as an English speaking missionary, Justin learned very quickly that his unique experience in Scotland would be shaped by his heritage and his ability to speak Mandarin Chinese. Justin served his entire 2 years in Edinburgh, focussed on meeting and teaching the people there who were in need of his talents. He shares his highs and lows, but most importantly his love of those he served.
Justin currently lives in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and their daughter.
Recorded October 23, 2022
Nuno Candido served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2002 through June of 2004. He comes on and shares his experiences about serving from the top (Thurso) to the bottom (Dumfries) of Scotland. Nuno loves his mission, his companions, and the people of Scotland that he served. He talks about overcoming shyness from not knowing English (or Scottish) and finding his best ways to find joy in the service.
Nuno currently lives about an hour north of Lisbon, Portugal, with his wife and his son.
Recorded October 20, 2022
Chad Baucom served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2007 through June of 2009. During his time in Scotland, the mission underwent an extreme makeover and the adoption of member-missionary work was in full affect. Chad shares how he learned to love the people and to boldly ask them to make and keep commitments. He shares his favorite memories of the people who were great influences and have impacted his life greatly.
Chad now lives in Saratoga Springs, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded October 11, 2022
Derek Cooley served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2002 through January of 2004. He came on and shared about how much he loved his mission, including the great companions that taught him to work hard and enjoy the work along the way. Derek also talks about his unique experiences, including walking a stranger's dog and his companions running from door-to-door. Most of all, he loved the people of Scotland and the areas he served.
Derek now lives in Mesa, Arizona, with his wife and their 5 children.
Recorded October 9, 2022
Cameron Loggenberg served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January 2005 through January of 2007. He served in areas throughout the mission and his love of his companions and the people of each area he was in. Cameron shares his fondest memories, both humorous and spiritual. He loves that his mission is so close so that he can see those he served around often.
Cameron now lives in Groomsport, N. Ireland, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded October 4, 2022
Kraig Rasmussen served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July of 2006. He shared his initial worries about serving in a European country and the anxiety of speaking to strangers, but eventually coming into his own and becoming a great missionary. Kraig served in Dunfermline, Hamilton, and Dundee before traveling through the mission for the last few transfers.
Kraig now lives in Elk Ridge, Utah, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded October 2, 2022
Robert Anderson served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from November of 2001 through November of 2003. He served in a time where the church was beginning to roll out the teach by the spirit model, and sharing the gospel was done more from the heart. Robert loved his time in St. Andrews at the time that Prince William was there attending university.
Robert currently live near Huntsville, Alabama, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded September 28, 2022
Jon O'Bryan served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2005 through September of 2007. He comes on and tells us about his exactness attitude towards the rules that was debilitating at times, but learned to enjoy the mission as much as possible. Jon loved serving the people of Scotland and challenging them to be the best member missionaries that they could be. He shares how he and his companion introduced "hammertime" to the mission as a way to bring an increased measure of the spirit to the missionary work. Jon lives in the southwest suburbs of Houston, Texas, with his wife and their 3 children. Recorded September 25, 2022
Martha Miller Schoenfeld served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March of 2004 through September of 2005. She shares with us the unique nature of her mission, as she served in 2 areas and dealt with her own set of health-related items. Martha shares some of her favorite memories of the Vriens and amazing spiritual experiences she enjoyed while serving in Scotland.
Martha currently lives in Springville, Utah, with her husband and their 7 children.
Recorded on September 22, 2022
Zack Clark served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2006 through July of 2008. He served in the mission during the transition to the Fredricks and he saw highs and lows during that time. Overall, his love of his companions and the many people that he was able to know in the mission were his favorite moments. Zack shared many memories with us and our guest host, Christian Lucas.
Zack lives in Chandler, Arizona with his wife and 2 children. His band, "Simply Three" are an amazing success on YouTube and they have produced many albums, including a new one that is releasing at the end of September.
Recorded September 18, 2022
Alistair Martin served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2005 through September 2007. He shares with us his desire to serve a mission having converted to the church as a teenager. Alistair shares his experience with the shift in the mission from the Vriens to the Fredricks, along with how he had some incredible experiences serving with his great companions and amongst the people of Scotland.
Alistair currently lives in Basingstoke, England, with his wife and their three sons.
Recorded August 28, 2022
Ashley Devine served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2005 through the summer of 2006, and completed his mission service in the England, London South Mission in July of 2007. Ashley comes on and shares his journey through Scotland and his the incredible experiences. He served those around him with genuine love and sharing his fun and outgoing personality. Ashley found amazing people through his mission experience that continue to influence his life today.
