Hi Sister Bissegger,
I'm the ward mission leader for the Totem Lake Ward in the Kirkland Stake where your son has served for the past 4+ months. I'm not sure what you did to raise such a man, but whatever you did, we want to steal your secrets and use them on our sons. I admit I am new to the calling so I'm not quite sure how all Elders manage the work in the ward, but we've always had missionaries around and both my wife and I also got to serve. He has quite a talent for communicating. His demeanor, purpose and even wit were always in rare form and he carried himself with an air of confidence and authority while remaining humble and teachable. Strange and admirable combination. His companions were the sort that must have been rare trials, but he never complained or even seemed annoyed by any one of them. We'll miss him and feel glad to know him. I wanted to take a moment to let you know that you've done a great work. We'd love to meet you if you ever happen to be in town and are invited to stay/visit here any time.
We don't know where he's transferring to since not even the missionaries themselves find out until tomorrow ar transfer meeting, but wherever he's going, they will be glad to have him.
Best wishes!
James Quigley
Thank you very much for your very kind E-mail and comments about our son. As a parent, I'm sure you appreciate how good it feels to have others recognize how great one of your kids is. As to your question about what we did to have him turn out so great, we don't know. We can only figure that the Lord knew we needed great spirits as children so that we could not mess them up too much. He has always had a way with people, and we noticed that even during his teen years, he had the rare ability (rare among teens) of being able to talk to adults in complete sentences and even sound like he cared about what adults were saying. He is usually in "rare form." We have always joked with our children, and my husband in particular has teased them and tested their wits almost since birth. So in order to survive, they have had to learn from an early age how to "spar" with him verbally.
If there is anything we have consciously done, it is to build our children up, let them learn to be their own person and love them for who they are. My husband and I really appreciate the kindness that you and others have shown in not only complimenting our son, but in taking him in and supporting him. We know from his letters that he truly loves the work and the people whom he serves and with whom he serves. My husband will be going out to
Seattle at the end of June for a business meeting. If you would like to send us your address and phone number, he'll call you to see if there is a good time for you when he can stop by and say hello. We would also enjoy meeting the people that Elder Bissegger has worked with and told us about.
Sincerely, Kirsten Bissegger
