Time Well-Spent: A Decade (and Counting) of Service

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX– Tom and Toni Honeycutt, residents of North Richland Hills, Texas, have dedicated an incredible eleven years of their lives to missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Their story is one of devotion, discovery, and a deep commitment to their faith and community.

Retired and eager to contribute meaningfully to their church, Tom and Toni decided to apply to serve as missionaries. They were soon called to serve as office specialists in the Philippines Cauayan Mission. While many associate missionary work with young adults aged 18-25, the church also extends this call to seasoned couples like the Honeycutts. Russell M. Nelson, prophet and President of the Church, states, “We welcome senior couples to serve when their circumstances permit. Their efforts are simply irreplaceable.”

Tom and Toni answered that call and quickly fell in love with the missionaries and members they served. As office specialists, they took on various responsibilities. Sister Toni Honeycutt served as the Mission Secretary, answering phones, sending mission correspondence and reports, arranging meetings, organizing bedding and welcome bags, making travel arrangements for arriving and departing missionaries, and preparing food for dinners and meetings. Brother Honeycutt served as the Financial Secretary, managing finances related to apartments, vehicles, utilities, and other mission expenses.

They reflect on their training in the Philippines, stating they were “excellently taught to serve as office specialists.” Toward the end of their two-year mission in the Philippines, they received news that their home congregation leader, Bishop David Smith, had been called to serve as a Mission Leader. He invited Tom and Toni to join him in the New York New York North Mission. “It sounded fun,” Tom recalls. “He needed office specialists, and we were happy to help.”

Any time we interact with the missionaries, I realize there’s real hope for the world today. –Tom Honeycutt

In New York, they performed many of the same tasks, but also enjoyed unique experiences, such as serving at the Manhattan New York Temple, attending a curated tour of West Point led by their historian, attending a conference for women’s rights at the United Nations and meeting many General Authorities and Officers of the church.

Their daughter, Lisa, lived in Colorado, and Tom began exploring mission opportunities for Senior Missionaries there, discovering that the Denver South Mission needed office specialists at just the right time.

They contacted President Gifford of the Denver South Mission, who replied, “You are an answer to our prayers. This is exactly what we need.” After applying and receiving their call, they were excited to serve in Colorado, allowing them to be close to family.

During their mission in Colorado, COVID-19 struck, and they were released after one year. Staying in the area to spend time with family seemed the right choice. After a few months, they received a new mission call from President Rees to return to the Denver South Mission. They were then set apart as missionaries for the fourth time. They served for 20 months, totaling three and a half years in Colorado before returning to Texas.

By this point, Tom and Toni had completed four missions in nine years. Toni expressed her reluctance to return home, “I didn’t want to unpack and repack. I thought it would be neat if we could visit with family for a month and then serve another mission.” Their fifth mission call was a bit different: they were initially called to the Kentucky Louisville Mission. Toni joyfully noted, “Yay! We get to go where our granddaughter Allison served her mission.” However, this call was quickly changed and they were reassigned to the California Sacramento Mission, from which they have just returned this month.

In total, Tom and Toni Honeycutt have spent over eleven years serving the Lord through missionary work, with only a few short breaks. “Any time we interact with the missionaries, I realize there’s real hope for the world today,” Tom reflects. “These young men and women possess a sincere love for Jesus Christ and His teachings, which inspires me.” Toni adds, “Missionaries who have returned home continue to be great missionaries too; many baptisms in our mission came because of them.”

In Sacramento, missionaries throughout the mission would kneel in prayer each morning at 9:55 a.m., seeking guidance together as they invited others to come unto Christ. After praying they would stand and recite 3 Nephi 5:13, “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life.” Tom and Toni cherish their roles as disciples of Christ and their mission to share “His word” with the world. When asked if they plan to serve as full time missionaries again, they responded, “We are not ruling it out.” Their service has brought them immense joy, connection, and a deepening desire to follow Christ.