Welcome Home, Sebastian Fraser

Sebastian Fraser, oldest son of Steven and Jill Fraser, is newly home from two years of fulltime missionary service in the California Fresno (Hmong speaking) Mission.  Brother Fraser entered the mission field two weeks after his high school graduation in the first wave of young men after the minimum age for missionary service was lowered from 19 to 18.  He calls his mission, “a time of change.  It has made me who I am today.” 

What’s in his future?  Where does he go from here?  At the moment he is looking for work, hopefully something relating to music.  He is available to teach cellists of any age while he prepares to go to school where he plans to major in cello performance, although he has not yet decided which school he will attend. 

There are nearly 6,500,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; 19 missions - more than any other state; and 7 temples in California.  The Fresno Temple, dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on April 9, 2000, regularly conducts sessions in English, Spanish and Hmong serving more than 28,000 members in eight stakes in and around Fresno.

Fresno California Temple

The Hmong population in Fresno originated in Southeast Asia, primarily from Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, many who resettled in the U.S. as war refugees following the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos during the Vietnam War.  Today, the Fresno Metropolitan area has the nation's second largest Hmong community of approximately 60,000.

Txais tos lub tsev, Elder Fraser.  Peb yeej txaus siab tau ntsib koj.