of YouHaveBeenCalled.com
I come from a family of missionaries. My father is Swiss
(more on that later) and served his mission from Switzerland, to Las Vegas,
Nevada. While on his mission he had the great fortune of meeting my mother in
one of the last areas he served in. They were then married in the St. George
Temple a number of months after my father completed his mission. I mention this
story to show just how much missions mean to me and my family. If it weren’t
for missions, my family as I know it would not have been possible.
My mother is no stranger to having missionaries out in the
field. With three returned missionaries and one who just put his papers in this
last weekend, my family has had at least one member of the family out on a mission
for the past seven years. One night during my brother’s mission to Albania, I
found myself sitting with my father in his living room brainstorming ideas on
how to better keep track of the time missionaries are away serving the Lord. My
father being Swiss, started a Swiss Watch company a little after he started his
family, so we tried to keep to ideas that would be able to utilize the unique
resources he had access to. That was the night the idea of a personalized
missionary countdown clock was born.
We created something for families who are anticipating the
return of their loved one and want a constant reminder of not only the time
left before they are reunited, but what they are doing. The clocks are
personalized to you and 100% unique to your missionary. They aren’t generic and
no two will ever be the same (unless of course you happen to order an extra for
another family member). Whether you want to use a professional picture taken
before your son or daughter left, or a picture of them serving in the field,
the choice is absolutely yours. Add their favorite scripture, quote, the
mission they are serving in, and their name, it is all up to you.
While the clocks are fantastic and something that many
families have enjoyed, it isn’t the only thing we were able to think up to
create for missionaries. While serving my mission in Tokyo, Japan, I noticed
that most missionaries went through multiple watches. Japan is a very humid
place in the summer, and we spent the majority of our days on bikes. This meant
that most watches didn’t last long. In fact, one of my companions went through
three watches in the two transfers I was with him. While they were $5-$10
watches, multiple transactions add up quickly (this is something we discussed
frequently and still joke about even now). Lucky for me my father owned a watch company
and was able to provide me with a watch that could survive a mission. It also
happens to be the watch I still wear to this day, 6 years later.
This is something I wanted all missionaries to have access
to. A highly functional, affordable watch. Most watches today are focused on
looks and not much more. The main
purpose of our watches is to function as you expect them to, while at the same
time being something that will match the clean dress standards missionaries are
met with. They will survive the rain, sleet, and snow. It rains a lot in Japan,
but not as much as other missions in the world and with these watches being
water resistant up to 300ft, you won’t have to worry about getting them wet.
They are also built to take a beating, with a K1 hardened mineral crystal face
(fancy words for “good luck scratching it”) you won’t have to worry about
babying the watch either. Missionaries work hard, I have never worked harder
than the two years I was on my mission. Their shoes will wear to the point of
falling apart (literally). Their clothes will get stained and torn while out
contacting or scrambling to make it to their next appointment on time. These
watches will work as hard as the missionary that wears them and will be
something that can be relied on.
Of course we realize that no product is perfect and while
these watches are close, they are no exception. If a watch happens to take on
water, or stop working, it will be replaced free of charge. Simply send it in
to us and we will happily fix (depending on the damage) or send you a new one.
This is something that is very special to me and I am
incredibly happy that I have the opportunity to offer these types of things to
missionaries, as well as their families!
Josh Roemer
