Four brothers, Christopher and Ann Reid of Twin Falls, Idaho, will soon join the more than 78,500 full-time teacher missionaries serving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world.
When starting a family, the couple first adopted a daughter named Isabel. Three months later, Anne Reid gave birth to her second daughter, Elizabeth, known as Elle. A year later, they welcomed twin boys, Eli and Isaac. The family also has three younger children, making a total of seven people.
All four older siblings, both girls are 18 and the twin boys will be 18 in July, have a desire to serve the Lord.
Isabel Reed, who had prayed to stay in the United States and speak English, was “thrilled” to be assigned to the Missouri Mission to Independence, where her aunt also served. She will enter the Provo Missionary Training Center on May 20th.
Her sister Elle Reid prayed to be able to serve in Germany, and her prayers were answered. She was assigned to serve in the Frankfurt Mission in Germany, her mother’s ancestral homeland. He will also compete at the Provo MTC on May 20th.
Twin brothers Eli and Isaac Reed began their missionary work on the deck of a cruise ship during a family vacation. Eli will serve in the Guatemala Quetzaltenango Mission. Isaac was assigned to the neighboring Guatemala Antigua Mission. The brothers will enter the Mexican Missionary Training Center on September 3.
Isabel said: “I think we will have very different experiences as we serve in different parts of the world, but I love the idea of having the same common purpose of sharing the gospel of Christ.”
The idea of serving with his three brothers at the same time excites Isaac.
“While each of us is called to serve a different mission, it means a lot to me to know that we all wear the name tag of Jesus Christ and at the same time share the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “We grew up together in the same home, but now we serve in different parts of the world with the same purpose. We look forward to hearing through letters and emails how the Savior is changing lives in four different places at once.”
His mother, Ann Reid, acknowledged that while the family will miss the missionaries, they know they will touch and have a positive impact on many lives. She understands that making and keeping temple covenants strengthens individuals and helps them overcome difficult situations. This is a compelling reason to allow her children to serve.
“They’re excited to serve. I’m willing to let my kids go and have this experience, to support them, to miss them, to make sacrifices so that people’s situations get better, their families get stronger, their economic situations get better, so they can have the light of Christ in their lives. It’s a very small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things,” she said.
“It’s not easy financially to send four missionaries, but the idea that I can help change someone else’s situation by helping my children develop a relationship with Christ and access the temple covenants is worth the cost.”
Growing up, our children talked a lot about evangelism. Their father, Christopher Reed, served in the Colorado Denver North Mission. The brothers competed together on their high school swim team, attended seminary, and participated in various missionary activities with full-time missionaries in the Idaho Pocatello Mission.
“My brothers and I do almost everything together,” Elle said. “It’s comforting to know that there are people close to me who are experiencing the mission life at the same time. By the time I do, they will have woken up, studied the same scriptures, and faced the same challenges. Serving in a mission together builds a spiritual foundation for life.”
Eli added, “It’s nerve-wracking to be away from my brothers, but it’s comforting to know that we’ll be reunited once the mission is over.”
Anne Reid studied Spanish as a college student and spent a semester in the Dominican Republic. Her ability to speak the language influenced her family’s decision to begin attending the Spanish-speaking Centennial Ward of the Twin Falls Idaho Stake five years ago.
“It was right after COVID-19, so I felt like I needed a change of pace,” Anne Reid said, adding that she and her husband went to the Spanish language ward when they first got married and had a good experience. “We felt inspired to do it.”
Anne Reid said the experience was not overwhelming for the children as most of the young people spoke English. But her sons have only ever said the Eucharist prayer in Spanish, and her daughters are learning to greet the door in Spanish.
Bishop Julian Murillo of the Centennial Ward was a Mexican convert who didn’t speak English, but he was a righteous role model and had a great influence on the Reed children, especially the twin boys, their mother said.
“He never stopped serving as their bishop and being involved in their lives because of his words,” Anne Reid said. “As soon as the boys got the call to Guatemala, the first call they made was to tell the bishop, “Once we get back, we’ll never have to use an interpreter again.”