Ashley lives in Mansfield, England, with his wife and 3 children.
Recorded August 24, 2022
Jeremy West served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from August 2003 through August of 2005. He comes on and shares his memories of showing NEDs what being a missionary is all about in Glasgow, pole vaulting practice with Elder Willis, and learning to skateboard in Inverness.
Jeremy currently lives in the northern part of Dallas, Texas, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded August 22, 2022
Christian Lucas served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2006 through July of 2008. He comes on and shares his journey through Scotland, but most importantly his love of Glasgow. Despite his worries of living in and serving in Glasgow, he only had a few instances where his life was in peril.
Christian currently lives in Crewe, Chester, England, with his wife. They are expecting their first child later this year.
Recorded August 21, 2022
Brian Barber served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January of 2005 through January of 2007. He shares with us his experiences of serving the people of Scotland, including the great joys that came from his companions and fellow missionaries. Brian was able to serve in a variety of areas throughout the country and loved the country, especially "Murder"well.
Brian currently lives in Newcastle-under-Lyme with his wife and their 5 children.
Recorded August 18, 2022
James McCabe served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January 2006 through January of 2008. He shares about how arriving to Scotland in the winter months from Arizona, his cold weather clothing didn't do what he needed to keep him warm in the land of Buchan. James shares his incredible experiences with his companions and loving the people with all his heart.
James currently lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with his wife and their 3 children.
Recorded August 17, 2022
Tobias Megner served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from September of 2004 through September of 2006. He comes on and shares his experiences of serving in a mission where his English language skills didn't exactly translate, due to the accents and the unique English words used in the church. Tobias shares his memories of dealing with anxiety and how that helped him with some struggling companions during his service.
Tobias currently lives in the suburbs of Frankfurt, Germany, with his wife and two daughters.
Recorded August 17, 2022
Kate Reed served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2004 through April of 2006. She comes on and shared some of her amazing experiences during her time in Scotland, including how she trained all the senior sisters in the mission at one point. Sister Reed served in Beith multiple times, as well as Airdrie and Inverness. She also shared experiences from her other missions in Poland and Louisiana.
Kate now lives in St. George, Utah.
Recorded August 16, 2022
President and Sister Vriens served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2003 through June of 2006. Their stewardship over the mission was highlighted by the introduction and implementation of "Preach My Gospel". They both come on and share smiles and laugh as we speak about Scotland and share our own memories and lasting impressions of them, along with words from some of our fellow missionaries. President and Sister Vriens still live in their home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Recorded August 28, 2022
Brennon Fish served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of2004 through July of 2006. He comes on and shares his journey through Scotland, including some fond memories of serving with amazing companions all over the country. Brennon served in leadership and trained some great missionaries as well.
Brennon currently lives in Queen Creek, Arizona, with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded August 15, 2022
Brandt Peacock served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October 2005 through October of 2007. He shares with us the unflappable love he has for the people of Scotland, most predominantly the Highlands and Aberdeen. Brandt shares his very unique path in becoming a Chaplain in the United States military, along with some incredible spiritual moments that lead him to where he is today.
Brandt is currently stationed in Kodiak, Alaska with the United States Coast Guard. He is married to his wife and they have 4 children.
Recorded August 14, 2022
Doug Pullen served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from June of 2004 through June of 2006. He comes on and shares some of his fondest memories from serving in Scotland, including his attempts to share his controversial stories to get other missionaries to be future guests and to respond. Doug also shares about his recent involvement in helping with the conflict in Ukraine.
Doug lives in Lichfield, England (Birmingham Area), with his wife and their 5 children.
Recorded August 14, 2022
Dan Conway served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July of 2006. He shares with us his journey through Scotland and the taxing nature of a full-time mission. Dan also reflected on his discovery of the mental side of missionary work, as he endured anxiety and burnout within his first year. Nevertheless, Dan was always one to bring joy to those around him, whether from practical jokes or any other outgoing fun he would bring. We loved talking to Dan.
Dan lives in Newcastle, England, with his wife and 4 children.
Recorded August 11, 2022
Mark Rittman served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2003 through June of 2005. He shares with us his miraculous instances during his mission, including blessings for those about to pass away, how the Book of Mormon was able to be read by a dyslexic companion, and more. Mark served for a good portion of his mission in Edinburgh and in the mission office, where he enjoyed messing with missionaries overspending on their accounts, along with pulling pranks with and on Sister Vriens.
