Back together as a family!!

What have we been doing now that Lillie has been back?  Well, we have been eating a lot of her favorite foods and at some of her favorite restaurants!!  We took a staycation--our favorite thing to do--while I played in an orchestra for the musical, Frozen.  Lillie participated in a stake missionary panel discussion.  And she travelled back to Hawaii to visit our family back there!!  It's not as hard to put her back on the airplane this time, knowing that she is coming back to us and going to people who already love her!!!

Lillie at the Frozen musical balloon arch!!

I was happy to play in the orchestra with a student of mine...well Lillie's too.  Jack!!!  He came to us when he was in 6th grade, and Lillie taught him for a year or so, then she left for college and her mission, and I continued to teach him.  I am proud of him.

The orchestra plays in the orchestra room and the music is piped into the auditorium.  There is not actual pit under the stage at this auditorium, so we can't all be together, cast and orchestra, but it all seems to work out.

Sending our Lillie off again.  But like I said, somehow it seems not as sad when I know she is coming back to us, and we are sending her to people who love her unconditionally!!

She had a short layover in Atlanta, but had to go really far to get to her next gate.  But she figured out how to use the train system to get to the next gate.  Things like this make me anxious!  But she is a professional traveler now!!

And here she is enjoying Hawaii on her first day!!!

Lillie's final email as a missionary! She has blessed our family beyond belief!!

 Well here we are everyone. Today is my last full day as a full-time representative of Jesus Christ. What a privilege and honor it has been to do His work on the earth today. As they all say, these last 17.5 months have been "the hardest but most rewarding months of my life." 

I have learned so much about Jesus Christ, myself, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, people, and so much more. Today I would like to share my 10 Ten Favorite Lessons I've Learn From My Mission (in no particular order).

1. Jesus Christ Loves You

My entire purpose as a missionary has been to "invite others to come unto Christ," because Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of love and joy. Throughout my mission, I have come to realize that the Atonement is the ultimate expression of that love. Jesus didn't just perform a mission; He made the ultimate sacrifice because He loves each of us completely and perfectly (John 3:16).

Through His Atonement, He saved us from sin and death, ensuring we never have to navigate our mistakes alone. Without His atonement (Alma 7:11-13), we would be separated from God, but because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, They provided a path to eternal joy (2 Nephi 2:26). 

2. Everyone is Different

All of us are children of God, yet He has created each of us with unique gifts, backgrounds, and perspectives. God sent us all to Earth to learn and grow, and a major part of that growth for me has been meeting different people. From members and friends to total strangers and fellow missionaries, I have met so many people I never would have crossed paths with if I hadn't chosen to serve. Each person has taught me something different. 

3. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Simple

My favorite part of teaching is teaching simply. I believe the gospel is best taught simply and clearly, using the SPF (Short, Powerful, and Frequent) lessons. This is exactly how the Savior taught. Whenever He met with people, He focused on a single principle. He rarely gave long discourses yet His messages were profoundly powerful.

4. The Holy Ghost is God's Messenger

Before my mission, I never thought I got many promptings from the Holy Ghost. But now being on a mission, everything I do is based on the Holy Ghost. Who I talk to, where I go, how long I stay. As a missionary, I've learned how to rely on the Holy Ghost more and feel His presence. 

As I've reflected on my mission, I've noticed the Holy Ghost is the reason I came out on a mission and why I've stayed. Everyone knows the story of when I received the biggest spiritual prompting of my life after tunnel singing. That prompting to go on a mission hit me so hard I was freaking out. But, I knew it had to be straight from God. As much as I wanted to put off this prompting, it kept coming back. As I was preparing for my mission, I continued to feel little spiritual promptings telling me this was the right plan for me.  

Whether it was to talk to a stranger, open up to my mission president, or even skip a certain food (only to find a member serving it later!), the Spirit was always with me on my mission. The spiritual peak of my mission came during my second mission tour. Elder Whiting emphasized how vital the Holy Ghost is in conversion, reminding us that everyone feels the Spirit differently. He taught that our job as missionaries is to help our friends recognize that feeling for themselves. I loved this insight because the Holy Ghost IS the true converter. It went along well with 2 Nephi 33:1 which says, "When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men." Now that I could recognize the Holy Ghost for myself, I made it a goal to teach by the Spirit so my friends could feel it too.

I hope to continue relying on the Spirit as I make some important life decisions over the next few years.

5. God's Timing is Perfect

Looking back, I can see that God knew exactly what, who, and where I needed to be at the perfect moments. I especially see this in all the companions I've had. Each person and experience taught me what I needed to learn during that transfer (or transfers) with them. 

