Bio of Marcia Parker

Spouse: Robert William (Bill) Keach II Children: Marc, Michael (ages 24) twins, Candice (age 23), Robert III (Robbie)(age 17)

Family: As a naive returned missionary, I thought it would be romantic to marry someone starting out in college, so his educational experience could be "our" educational experience. I married Bill Keach, just after he started spring term at BYU. He went for a year and a half before deciding that he needed to take a break to work full-time to feed a growing family. We had three children by the time we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Two years later he decided working in a carpet warehouse would not be his life's work. He chose geology as a major, went back to BYU then on to Cornell University for a Masters' in Geophysics. We survived the experience of five years straight of college with three children. We were blessed with our fourth child, shortly after moving to Houston for his first real job. He worked in Houston, TX, for nine years. Bill transferred to Littleton, CO, in 1995 and we have lived here for 8 years. With the formation of Colorado's newest city we now live in Centennial, CO.

Marc, one of our twins, was married last March to a wonderful girl, Andrea. He is a senior at Colorado School of Mines majoring in electrical engineering, and working full-time. Basketball was his passion. He went to Mines on a scholarship. He served a mission to the Washington D.C. North mission. Michael chose to work right out of high school and just started college, majoring in filmmaking. He has shown us that he can live independently. He lived in Oklahoma City for three years before moving home last year. He works full-time as well.

Candice, our only girl, is developmentally delayed, but works two jobs part-time. She is at Joann Fabrics and KFC. She is very proud to have moved out on her own in May in her own apartment, which leaves us with only our youngest at home. Robbie is a junior in high school and loves to rub it in that he is taller than his dad. He plays basketball and is in the school show choir. Bill's job is transferring him back to Texas. Although it will be a hard move for our junior, we look forward to new opportunities in Bill's work and in the church. Bill has been a visiting professor at BYU and hopes someday in the future he might have more opportunities to teach.

Church: I have served in the Primary as a teacher and counselor, Young Women's, and Relief Society as the Homemaking leader, and teacher. My husband and I served as Stake Missionaries for two years. I am currently the supervisor over all the visiting teachers. In one ward I was called as a third counselor in the Relief Society over visiting teaching. My favorite calling was teaching the seven and eight year olds in Primary. Watching the children prepare for baptism was an inspiration. You could see the light in their eyes as they began to better understand the principles they needed to know for baptism.

Education: I have gone to a little bit of college here and there, taken insurance classes to get my insurance license, but my latest interest is getting my real estate license. Since we have the surprise transfer to Texas coming up, I will pursue that venture when we settle there.

Work: My work has been my family. With a developmentally delayed daughter, and a husband that traveled 75%-90% of the time, I have worked at home. My husband served a mission in the Bolivia, La Paz mission. His work has allowed him to travel the world and almost every country in South America. He has been able to teach many people in Spanish. I have been able to travel with him to Europe and Brazil.

Hobbies: Traveling, home decorating, gardening. My dream is to someday live in the country, close to big city stores, with a garden and animals.

Comps: MTC Colleen Harris, Marlayne Mullins. Vilma Palacios (ten days in Costa Rica), Mercedes Martinez, Patricia Condie (La Chorrera, Panama), Lorraine Wood, Iris Alfaro (San Jose, Costa Rica), Raquel Velasquez (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), Vicki Spence (La Kennedy, Honduras). I hope I didn't forget anyone.

Areas Served: With the exception of ten days I was in Costa Rica when we first arrived, I was in La Chorrera (30 minutes outside Panama City) for six months. Next six months I was in San Jose, Costa Rica. Two months I worked in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and I ended my mission in La Kennedy, just outside Tegucigalpa.

Memories: I think I remember to truly be initiated as a missionary you had to eat mondongo (tripe), be able to flip your fingers making a loud snapping sound, and flip bottle caps. Some of the Elders had that down to an art.

The most humbling experience was knowing that in spite my inabilities as a missionary or with the language, the Holy Ghost could touch the hearts of the people. Two months after entering the mission field, I was made a senior companion when Sister Condie came fresh from Utah. We taught the Lasso family in Chorrera, Panama, in very humble conditions. There were nine children in a one-room dirt floor home. It was clean, and bedrooms were divided off with curtains. When we taught the family, I don't know if they understood anything I said. When I looked into the eyes of the parents, I didn't see any flicker of understanding. We said a prayer and left a pamphlet. The following Sunday, their oldest son, Luis, showed up at church with the pamphlet in his hand, ready to learn more. He was baptized, and eventually many of his siblings joined the church.

I learned that happiness doesn't come from material possessions, but from living a good life. Many of the people had very little, but had great faith and joy. It was a blessing to live in the different cultures in those tiny Central American countries.

One of the great experiences of my mission was traveling by bus to Costa Rica from Panama with members and missionaries to see the Prophet Spencer W. Kimball speak to the saints. The first stake was organized while we were there. I look forward to visiting the temple in the future. I learned much from my mission. As I look back I see that I could have had more faith and more courage, but I also learned that even when times are difficult, you keep going on. Thank you to the two mission presidents, President Eager and President Muren, who showed love and leadership. Thank you to my companions, who taught me more than I ever taught them.