By Kali Nelson | FāVS News Reporter
Starting in July Northern Idaho members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will be part of a new mission.
A mission is a geographical location made of many stakes Bradley Moss, the stake president of Post Falls said. A stake is a collection of churches or wards as they are called in the Church.
Moss said currently north Idaho is located in the Spokane mission, which contained 14 to 15 missions before the split. This news follows the announcement of a new temple being built in Coeur d’Alene.
“My phone started ringing off the hook — they were thrilled about a new temple, but they were emotional about a new mission,” Moss said.
The new mission will start at Idaho’s Canadian border and continue to the panhandle to Lewiston. Moss said many missions in the United States do not split but the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area has seen a massive growth.
A mission also means there will be room for additional missionaries in the area Moss said. Currently the Spokane mission has 200 missionaries available, but with the split there makes room for additional spots in both of them.
“It’s a bit different than if you were setting up a new mission in a country that doesn’t have one,” Moss said. “We already have missionaries in our church.”
The split means the missionaries in North Idaho will also have a new leader. The incoming mission presidents are Scott and Laura Welch of Houston, Texas. Mission presidents, like stake presidents, volunteer.
The Welches will serve for three years. They didn’t know exactly where the Church would take them when they asked to serve a mission. They were asked if they would be interested in a mission president role.
“It makes you a little bit nervous,” Welch said about being a mission president. “But the Lord will guide us.”
Scott Welch was born in northwest Wyoming and his wife, Laura Welch, was born in Salmon, Idaho, and raised in Boise. They met at Brigham Young University and have been married for 43 years. Together they have four children and 11 grandchildren.
They said they are excited to get to explore the area and see what it has to offer.
“It’s some of the most beautiful parts of the country,” Scott Welsh said. “We’re both excited to be back in the mountains.”
The couple will oversee the missionaries in North Idaho as well as assist stake presidents when asked and have been attending meetings and training about their new roles prior to the public announcement.
Scott Welch said he is excited to get to meet the missionaries. He currently is serving as a stake president in Texas and is impressed by the young people he interacts with.
“I have been impressed with the caliber of young people,” Welch said. “They inspire optimism and confidence in the future.”
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