Bio of Ken Minch

I returned home to Tucson, Arizona in April 1979 and began attending the Institute Ward. One Sunday I got a glimpse of an attractive Latina at the far end of a corridor and said to myself, "I have to meet her". A few weeks later I was invited to speak at the Spanish Sacrament Meeting, the only services held locally in Spanish at that time. There on the second row was the young lady that had caught my eye a few weeks previously. Alicia was born in Guadalajara and grew up in Mexico City. We dated for almost two years (it took me that long to convince her I was really worth the effort). A Spanish-speaking branch was formed and we began to attend. We were married in the Mesa Arizona Temple in August 1981, the first couple to be married in the temple in the new branch. One year later the branch became a ward. Except for a six-month period when I tried an out of state job in our second year of marriage, we have been members of the Spanish-speaking ward our entire married life.

My wife and I have had many opportunities to serve in ward callings. My favorite callings were when I was able to work with the youth. A sampling of the callings includes Ward Young Men President, Assistant Scout Master, Bishopric Second Counselor and Stake Young Men President. My wife was held almost every calling in Primary and the Young Women Organization. Currently she is Ward Young Women President for the second time. I was released as Bishop in January of this year, having served the last ten years in the Bishopric (5 ½ years as Bishop and 4 ½ years as First Counselor). Currently I am serving on the High Council. I am waiting for life to slow down, but no luck so far.

We have three great kids. Tony is twenty and serving in the Virginia Richmond (Spanish-speaking) Mission. He was originally called to the Venezuela Maracaibo Mission, but was unable to obtain a visa. He was disappointed that he didn't get to go to South America, but is enjoying serving stateside. Kevin is 16, an active Priest, a Life Scout and has fallen in love with old Mustangs. My wife's younger brother, Chuy, is helping him restore a 1966 Mustang. Christina will turn twelve in June and is ready to leave Primary behind and go into the Young Women Program. She plays the piano, violin, dances baile folklorico and likes to baby sit and play with her younger cousins.

As far as hobbies are concerned, I enjoy scouting activities with my sons and attending school concerts and dance performances for my daughter. I enjoy a little jogging, swimming and watching the University of Arizona Basketball team (GO 'CATS!). I have had many different jobs trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. For the past eight years I have worked for two nonprofit organizations in the area of economic development. I originate and service small business loans through programs sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Alicia is a Branch Manager for a local credit union.

Mission Memories: I had the opportunity to start my mission with a great group of Elders and Sisters in the LTM Tegucigalpa District. We arrived in San Jose on June 22, 1977, after spending our first night in Central America in Managua due to bad weather and fog at San Jose. President Eagar picked us up at the airport and gave a tour of the city before taking us to the Mission Home. If memory serves, I believe we were the last group of Greenies that President Eagar welcomed to the mission field. Companions: Fred Hopkin, Randy Creager, Tim Malone, Stuart Smith, Darrell Tew, Michael Gumm, Rigoberto Arias, Kenneth Terry Lindquist, Elvio Matamoros, Steven Padilla, and Larry Jones. Areas Served: San Pedro, Pedregal, and San Miguelito, Panama City, Panama Nicoya, San José and Puntarenas, Costa Rica La Ceiba, Honduras.

Here are some more memories: Photo International Hi Fi / Camera Shop, Panama City, Panama - The Mormon Missionary Speculation Shop. Riding the Tumba Muerta bus to get to the ZLs house in Panama City. Climbing endless hills in San Miguelito. La Clínica in Nicoya, Costa Rica that the local population referred to as "El Taller". Favorite Dichos - "Pura Vida" and "Hay mas Tempo que Vida". The humidity sealing your envelopes before you use them, having to unseal the envelope and then resealing it with banana stickers. Variety in a Missionary's Diet: Beans and Rice for breakfast, Rice and Beans for lunch, and Gallo Pinto for dinner. "We're a C.A. Royal Army, with our white shirts and our ties...." "The pattern you establish in the mission will be the pattern you establish for life" -- President Felt, LTM Branch President. Baptisms in ponds, rivers and the ocean. The most spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Families that had nothing, but had everything because of the gospel. Serving with the Best Missionaries in the Greatest Mission in the World.

I loved my mission experience, although at the beginning the language and the charlas were a big challenge for me. I've read through many of the bios that were submitted on the web site. Truly the greatest missionaries in the world were sent to the Costa Rica San Jose Mission. I am so appreciative of all my comps and fellow district members. Thanks for all your help, kindness and patience. You were the biggest reason I was successful as a missionary. Thanks also to President Muren who provided such great spiritual direction and motivation. I have reflected many times on my mission experience. My mission served as a foundation and anchor and made all the difference in my life.