Huntley Project High School graduate Emma Cranford and Shepherd High School graduate Hyrum Hanson meet in the middle on the Yellowstone River Bridge at Huntley. Both student athletes and 2016 graduates, they are preparing for LDS Church missions. (Jonathan McNiven photo)
Originally published in the print edition of the Yellowstone County News-by Judy Killen
HUNTLEY — A few months ago, they competed for rival high schools and cheered on the Mustangs and Red Devils.
Now, recent graduates Hyrum Hanson of Shepherd and Emma Cranford of Worden are preparing to represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on missions far from home.
Hyrum was called to his mission with only 44 days to prepare. After a church farewell on Oct.16, he departs for mission training on Oct. 18 before his eventual arrival in Bokolod, an urbanized area on an island in the Philippines.
Emma has longer to prepare; she leaves Dec. 27 for training for her mission to Ecuador. Cranford will be gone for 18 months as Hanson will be gone for 2 years.
Both had to receive a series of immunizations, but Emma said she’s already traveled internationally with Huntley Project School groups and so she needed only boosters.
Hyrum, a Shepherd graduate, spent his summer working construction but was wrapping up at his job last week.
Emma and Hyrum both think their missions will prepare them well for the rest of their life, while requiring them to tackle the unknown — both expect culture shock, but are excited to meet the people and learn the customs of their new countries.
Both said they have already received a solid base of knowledge about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Going on a mission, that just increases that knowledge,” Emma said.
During their missions, they will have only limited contact with their families at home, through weekly emails and by phone on Christmas and Mother’s Day.
It is hard work, they both said, with a rigorous schedule — up at 6:30, meeting daily with people, spreading the church’s message, in bed by 10:30 to go out the next day.
“The lessons might be different, depending on what one person might need to hear,” Emma said, “but it’s pretty much the same Gospel.”
One day a week is given to preparation, chores like laundry, getting ready for the week.
The recent graduates both said the rivalry between Huntley Project and Shepherd schools was a fun high school thing, but didn’t interfere with their church lives.
“It’s like we were rivals in high school,” Emma said, not at the ward functions. “Our family was the only one from Huntley for a while. I never had any hard feelings toward them.”
Emma admits to having a red dress, but no blue shirts. Hyrum said he refuses to wear the red shoes his mom bought him, but both saw the rivalry between the two high schools as mainly in sports, especially football and basketball.
They attend church at a ward in the Billings Heights made up mainly of families from Shepherd, Huntley and Worden. About five teenagers in their ward graduated from high school this past spring, but so far only Emma and Hyrum have chosen missions.
Emma is looking forward to being immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture and becoming fluent in that language, which her brothers already speak well after their LDS missions.
Hyrum, on the other hand, will learn and speak Hiligaynon, a language of the island in the Philippines where he will be with another missionary. The island is split into two missions, he said, but other than the people on the island, he will have few opportunities to speak that language.
Both see mission work as rewarding, an investment that pays off over time.
“Everyone I talked to, it’s like the best two years of their life,” Hyrum said. And Emma’s heard only good things, too.
“Every girl coming back from a mission says it’s the best decision they ever made,” she said.