I've gained a deep testimony that His plan is so much greater than my own. I honestly thought I would just be a "regular missionary" for my whole mission. While I really wanted to be a trainer, STL, or SML earlier on, God knew I wasn't ready. Honestly, neither did I. There is no way I would have been able to train the way I have during these last two transfers if it had happened any sooner. As Elder Holland once said, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." I’m just so grateful I trusted His timing. 

6. Trials Make Us Humble

Missions aren't easy. There are many trials along the way, but I've learned that those trials have helped me become a better person. Through my mistakes, I've become more patient, diligent, obedient, loving, and spiritual. Most importantly, I've learned humility. 

Someone once told me that I can "value some form of self-identity and expression over complete humility to God." Looking back, I think they were right. For much of my mission, I struggled to fully submit to the Lord's will, especially when it came to following the standards. I wanted to do things my way because I thought it was better. However, I realized that God's way is always better. There is a good reason for every single experience, standard, and guideline. As I've humbled myself to follow His plan, I've overcome my pride and see so many more blessings.

7. Photos Are So Worth It

I’ve officially taken over 14,000 photos and videos on my mission! It’s no secret that I’m "the Sister with the camera," and I’ve loved every second of it. I'm so grateful to have captured all these memories—even if it took going through four separate little red Nikon Coolpix cameras to do it. Shoutout to my parents for always replacing them when they broke, and to my companions for putting up with my photography obsession! 

8. Members Are Miracles

Inviting all to come unto Christ includes the members too. Belle Fourche was a gold mine of members. Even though it was a small area, it had so many strong, faithful members who were eager to be part of the Lord's work. I had the most member meals, members ready to come to lessons, and most member visits in Belle Fourche because I made a constant effort to reach out to them and involve them in the missionary work.

I also learned the value of ministering to less-active members. These people need Jesus just as much as our friends do. I absolutely loved visiting them and teaching them about His gospel!

9. Honesty Is The Best Policy

Being honest takes a lot of humility. It wasn't always easy to admit when I had made a mistake or when I needed help. But I've learned that honesty is always better than trying to hide my struggles or fix everything on my own. One of the biggest examples of this was when I told my mission president that I was really struggling mentally to stay on my mission. It was difficult and a little embarrassing to admit, but being honest allowed me to receive the help and support I needed.

Side note, I HIGHLY recommend counseling to anyone! It's the best thing ever!

10. Stay

Before my mission, the word that kept popping in my head was "stay". I didn't know why and I didn't know what that meant. Like, help someone stay in the church? Or I'll stay in a certain area for a long time? What? Now I know that that invitation to "stay" was for me to stay on my mission in North Dakota. This was a very subtle prompting that really hit hard during my hardest months as a missionary. With every reason I had to go home, I still decided to stay out and I am so grateful I did. I've met so many amazing people and seen so many incredible miracles.

I really love John 14:18 which says, "18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." This is so true! I know Jesus Christ has been with me the entire time on my mission. He has been my strength and support every single day. I know He is there for you too.

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I hope you all have enjoyed your time here on Asian On A Mission. I am so grateful for all of you and I cannot wait to see you so soon!

If you would like to stay in touch with me, here are a few options:

- My photography account is @shotbylillie

- My phone number is the same as before I left. If you want it, just ask

My homecoming talk with be on July 26th (in TWO Sundays). The zoom link is pending... so be on the lookout for an email next week!

Our Lillie is back with us

We could not be more proud of our Lillie. She has returned from her mission!!  We missed her so much and know there were lots of very difficult and long days of talking to people who were not interested in God and Jesus Christ. She sacrificed a lot but we know she has come out the better for it. She is so sweet and easy going, fun loving, service oriented, always worried about others and helping them to be happy. We just love her. Kim and I prepared for her homecoming for weeks—cleaning the house, ordering signs and yard cards to welcome her home, making all her favorite foods!!  She deserves a hero’s welcome!!  It was very sweet to see her when she walked out of the gate at the airport!!

Our little family happy to be together again!!  We have missed her so much.

She looks so happy.  She knows she served well and did her best, and now is happy to be home!

Here we are waiting for her arrival from the gate!!

The outside of our home was excited to have Lillie back too!!!

The below email was sent by Lillie to people on her distribution list. Kim sent a sweet message to her in response to things Kim learned while Lillie was on her mission:

Also, my sweet mom sent an email in response to the one I shared last week. Since everyone was included as BCC, no one was able to see her response, so I wanted to share it here:

Being the last day of my Asian on a Mission, I thought I would add my own Top 10 as the Mom of Said Asian. So here is the Top 10 Things I Learned While My Asian was Serving a Mission…

1. It’s hard to say goodbye. 

I didn’t expect our sweet girl to go on a mission. It was never part of any conversation…until it was the main conversation. You would think having your child go to college in a far off land would prepare you, but it doesn’t. I knew whole heartedly, it was the right place for her to be, but actually saying goodbye that last night at home was difficult. 

