Local Youth Prepares to Serve Two-Year Church Mission

By Tammy Whitaker

James “Wade” Coffield, the son of Brandon and Sandy Coffield, of the Rocky Mount/Elm City area, recently celebrated his high school graduation from Classical Conversations home school program. Classical Conversations is Christ-centered and focuses on being Classical, Christian and community service minded. It is their mission to know God and make God known. He received honors in religious studies and community service. Wade is very dedicated to reading and studying the scriptures. In addition, he graduated from an early morning seminary program through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Seminary is a four-year religious education program open to high schoolers. Every morning before school, students and their teachers gather from 6 to 7 a.m. to study the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon and church history.

Wade has chosen to spend the next two years preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ by serving a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he attends church. He will serve in the Ogden, Utah mission beginning September 2, 2024. The Church currently has more than 72,000 full time teaching missionaries, as well as senior service missionaries and young service missionaries throughout the world. Wade is the first one in his family to serve a full time mission for approximatly four generations. He has earned some of the money to help pay for his mission by working after school and summers doing various jobs and will also have help from his parents, family and friends.

When he returns from his mission, he plans to pursue a career in sports medicine. He is very much an advocate for mental and physical health and strives to live by principles that teach the benefits of taking care of yourself and treating your body like a temple of God.

His family is very proud of the fine young man he has become and will greatly miss him while he is on his mission. Serving God will be one of the most rewarding opportunities and experience he will have in his life and we are thankful that he is making good choices that will help to mold his future.