Through a series of what they see as miracles, two biological sisters—Teresa Draper and Janice Johnson, who spent most of their lives on opposite sides of the United States—are now reunited as senior missionary companions in the Adriatic North Mission in Zagreb, Croatia.
Their path to serving together wasn’t easy.
In 2019, Sister Draper and her husband, Elder Duane Draper, were serving a senior mission in the former Adriatic South Mission when tragedy struck. Elder Draper was diagnosed with cancer and passed away unexpectedly from a blood clot during their emergency flight home to Manila, Utah, in northeastern Utah. The Drapers had lived in Alaska, Arizona, and Minnesota before moving to Manila.
Six months later, Sister Draper felt prompted to return to the mission field—this time alone.
“The Spirit confirmed to me that’s what I was supposed to do,” she recalled. “Once I felt that impression, I immediately started the process to return.”
She spent a total of 26 months in Albania, describing it as a sacred time of healing and growth. “Someone told me the Spirit would carry me until I didn’t need it anymore. And that is what happened.”
Back home, she settled into life in Manila, but after hearing Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak in the October 2023 general conference encouraging senior missionary service, the familiar tug of the Spirit returned. “It just niggled at me,” she said. “So, I began looking at mission opportunities and filling out the paperwork.”
When she was called to handle finances in the Adriatic North Mission, which includes Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro, she said she was thrilled—returning to a region she already loved.
A few months into her service, a senior couple assigned to the mission office were unable to come due to a medical emergency. As Sister Draper left the office that day, she said an impression came: “We need a single sister in the office.” The name came clearly to her—Janice. She texted her sister immediately: “I hope you’re sitting down for this.”
Read the full story at the Church News.
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