06/18/2026
You’ve probably heard of young Latter-day Saint men and women, around 18-20 years old, leaving everything behind to serve a mission for the Lord. But what about older adults? Did you know that some adults are asked to leave their careers and homes behind to serve as mission leaders for three years? They are assigned by appointment and can serve just about anywhere in the world. Sometimes they even have younger children still in the home who are also asked to make that move. That’s what happened to a couple who lived in Helotes, TX and attended the Helotes congregation of the Church. President Lance and Robbi Bradford began their mission service by reporting to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT today! They will soon head to Recife, Brazil to begin their service as Mission Leaders in the Brazil Recife South Mission. They will be joined by two of their children, John (16) and Leah (13).
President and Sister Bradford discussed many of the ways this assignment will affect their family, noting that their children don’t speak Portuguese and have only ever known one house and community. President Bradford had to quit his job with USAA after over 15 years of working for the company. He states, “I have faith that after we serve, we’re going to come back… and I’ll be able to find a job. What I DO know is in all my years, the Lord has never ever let me down. I’ve had hard times, I’ve had challenges of course, but in the midst of those, He’s always been there for me.” When asked if there was any hesitation to say yes to this assignment, he responded, “Zero.”
According to Sister Bradford, their responsibilities will include caring and watching over “the 186 young missionaries that have been called there… and help encourage and teach the missionaries how to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.” President Bradford quoted from the Preach My Gospel handbook and added “our purpose is to ‘invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.’”
Listen to President and Sister Bradford’s testimony, and hear what their daughter, Leah, has to say about accompanying her parents on this new assignment.