Mark lives just outside of Houston, Texas, between Houston and College Station, with his wife and their 2 children.
Recorded August 9, 2022
Terence Maloy served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through February of 2006. Having grown up in a small town in Nevada, he came to Scotland with some unique challenges. Terence shares with us his incredible stories of overcoming his limitations, from talking to the people on the High Street in Hamilton, to loving life in the Highlands and the Orkney Islands!
Terence and his wife live in Las Vegas, Nevada, with their pups.
Recorded August 8, 2022
We need your help to compile notes and memories of the President and Sister Vriens that we can share with them on Sunday, August 21st. Please send these notes and messages to sempodcast@51spylaw.com and we will read them to the Vriens that day. Thank you so much for your help! Please share with all your friends.
Arthur Boutin served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2002 through October of 2004. Arthur comes to us and shares his amazing experiences, including his love of GQ-ing and the joys of smiling that brought on conversations with others. He shares about his unique way that he found out he was called to Scotland, as well as his traveling missionary experiences, including having conversations teaching in his sleep.
Arthur currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with his wife and their 4 children.
Recorded August 7, 2022
Quin Kofford served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from May of 2006 through April of 2008. He shares about his time in 4 great areas in Scotland, including seeing successes in each area. Quin talks about the enthusiasm he had to serve in Scotland, his joys of teaching his greenie to drive, and impromptu Christmas tree hunting. He also shares about the miracles he experienced on the mission.
Quin now lives in Centerville, Utah with his wife and 3 children.
Recorded August 4, 2022
Nathan Reid served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July of 2006. Nathan shares his experiences of serving in some fun area in Scotland, with some great companions. He shared how is companions were creative in their door approaches and also recalling the difficulty of speaking with the Scottish people. Regardless of the challenges, he shares the impact that those around him helped him to keep pushing forward.
Nathan lives in West Valley, Utah today and he has 4 children.
Robert Livingston served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2003 through October 2005. Robert shares some of his challenges while on his mission, including his discovery after serving that he has bipolar disorder. He speaks about the mental health aspect of serving a full-time mission and also recalls how he made the most it.
Robert is in the process of moving from Arizona to Ohio with his wife and their young daughter.
Robert & Nathan grew up as close friends in Illinois, and they spoke about the uniqueness of serving in the same mission, along with having the opportunity to serve together as companions in Paisley.
Recorded July 25, 2022
Brandon Osmond served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from February of 2004 through February of 2006. Brandon shares with us his unique experiences with the people of Scotland, including having paparazzi waiting for him outside of a charity shop early in the mission. He also shared his love of the quiet moments, as we walked from place to place, reflecting on the beauty of this earth (particularly the beauty of Scotland).
Brandon currently lives in Heber City, Utah, with his wife and four sons.
Recorded July 24, 2022
Salvo Orilio served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from July of 2004 through July 2006. As a convert to the church in Italy, he came to Scotland based on faith that this was where he needed to be. Salvo shares his experiences from Scotland, including having his life saved from on-coming traffic, sharing his love of music, and his willingness to serve his companions through cooking.
Salvo lives in Palermo, Italy and is nearing the completion of his education through the BYU Pathways program.
Recorded July 22, 2022
Brandon Egan served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October 2002 through November 2004. Brandon shares about his incredible experience amongst the Scots and how much he enjoyed serving the people. He served in various areas from Edinburgh to Orkney. We recollect about common areas we served in and talk about all the joy that came from our service in Scotland.
Brandon lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.
Recorded July 18, 2022
Brandyn King served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October 2005 through October 2007. He comes on and shares all about his gratitude for Scotland and how much he loved serving in that country. Brandyn lived in Smithfield, Utah, when he received his mission call. He talks being one of President & Sister Vriens' favorites, especially because of his "porcupine" hairstyle. He also loved sharing stories about his time with Elder Hewlett in the Montrose Ward, and beyond.
Brandyn and his wife now live in Franklin, Idaho, with their infant daughter.
Recorded July 17, 2022
Caleb Spragg served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October 2003 through October 2005. He comes on and discusses his love of Scotland, his self-proclaimed prominence of having the nicest flats throughout the mission, and the best prayer to help his companion remember the importance of "thou shalt not steal". Caleb served in leadership and was a great example of how to enjoy his time serving the people in Scotland.
