In 1947 in Fielding, Utah, a young Marvin Ashby returned from Japan at the end of World War II, packed his bags, and set out for Hawaii—not for a beach vacation, but for a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he was assigned to speak Japanese.
Decades later, the Ashby name has continued to show dedication to missionary service. And remarkably, so has a humble brown leather belt.
A Family Tradition Begins
The story of the mission belt begins in 1974, when Marvin and Yvonne Ashby’s eldest son, Laurin, left Utah’s Bear River Valley for the Philippine Islands. Among the items in his suitcase was a brown belt. It wasn’t fancy, but it was sturdy and served him well through his mission.
Laurin Ashby wrote his initials on the back of the belt to make sure it didn’t get lost—and unknowingly started a family tradition.
Soon after Laurin Ashby returned home, his younger brother, Rodney, prepared for his own mission to England. He took the belt along, this time using it to hold a troublesome suitcase shut en route. Like his older brother, Rodney Ashby used a marker to write his initials on the belt. And so the tradition was born: when an Ashby went on a mission, the belt went too.
Over the years, every one of Marvin and Yvonne Ashby‘s five sons—Laurin, Rodney, Douglas, Lyle, and Gary—and their daughter, Diane, carried the belt with them on their respective missions. Whether worn or simply packed in their luggage, the belt became a sacred symbol of service. In 1992, it accompanied Marvin and Yvonne Ashby themselves on a senior mission to West Virginia.
The Next Generation’s Turn
The tradition extended into the next generation when grandson Chris Bair took the belt to Detroit in 1994. By 2015, the belt had been to 21 missions across nine countries, etched with the initials of each missionary who carried it.
In 2021, the Ashbys had to attach a second leather strap to the belt because so many initials covered the original that more space was needed. But the challenge wasn’t just finding room; it was keeping up with the pace.
In mid-2024, 10 missionaries from three generations of the Ashby family, including in-laws, were serving around the globe. To date, the belt has been on 42 missions in 18 different countries and continues to be in constant transit. One of its latest stops brings the belt full circle: great-granddaughter Sidney Bair is serving in Hawaii, 77 years after her great-grandfather’s original mission to the islands.
“The belt has become an icon,” Gary Ashby says. “It’s a symbol of the commitment our family has made to the gospel and to the legacy Marvin and Yvonne started.”
Once when Gary mailed the belt to his brother, a postal clerk asked about the package’s value.
“Monetary? Maybe 75 cents,” he told her. “But the inspirational value? Priceless.”
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