This episode of the Grief and Belief podcast features hosts David Mickelson and Kori Andrews interviewing their friend, Cindy Thredgold, who shares the story of her son, Connor. Connor, known by his family as a responsible "doer" who loved repairing cars, passed away as a missionary in the Taiwan Taipei mission in 2014. He and his companion tragically died from carbon monoxide poisoning, which Cindy described as quick and overwhelming.
The discussion centers on Cindy's hopeful theme: "Today’s challenge is tomorrow’s testimony," or, as found in Connor's scriptures, "Our greatest blessings come from our greatest trials". Cindy recounts the emotional difficulty of being notified by church leaders and the subsequent three-week wait for Connor’s body to be returned home from Taiwan. Despite the overwhelming grief, Cindy felt immediately "content" that Heavenly Father knew what He was doing and never experienced the anger that often accompanies loss.
Cindy highlights the "compensating blessings" that followed, noting that God provided personal comfort by arranging major family events (like the birth of her grandchild) to occur on anniversaries of Connor's death, emphasizing that Heavenly Father "knows our dates". She explains that experiencing this loss brought her to a deeper level of understanding of Christ's Atonement. In honor of Connor’s memory, Cindy also co-manages a service that provides free memorial portraits to the families of other missionaries who have passed away while serving.
Resources:
Virtual Cemetery for missionaries who died while serving
Virtual Cemetery for missionaries who died right before or after serving
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