By Jacob Fullmer

Jacob Fullmer, "Delayed Delivery", New Era, March 2011, 20–22


In 1979, Art Hansen was wrestling with the decision to give up his personal pursuits in competitive skiing to go on a full-time mission. Back then he went to a sacrament meeting that helped him make up his mind.

Art listened to a talk given by a friend who had accepted a mission call. "I thought, hey, I'm going to go too," he remembers. Guided by his initial excitement, he penned a letter to another friend, Elder Matthew Balkman, who at the time was serving in the Philippines. He told his missionary friend about his decision to serve. Only one problem—Elder Balkman never received that letter or the two that followed. "We didn't communicate regularly back then," Art says. "I didn't know he never received my letters."

Almost 30 years later, Elder Balkman's son Blake was called to serve in the same location in the Philippines where his father had served. When Elder Balkman junior arrived at the mission home, he was presented with three faded letters from "Elder Hansen" addressed to an Elder Balkman. He noticed the postmarks were dated 30 years ago and sent the letters home to his father, assuming they had something to do with him. Elder Balkman senior then forwarded them on to his old friend Art Hansen, not knowing that this time the letter would arrive just at the right moment—for someone else.