The number of missionaries serving at year end 1990 reached 43,651, a 9 percent rise over 1989, and continuing an increase that has been a trend since the early 1950s.

Leaders expect the trend to continue throughout the decade.Included in the total are 40,699 single missionaries and 1,491 couples. Of those, roughly one-fourth are from countries outside the United States.

The total number of missionaries called during 1990 was 26,438, according to Missionary Department statistics.

The ranks of dedicated missionaries has come from dedicated families and individuals within the Church as they responded to calls by President Ezra Taft Benson.

Representative of such families is the Clark B. and Beverly Child family of the Ogden (Utah) 62nd Ward. Seven of the Child family served, or are serving, full-time missions. Currently, four are serving stake missions. Brother Child is ward mission leader.

Blaine served in the England Manchester Mission; twins Gary and Roger in the Ecuador Quito and Guayaquil missions, respectively; twins Brenda and Bonnie in the Arizona Tucson and Florida Ft. Lauderdale missions, respectively. Now serving are Steven in the Venezuela Maracaibo and Grant in the Chile Concepcion missions.

"Missionary work has always been our first priority," said Sister Child. "All the children have been outstanding missionaries."

Family missionary fervor started long before the mission call as missionary training took place at home.

"Every night at the supper table, we would read from the scriptures or from the Church magazines," she said. She said family members helped bring friends and associates into the Church, from time to time.

The twin boys were particularly enthused. "They began talking to people on the bus, on the street and on the corner," she said. "One day they came home and said they had an appointment to teach in the park. My husband went with them and found they were teaching a transient."

Each of the children earned funds to support a mission and education, which helped the family a great deal, she said.

"At one time we had four out at once for two months. Three at a time took up one-third of our income."

Blessings have naturally come to the family from this service, she said. "The Lord helps you out in little things," she said. "We've always paid our tithing, and we have always received blessings; when we needed money, it has been there."

For example, she continued, once they felt a need to upgrade their year's supply of clothing. "We had clothes, but shoes are hard to hand down. I noticed a sale on tennis shoes, but we didn't have the money to buy shoes.

"The next day in mail, a check came from an aunt and uncle for the exact amount we needed to buy the children tennis shoes. They had mailed the check on Saturday because the Lord knew we would need it on Monday.

"We have had lots of little examples like that."

The devotion of the Child family can be multiplied by thousands of other families and individuals throughout the world. They are the source of the Church's expanding missionary force.