2. Oh how the rules have changed!

So many of our phone calls included the saying, “when dad served his mission, the rules were really different!” 😄  The fact that we could video call her every week, sure eased the sad goodbye. In fact, we probably talked to her more on her mission than any other time! 

3.  My Asian is a tough cookie. 

Through all the challenges with new areas, new companions, medicines, lotions and potions, urgent care visits, dying (but not really),  uncertainty, and more, my little Asian stuck it out. She toughened up, and worked through it all. We are so proud of her determination  and resilience!

4. The strength of a testimony. 

Lillie shared how so many friends and members testimonies strengthened her as she served. I hope she knows how much her testimony has strengthened my own. After reading through her experiences, some silly and some not, between the lines were nuggets of pure testimony that gave me all the warm fuzzies I needed as a mom missing her girl!

5.  Growth motivated growth. 

Each email, each conversation, I witnessed growth in my little Asian. It was slow at first and then it skyrocketed. This movement made me want to grow and learn. I found myself studying more, reading scriptures more diligently, praying more earnestly. Hopefully we will all notice some growth!

6.  God is in the details!

There are too many things to share, but I will just say, when you have a child serving a mission, your eyes are opened to all the miracles, big and small, that occur on the mission and at home, with individuals and families. Noticing how God helps us work though any challenge is quite remarkable!

7.  God loves His missionaries!

Lillie served in the area she was meant to be in, serving with the people she was meant to meet. Even though there were ups and downs, we knew Lillie was being watched over, cared for and loved by Heavenly Father. I never really felt worried or terribly concerned for Lillie because I was reminded again and again that God loves His missionaries and she would be ok. You can’t get better reassurance than that!

8.  God’s time is the RIGHT time!

I have to say, this one is sometimes hard to swallow. I have been known to be a bit anxiety driven with God at times. However, while Lillie has served her mission, I have learned by her patience and by the Lord helping me to be more patient, that God’s timing is not just right, but perfect! GULP! Whew! Can’t say that’s one I have ingrained yet, but I am learning and trusting. 

9. Missions are miraculous!

No matter where you serve or if you thought you were a little successful or a lot, a mission is miraculous! I have seen too many people completely transform into better versions of themselves. How grateful I am to have seen such a transformation in my little Asian!

10. Saying Hi is WAY better than goodbye!

Tomorrow!  In less than 24 hours I get to welcome my little Asian home! I really can’t believe it, actually. I know she has served well and I am just overjoyed to have her home with us again for a little while. I hope you all will get to see my little Asian missionary soon!

Mom of Asian on a Mission 🌺

We are getting old!

I met Kim for lunch at her annual school zoo field trip!  The zoo in DC is sooooo hilly, that I decided to rent these electric scooters for us.  It made the day so much more pleasant for us!!!

 

Birthday Celebration for Kim

April 22!!  Birthday for Kim. We had such a fun evening together. We went to a fancy steak house we wanted to try!  It is owned and operated by chefs we see on TV. Haha. Votaggio brothers!!  It was fun!  The best thing was actually the dessert. Tableside bananas foster. A real classic. 

The most fun thing about the night, aside from spending it with Kim, was since we were at a casino hotel, the MGM grand hotel, I told Kim let's play whatever cash we have on the slot machines.  I had heard that birthday people were lucky on their special day.  We put $42 in and we got back $103!!!  After a few spins that's what we got, and we cashed that in and left for home.  HAHA.

Another musical

Sometimes I help out with high school musicals in the area.  It is very fun.  I recently did Once Upon a Mattress with some friends from my orchestra.  The comductor is a member of the COSMIC orchestra.

Kim's Spring Break 2026

We decided to stay at home but go out each night to a fancy restaurant.  It was very fun.  We love eating out.  We had delicious Japanese food and Vietnamese food at very fancy places, Perry's and Moon Rabbit in DC.  We also went to see a broadway show at the Kennedy Center.  We missed our Lillie thinking about all the different shows we have seen with our Lillie.  We saw Chicago!!  It is amazing how good the real professionals sound!!  

COSMIC--Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland

I thought I would make a post about playing in my orchestra, COSMIC, Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland. I have been in it when Lillie left for college because I had more time. I have liked it a lot. Sometimes I think I should not be playing first violin. This is a pic of the first violin section. But it is fun to practice and learn the music. It makes me miss Lillie. For years I sat outside waiting for her, listening to her practice with her orchestras. And I thought could I play in an orchestra like Lillie??? But it has been such a great experience for me. I learn a lot from all these musicians. It’s a community orchestra so none of us are professional, but these people are actually really good. This weekend was our concert weekend. We give four concerts a year. It’s a long weekend, but fun and I always miss playing with Lillie.

