Senior Spotlight: The Spechts

Twenty-three months ago, Elder Clifford and Sister Christine Specht left their home in San Diego, CA and entered the Missionary Training Center en route to their assignment in LA (Lower Alabama).  After almost two years in the mission field, they have “seen and done just about everything.”

As Member and Leadership Support missionaries, Elder and Sister Specht have served in numerous Church positions in the Greenville Branch in the southern-most reaches of the Alabama Birmingham Mission (please remember, that there is still more of Alabama below them – the part that contains the second best mission in the Church).  In addition to their activities in the Church, they’ve also been busy being representatives of the Church as well.  Small towns throughout the country have benefitted from such MLS missionaries, and Greenville is no exception.

The Spechts have participated in everything from crochet clubs to yoga groups at the local YMCA, as well as an Interfaith Council of ministers that’s led to new relationships and opportunities to introduce the Restored Gospel to members of the community.  Not only have the Spechts invited many, many different people to Church activities, they also found great success by participating in – and even helping with - activities of other groups and denominations.  This has led to not only community members reciprocating with visits to the chapel for such programs as talent shows – helped by such wonderful younger missionaries such as Sisters Lewis and Thorup – but also in holding “open Family Home Evenings as many nights a week as possible,” regular Family History nights, and with many of those who are not-yet members accepting invitations to – and completing – the active Addiction Recovery Program.

Elder and Sister Specht, as adult converts, have now followed their children into the mission field, although Alabama is far from Uruguay and Brazil where two of their children served.  Unlike their children, however, as MLS missionaries, this Senior Couple has not been actively “proselyting.”  Nonetheless, people they’ve met and helped teach have accepted the Gospel and been baptized.  In fact, “baptizing through not proselyting” has come as an easy and natural thing.  People who watch and observe see true happiness in a companionship; as they themselves are helped, they see the principles of The Gospel in action and want more that for themselves.  And, in a wonderfully circular way, the Specht’s own testimonies of Gospel Principles have grown dramatically.

Elder Specht, with his Nebraska roots as a highschool wrestling and football coach has forever attached himself to Sister Specht’s Southern California roots.  Now, they’ll add family members – Church family members – from the South to their children and twelve grandchildren in Washington State as they complete their great service.  Their message to potential senior couples?  “There’s no life like missionary life!”