Preparation, Generosity and the Mission Home

After receiving the call to serve, it was time to get ready and prepare to leave. This was a new experience for the Kjelstrom family and perhaps a little surprising how much was involved financially. In his life's history, Allan recounts "Yes, financially it was a big challenge to the family. And in fact, I had a sister-in-law; it was my mother's brother's wife, who took a real interest in my going on a mission. Because they had one boy and he was mentally [handicapped], so they knew that they would not have a missionary, unless one of the girls decided to go on a mission. So they decided they were going to help support me. So they sent my mother some money on a regular basis to help support me on my mission. But they were not the ones who were financing getting me outfitted. That was purely Mom and Dad, and so it was a burden, but they didn't show it. They just did what was necessary and got what was needed."

Allan remembers going through the temple for the first time in preparation for his mission. "My parents were not active in the church at the time. And so, I had to go through the temple to get my endowment before I was to go to the mission home...there were...temple workers that were willing to help but I didn't have any friends or family [there]." This would prove to be a turning point for Axel and Juanita who began to work on becoming active while Allan was gone, later being able to be present in the temple for Allan's marriage.

The generosity of his extended family and the faithful support of his parents would bless Allan's life and continues to bless his posterity. Allan would gather the necessary items including a briefcase, scriptures, missionary library, clothes and luggage and report to the mission home in May 1968. He was set apart as a missionary in the mission home on May 8, 1968 by Elder Elray L. Christiansen, a general authority and assistant to the twelve.

The mission home was a large home located on State Street in Salt Lake City, about three or four blocks away from the temple that had been converted to a training center for outbound missionaries. It had large dormitory rooms with as many as 10 beds per room. After an orientation he said goodbye to his parents and was assigned a companion. At that time, missionaries only spent a few days in the mission home, meeting with various general authorities. Allan remembers having meetings with Bruce R. McConkie and one particularly special experience, meeting with Harold B. Lee in the Salt Lake Temple.