Less than 30 days after Paul A. Christie retired from his job in 1989, he and his wife, Melba, entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, to prepare for 18 months of missionary service in the Nigeria Lagos Mission.

The Christies, who returned home from their mission in March, are representative of those who have seen first-hand at least three facets of being a missionary couple.First, they experienced the excitement, anticipation and even anxiety of preparing to leave home and grown children and young grandchildren to serve in an appointed field of labor. Next, they realized the increase of testimony, faith and joy that comes when missionaries devote all their time to doing the Lord's work. And, at the end of their mission, they felt the mixed emotions associated with leaving a place and people they had come to love deeply as they returned home to waiting family and friends.

"Off and on for 40-45 years we thought and talked about going on a mission," Brother Christie said. "We gave it more serious thought about five years before we were called to serve."

The Christies, members of the Richards Ward, Salt Lake Sugar House Stake, said several people have asked them if they felt every qualified couple should serve a mission. "I say, `Yes!' " declared Sister Christie.

Brother Christie said he would not venture to guess why couples desire to serve missions. "All I can tell you is why we went," he said. "We felt the Lord had been so good to us and provided us with so many blessings that we would be expressing ingratitude if we didn't do what the Lord's prophet asked us to do.

"When we were called, we felt we had no special talent or abilities. We just used the experiences we had. When we arrived in Nigeria, the mission president gave us directions to go and do the best we could. And we did.

"I think one reason people don't go on missions is because we, as humans, don't want to leave our `comfort zone.' We hear things about missions that frighten us. We feel we don't have the capabilities to serve. We fear the unknown.

"On our mission, we learned we could replace fear with faith. When we replace our usual daily activities with doing the Lord's work, our abilities and our faith increase."

Sister Christie said, "I felt I was not qualified to go to Africa as a missionary. I couldn't believe it when we received the letter containing our call. I didn't know much about Nigeria and wondered whether I could possibly be a good missionary there.

"Serving this mission was the hardest thing I've done in my life. But it also was one of the most rewarding things. I am so glad we went. I wouldn't trade our experiences as missionaries for anything in the world. As we got to know the people we were serving, we came to love them. And when we loved them we had a greater desire to do more to help them. We received love in return. If anyone gained from our mission, we did. "

Throughout the years, Brother and Sister Christie said they heard Church leaders encourage couples to serve missions. They particularly remembered that President Ezra Taft Benson, addressing the April 1984 general conference, asked for more couples to plan and prepare to serve missions.

"We agreed with President Benson's conference message, but we thought about a mission as something a long time off in the future," said Brother Christie. "We knew we wanted to go, but we weren't definite about when. Our children encouraged us to go as soon as I retired instead of waiting until later. We had a small piece of land we wanted to build a house on. Now, after having served our mission, that doesn't seem to be important anymore."

Brother and Sister Christie shared some "unofficial" advice for couples considering serving missions:

- "Make it a positive approach. Say to yourself, `Many people need to go on missions, and we need to be among them.'

- "Look at your health, but don't look for excuses not to serve. Determine whether your health is good enough; a toothache or a limp won't stop you from going on a mission.

- "Use faith. If you've never had the occasion to use faith, use it now. We talk about faith. We describe it and give it a definition, but we seem to never - or seldom - actually use it. An important ingredient in a mission is having faith that you're doing the right thing."

In conclusion, Brother Christie said, "There's a great treasure out there for missionary couples. They don't know it's there until they go."