The following 16 new mission presidents and companions have been called by the First Presidency. They will begin their service in July of 2020
Benin Cotonou Mission
Myles Proudfoot, 49, and Julie Proudfoot, four children, Highland 43rd Ward, Highland Utah Stake: Benin Cotonou Mission, succeeding President D. Martin Goury and Sister Ruth Goury. Brother Proudfoot is a former high councilor, bishop, bishopric counselor, elders quorum president, ward Young Men president, temple ordinance worker, and missionary in the England Coventry Mission. He was born in London, England, to Charles Proudfoot and Tessa Proudfoot.
Sister Proudfoot is a former stake Primary presidency counselor, ward Relief Society and Young Women president, ward Primary presidency counselor, Sunday School teacher, temple ordinance worker, and missionary in the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission. She was born in St Albans, England, to David John Ellis and Jeanette Ellis.
Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission
Matthew W. Wright, 55, and Kimberly V. Wright, five children, Maplewood Ward, Gilbert Arizona Williams Field Stake: Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission, succeeding President Steven C. Bednar and Sister Cindy Bednar. Brother Wright is a service mission leader and former stake presidency counselor, bishop, bishopric counselor, and ward executive secretary. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to William Frank Wright and Martha Cheryl Wright.
Sister Wright is a service mission leader and former stake and ward Relief Society presidency secretary and ward Young Women presidency counselor. She was born in Kearny, Arizona, to Kenneth Vance and Carol Elmer.
México Torreón Mission
Alfredo Zanudo, 56, and Guadalupe Zanudo, three children, Reforma Ward, Hermosillo México Stake: México Torreón Mission, succeeding President Anthony E. Berrett and Sister Janell Berrett. Brother Zanudo is a stake president and former high councilor, stake Sunday School presidency counselor, stake Young Men president, bishop, bishopric counselor, and ward mission leader. He was born in Hermosillo, Mexico, to Giberto Sanudo and Maura Urrea Serrano.
Sister Zanudo is a ward Primary presidency counselor and Relief Society pianist and former stake Young Women presidency counselor, ward Relief Society president, ward Young Women presidency counselor, and temple and family history consultant. Sister Zanudo was born in Hermosillo, Mexico, to Miguel Angel Vazquez Gurrola and Maria Dolores Jaime de Vazquez.
Ethiopia Addis Ababa Mission
Robert J. Dudfield, 52, and Darice B. Dudfield, five children, Eltham Ward, Melbourne Australia Heidelberg Stake: Ethiopia Addis Ababa Mission. Brother Dudfield is an elders quorum teacher and YSA adviser and former Area Seventy, stake president, stake presidency counselor, bishop, bishopric counselor, seminary teacher, and missionary in the Australia Sydney Mission. He was born in Devonport, Australia, to Roy Dudfield and Yvonne Judith Dudfield.
Sister Dudfield is a YSA adviser and ward organist and former ward Relief Society and Primary president, ward Primary presidency counselor, Primary music leader, seminary supervisor, and institute teacher. She was born in Preston, Australia, to Harold Kwong and Valerie Myra Kwong.
Perú Chiclayo Mission
E. Xavier Espinoza, 54, and Silvia María Velasquez Casco Espinoza, two children, San Rafael Ward, Los Chillos Ecuador San Rafael Stake: Perú Chiclayo Mission, succeeding President Winsor Balderrama and Sister Rocio Maribel Balderrama Quiñones. Brother Espinoza is an Area Seventy and former stake president, stake presidency counselor, mission presidency counselor, stake Sunday School president, bishop, elders quorum president, and ward Young Men president. He was born in Riobamba, Ecuador, to Max Espinoza and Theresa Adrian.
Sister Espinoza is a Sunday School teacher and former stake Relief Society presidency counselor, ward Relief Society, Young Women and Primary president, Sunday School teacher, and missionary in the Ecuador Guayaquil Mission. She was born in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, to Juan Velasquez and Orfa Casco.
Argentina Mendoza Mission
Shayne L Judd, 55, and Amy Lynn Judd, five children, Clayton Ward, Goldsboro North Carolina Stake: Argentina Mendoza Mission, succeeding President Fernando E. Panzacchi and Sister Beatriz G. de Panzacchi. Brother Judd is a deacons quorum adviser and temple ordinance worker and former stake president, high councilor, bishop, bishopric counselor, elders quorum president, elders quorum presidency counselor, seminary teacher, and missionary in the Chile Santiago North Mission. He was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Sammy Ira Judd and Teura Jeannine Judd.
Sister Judd is a Young Women camp director, Relief Society teacher, and temple ordinance worker and former ward Young Women president, ward Young Women and Primary presidency counselor, Primary music leader, ward organist, and Primary teacher. She was born in Benson, Arizona, to Charles Dean Kartchner and Joanne Lee Kartchner.
Read here the complete February 21 list on Church News
What is a Mission President in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission. Depending on the particular mission, a mission president may also be the presiding priesthood leader of some or all Latter-day Saints within the geographic boundaries of the mission. Mission presidents are ordained high priests of the church.
Mission presidents are assigned to a mission by the leadership of the LDS Church and typically discover the location a few months before their departure. Mission presidents are men typically between 40 and 65 years old but some mission presidents have been called much younger or a little older.
Mission presidents are generally assigned to areas other than where they reside at the time of their call. With over 400 missions, there are few which have a president who was a resident in the mission boundaries at the time of his call at any given time.
According to current policy, a mission president must be married. Typically, his wife and any dependent children accompany him on his mission. During the first 100 years of the church, there were some single mission presidents and several others who left their wives and children elsewhere while they served. On the other hand, when Wilford Woodruff presided over the Eastern States Mission in the 1840s his wife, Phoebe, was set apart to serve with him.
Mission presidents are either retired or leave their vocations for three years to preside over their mission. They live in properties owned or leased by the LDS Church, which also covers basic living and household expenses for mission presidents.
They usually receive training in late June and begin the service about the first of July, unless there are emergencies or medical conditions that require otherwise.
Candidates are typically interviewed in the last few months of each year, initially by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. If candidates are chosen, the First Presidency extends the call to serve. The official announcements of new mission presidents is typically done through the first few months of the subsequent year via the weekly Church News.
Unlike most positions in the church, when they are initially called, mission presidents are not subject to the common consent acceptance of any body of members. Once serving, they are subject to frequent votes of common consent in branches and districts over which the mission president presides.
More Details About 56 of the New Latter-day Saint Mission Presidents Called for 2020
