Rugby League professional, Caleb Timu, recently returned to Australia after two-years volunteer service as a Mormon missionary in New Zealand.
Caleb Timu says he made the right choice by serving a mission.
A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Timu says, “I have always had a desire to serve the Lord, and as I decided early in my life to serve him first, I’ve been blessed, and my faith has been strengthened by it.”
As a young boy Timu grew to love rugby league and he was good at it. He played in representative games for his school, but never left his faith behind, completing four years of seminary, two of those through home study while he attended a boarding school 50 km from his home. He starred in the under-20 teams beginning in 2012. A try-scoring backrower, he left his promising career with the Broncos to serve a two-year mission for his church in New Zealand and the Cook Islands in 2013.
Timu said, “The Church has been the key to my happiness and success in life. As I have learned about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and lived its teachings, I have become a better person who enjoys life and values family.
I felt honoured to serve the Lord as a full time missionary, and I know I made the right decision. I had never been so happy in my life until I lost myself in the service of others.”Upon completing his mission and returning to Brisbane, he has recently resumed his professional career with the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.
This is not the end of the story. True to his faith, he recently proposed to Pamera Paasi, and she said “Yes!” They will be married in the Brisbane Temple later this month.