Winter is here

Last week we had a big winter storm. It brought a lot of snow and ice!!  The sleet and ice turned everything into a big block of concrete ice. Everything was pretty much shut down for a whole week. We were pretty much stuck because I just could not shovel our driveway. It was too much. We finally had to hire a company to come and shovel us out. But only after three companies told us our driveway was too steep to shovel. So we waited a while until someone could do it. But before that I had shoveled a path up to the top and decided to rent a car until we could get our own cars out. But our walking path got crusted over with sleet and ice and we had to use these slip on cleats to walk up without slipping. It was crazy but we are out and about again—after a week of vacation in the house. 

December came and went

Time seems to go faster and faster.  Christmas just wasn't what it usually is without our Lillie.  But we know she is where she is supposed to be and we will have the Christmases we will ever want to have together after her mission.  She actually only has to spend one Christmas away from us.  She is doing well.  Cold, but well.  She is adjusting to all the normal intricacies of missionary work...long days of trying to talk to people about the gospel, companionship issues, both triumphs and set backs, and some health issues.  But overall she continues to do well.  One thing we are so proud of her is that she continues to play her violin for special musical numbers.  We are happy that she blesses the lives of people around her like that.

Elder Holland passed away this month.  I am sad to have learned of that.  It was ins 2010 that Kim and I met him and sat with him for hours as he called and set me apart as the stake president.  Though I have done things that I am not proud of since that day, I am always reminded with his words of how he could not imagine life outside of the gospel and that we can never give up.  I am trying to do that with Kim.

Kim and I spent the holidays at home...well, a staycation of sorts.  Landsdowne resort in Virginia.  About 2 hours away from home.  But it was so quiet and relaxing.  We ate at a lot of good restaurants, and enjoyed each other's company.  We also spoke with Lillie on Christmas and watched her open all her presents from Santa.  Something we have done since her very first Christmas with us, and it is always a joy to see her so happy with all the gifts from Santa!!

Christmas is all about music.  I continue to play with my symphony in southern maryland and play in an outreach quartet with the symphony.

Doing what we like doing best, eating good food...really good food.

Lillie Continues to Do Well on Her Mission

We are so proud of our Lillie.  She continues to do well on her mission.  We miss her every day.  She sent these pictures.  It is already snowing in North Dakota, and it is two weeks before Thanksgiving.  

And one thing we are so proud of her, is that she continues to play her violin!!  Growing up was a little bit of a struggle to get her to practice, but she DID it!!  And she is really good!!  She has a beautiful tone and makes us proud when we hear her.  She played in a recent stake conference on her mission.  We know it was so beautiful!!  She looks so pretty playing her musical number!!

Trip to Baltimore

Kim and I decided to take one last trip out of town before the fall started up. We actually went up to see Katy Perry on a whim!!  It’s been too long since going to a show like that. But we were surprised there were lots of people our age and older. And Kim and I knew a lot of pieces Katy Parry did. It was thoroughly enjoyable!!

Lillie continues to play her violin

We were planning on sending Lillie her violin once she got settled, but when she transferred to her first apartment, the missionary who just left for home, left her violin in the apartment.  What a tender mercy Lillie will always remember!!  Of all the apartments to be transferred to, she went to the one where there was a violin!!  So she has been able to bless the lives of people through her music!!  We are again, so very proud of her.  Here she is practicing for a musical number for a mission conference with a general authority.

Lillie had her first baptism!!

We are so proud and happy for Lillie.  She had a baptism on Sunday May 11, 2025.  It is a young woman named Annabelle.  She is 14YO, and Lillie was really able to identify with her.  Lillie said the spirit really worked on Annabelle.  We just could not be more happy for both of them.

Happenings and whereabouts of our Lillie

A lot has happened with Lillie on her mission. She wrapped up her training, travelled to her mission, and is doing missionary work in her first area. By all accounts, she looks happy, is adjusting well and working hard. 

She loved her district in the MTC.  They looked like they learned a lot, had fun together, and loved each other  they will be lifelong friends  

We were most worried about her travel day. The missionaries left the MTC early in the morning and had to take a public bus and two trains to the airport—lugging all their bags!!  But she ended up making it to ND just fine. Lots of Elders helped her with her luggage!!  So nice!!

Lillie met her mission president as soon as they arrived. It was comforting to see she made it to her mission. 

Her first area is a place called Williston, ND!!!  It took her and her companion about 4 hours to reach her area from the mission home. It’s an oil town and is bigger than Prince Frederick population wise. 

Some first day pictures from the mission blog that we spied!!  It was fun to see glimpses of her!!

We saw this picture of her at lunch. She must have been so exhausted!  Poor girl!  Lots of travel and then lot of orientation meetings. 

Her first apartment!!  Looks pretty nice.