When Pres. Jay A. Ferrell - representative of the 74 new mission presidents called this year - boards an airplane to begin his service, he has the satisfaction of knowing that the aircraft may well be one he has helped design and test.

Pres. Ferrell, 62, who was an aerodynamics engineer and supervisor for the Boeing Company before his mission call, will preside over the Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission. In his career, he was a chief engineer in design phases of the Boeing 700, 727 and 737 aircrafts that are used by many commercial airlines.Pres. Ferrell is typical of those who have been called from their careers to preside over missions throughout the world in the next three years.

On June 19, he and his wife will trade their comfortable farm home in Everett, Wash., for the facilities of the Missionary Training Center. For the next four days, they and 73 other new mission leaders and their wives will receive extensive training at the annual Mission President's Seminar, June 20-23.

At the seminar, the new leaders will be addressed by members of the First Presidency and instructed by General Authorities and Missionary Department leaders in numerous workshops. Subjects to be emphasized include teaching by the Spirit, increasing use of the media, and presiding over a mission.

Following the seminar, the leaders will leave for their various missions and begin service about July 1. Their number comprises about one-third of the Church's 226 missions.

Typically, some of the new presidents will change careers after their missions. Others will return following a leave of absence. Many, like Pres. Ferrell, retired after long and successful careers.

Pres. Ferrell said that during his career, "I supervised the design of the aerodynamics. We worked on numerous designs. We do hundreds of designs for every one that becomes an airplane."

Before he left Boeing, Pres. Ferrell was honored at a retirement party.

"I wanted to quietly pack my things, shake a few hands, and walk out the door, but I wasn't able to do that," he said. One of the gifts he received from his company was a missionary journal.

After his retirement party, his children sponsored an open house. To the non-member friends who attended, he and his wife, Jackie, presented more than 100 gift-wrapped, personalized copies of the Book of Mormon.

He said they did not anticipate a call to preside over a mission, but, "We always intended to go on mission of some kind. We retired a little earlier for this reason. We are not retiring to inactivity."

Missionary work is not new to the Ferrells. His father was a district president in central Washington, and the family worked closely with the missionary effort in that state.

He and his wife operated a ranch in Montana. "We felt a strong need to dedicate that ranch to the purposes of the Lord," he explained. "From that time on, our springs never went dry. We watered our neighbors' cattle when their springs dried up." He said that before they left the ranch to move to Washington, several of the neighbors had been converted to the Church.

When he arrived in Seattle, he was called as bishop. His ward members were consistently good member-missionaries, he affirmed. He also was a stake president's counselor and president of the Asian Branch in Seattle from 1983-1987.

He also served as a counselor to three mission presidents. "My work was mostly in training stake missionaries and stake presidents," he said.

"I think missionary work is the lifeblood of the Church," he continued. "We either do missionary work or the Church doesn't really fulfill its destiny. Missionary work is what keeps vitality in the entire Church system.

"It is an almost overwhelming responsibility."

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(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)

New mission presidents

Number called: 74

Mission countries: 31

Languages: English, 38; Spanish, 14; German, 4; Talaog (Filipino) 3; Portuguese, Italian, Korean, Japanese, 2 each; Danish, French, French Creole, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tongan, Tahitian, 1 each.