Bio of Maughan Parkinson

Family: Married Kimara Landsem. We have been blessed with 5 wonderful children, who luckily take after their wonderful mother.  Marisa is 21, has completed her education at BYU, and is teaching 3rd grade full time in Midway, Utah.  Ryan, 19, completed a year at BYU before beginning his missionary service in London, England.  He played varsity soccer, volleyball, and tennis in high school. Both he and Marisa were leaders in student government.  Dallin, 15, is a sophomore in high school.  He is on the varsity water polo and swim teams. Ashlyn, 9, is in 4th grade, and on a club swim team.  (Can you guess that we live in sunny Southern California?)  Landon, 3, keeps us busy running after him.  All our children love school, and are the top students in their class.  All our children, except Landon, play the piano beautifully. Family: I am originally from Blackfoot, Idaho.  My family moved to Boise during my mission.  I returned to BYU after my mission, and had to good fortune of marring the woman of my dreams who was correctly described by my friends as a goddess.  I was a friend with Doug Erickson's brother, and when he learned of my engagement he replied, Maughan is marrying one of the girls that you see walking across campus, and dream of marrying.  He was right.  Kimara is my dream come true.  My work has taken us to many areas in Southern California, all of which we have loved.

Church: Kimara and I have served in various capacities in the church, and have enjoyed each calling.  We both love to teach and to share the gospel with our friends.  I enjoy my current calling as gospel doctrine instructor, and Kimara enjoys her current calling in the young women's presidency.  All our children love the gospel.

Education: I graduated with a bachelors degree from BYU, and earned my MBA attending night school while working full time.  I am a certified public accountant (CPA).

Work: I worked for many years as a consultant for Arthur Andersen in downtown Los Angeles.  Fortunately, most of my tenure was during the "good" years.  Although I was devastated to witness the demise of the largest accounting firm in the world, I love my current position running three ophthalmology clinics and surgery centers.

Hobbies: Our family enjoys anything outdoors (even though I detest camping--must bring back too many memories of the living conditions in Central America), and we all love being active in sports.  I run long distances daily and have competed in several marathons (including the LA Marathon many times), always finishing in the top 5%.  I love to snow ski, water ski, and swim.  My wife and I love to watch our children compete in sporting events and play in piano recitals.  We love outdoor vacations, without the camping part.

Community: Kimara and I have enjoyed our involvement in our communities, from helping in the classroom, being on the PTA board, involvement with the sports team boosters, to feeding the poor at the homeless shelters. Kimara has been on a PTA board every year for the past 15 years.  We have helped coach our children's sports teams.

Comps: I must be getting Alzheimer's disease.  Although I had terrific companions, I certainly do not remember all the names and the exact order. Plus, I do not want to omit anyone.

Areas Served: I served in Leon, San Pedro Sula, Panama City, Canas, and Managua (not necessarily in that order).  I was fortunate to serve in all four countries.

Memories: Do I have fond memories of my missionary experiences!  I will never forget the monkey that reached down from a tree, grabbed, and broke Guy Weisenburger's (my companion--I do remember him) glasses.  I seem to remember that Guy did not see well without his glasses.  This same companion (Guy) loved to show new missionaries the scars on his wrists (from an accident while growing up on the farm in Idaho) and explain that he slit his wrists during his first week in the mission field. I remember the locals thought that we were CIA agents, and never hesitated to yell "CIA, CIA."  We never hesitated to perpetuate their belief by talking into our ties or our shoes (remember "Get Smart.")  I remember that Sunday night that the two other companionships (Phil Wing was in one companionship) in Guanacaste joined Frank Parker and me in Canas and we spent all night reading aloud the Book of Mormon.  We all had "the boo," the toilet stopped working, and we had to dig holes in the backyard.  It did not seem nearly as gross then.

I remember putting on my one-piece garments (they were all one-piece back then, weren't they) and realizing that a cockroach was inside.  I finally had to smash the creature against my skin in order to get it out.  I remember Frank Parker and I discovered a tarantula in our bedroom.  As we tried to catch it with a box, it jumped at least 4 feet in the air.  I remember when I was a companion with Cory Angell in Managua, and we would wake each morning to find bat dung on the floor in our bedroom.  I remember the mice that ate our toothpaste in Leon.  I was the missionary that had all my luggage, money and camera--basically all my worldly belonging stolen but the clothes on my back--in Leon during my first month in the mission field.  I remember the 6-inch worm that came out of Elder Collett (I bet he does also).  I remember the Somoza stones in Nic.  And I remember the beginning of the revolution.  But most of all, I remember having the most incredible companions and friends, and teaching a warm, loving, humble people that embraced the gospel.

I loved my mission, and so grateful for the wonderful experiences that I had.  I am grateful to have served under such incredible leaders as President Eager and President Muren.  I have been able to apply so many principles that I learned in the mission to my life.  I am grateful for the wonderful friendships that I developed during my mission.  I served with the best missionaries, and am grateful for what I learned from each person in the mission.  I truly appreciate all the hard work that has gone into planning the reunion, and look forward to seeing everyone there. Reading through the bios has brought back so many wonderful memories. Thank you, Phil Wing, for encouraging me to come to the reunion.  Most importantly, I am grateful for the testimony that I developed during my mission.  I love the gospel and Jesus Christ, and love to share the gospel with my friends.