Caleb lives in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife and their two children. He is a teacher at a local school and loves it.
Recorded July 14, 2022
Charley Alger served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from April of 2002 through April of 2004. Charley lived in Aurora, Colorado when he received his call to serve in Scotland, after his mom nearly killed the mailman to retrieve his call. He shares about some of the highs and lows he experienced in Scotland, along with breakthrough moments where he found his calling and was able to move ahead with the work.
Charley came back to Colorado and met his wife at the Denver Singles Ward, prior to getting into the construction industry. They have been married for 17 years and have 4 daughters. They currently live in the Saratoga Springs area in Utah.
Recorded July 13, 2022
Michael Hill served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October 2003 through August 2005. He received his call while living in the Cache Valley area of Utah, and immediately was assigned to the Orkney Isles. While there, he learned to love the Battered Mars Bar, along with the amazing service opportunities at the pig and dairy farms on the mainland. Michael loved being around his fellow missionaries, spending time with the members and loving the people in Scotland, including a lot of time in the Scottish Highlands.
Michael has received his Ph. D. in Architecture & Design and he now teaches architecture at Savannah College of Art and Design. He and his wife live in South Carolina, just over the boarder from Savannah, Georgia, with a his two children (daughter and son).
Recorded July 12, 2022
Scott McAndrews served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from October of 2003 through October 2005. Scott joined us from his home in the Modesto, California area. His desire to serve was driven by the examples of his father and his older brothers. The opportunity to serve in Scotland was a great opportunity to connect with his family genealogy, including serving in an area where his ancestors helps established the church. Scott shares some fun memories of the wonderful people he loved and served, along with fond memories of fun times with his companions and other fellow missionaries.
Scott has worked in local law enforcement in California for the past 15 years and has two young daughters that are his world! He now attends all service members funerals throughout California as part of his assignment and he loves those occasions when the Pipes and Drums are played.
Recorded July 11, 2022
Amy (Cooper) Taylor served her mission in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from March 2005 through September of 2006. She shares her stories of moving often all throughout the mission, and serving with an all-star cast of sister missionaries. Amy also recollects on her adventures of learning to drive in Scotland, talks about her many ventures to and from the Shetland Isles, and her love of serving the people of Scotland.
Amy currently resides in the Vernal, Utah area with her husband and 4 children. She is hopeful that this episode blazes the trail for many more former sisters from the S.E.M. to come on and share their experiences as well.
Recorded June 15, 2022
Joseph Bautista served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from December of 2003 through December 2005. Joseph joined us from his home in Stockholm, Sweden, where he lives with his wife and three children. He was born and raised in Göteborg, Sweden and comes from a family with 9 children (abnormal for Swedish standards). He works in Stockholm for a Swedish potato chip manufacturer and he loves competing with his wife on the golf course. Through this, he shares about his spiritual relationship with the game of golf.
Joseph shares his journey through Scotland, including loving his companions, serving the people, and learning the Scottish language. He also shares how he came to understand the word "Love" in a liberal sense (different from the Swedish language) from his fellow missionaries. "It is really possible to love people instantly." He also shares his experience with the introduction of "Preach My Gospel" into the S.E.M.
Recorded June 8, 2022
Brian Baer served in Scotland from April 2004 through April 2006. He joins us to share all about his mission in Scotland, his amazing Glaswegian accent, and a message to everyone to “Keep Pushing”.
Brian grew up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and returned home to Indiana (parents moved during his mission service) after serving in Scotland. He and his wife now live in Indianapolis, Indiana, with their 4 children. Don’t miss the Baer-Pullen story near the ending! (Zack apologizes for his microphone issues).
Recorded June 1, 2022
On this episode, Jack Bryce takes the lead in an interview with Zack Hewlett. Zack served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission from January 2005 through January 2007. He shares his memories and recalls the great times that he enjoyed while serving in Scotland.
Zack currently lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with his wife Addi, his daughter Harper, and his dog Rocky!
Recorded May 18, 2022
Elder Jack Bryce served in Scotland from February 2004 through February 2006. In this episode, he talks about receiving his call to Scotland, along with recollecting on his time living there and serving in areas throughout the country.
Recorded May 5, 2022
This is a brief introduction of the SEM Podcast. We invite all missionaries that served in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to come along this journey with us. If you would like to participate, send us an email at sempodcast@51spylaw.com. We hope you enjoy our reminiscing and sharing fun stories about how each of us ended up in Scotland and how our time there has impacted us since then.