Sean Tobin Going On Mission To Mexico

Sean Tobin

Sean R. Tobin, a 1999 graduate of Newtown High School and one of the captains of the 1998-99 football season, has accepted the call to serve a mission in Tampico, Mexico for the next two years. Tampico is in northeastern Mexico along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

A devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mr Tobin has postponed his college education, after being accepted to Southern Utah University, to serve his mission. When he returns in two years, he will be allowed to enter Southern Utah University to study criminal justice with the goal of working for the FBI.

While Mr Tobin took Spanish in high school, he says it was not his favorite subject. Living in Mexico, he will be speaking Spanish exclusively, living among the people, and eating a lot of rice, beans and tortillas. In preparation for this language challenge, Mr Tobin will be spending the next two months at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, in a language immersion program. On December 29, Mr Tobin will leave for Tampico and spend the first day of the year 2000 in his new mission field.

Mr Tobin gave his farewell address to the Newtown Ward congregation of the church this past Sunday and stated that his decision to serve the Lord for two years at a time, when most young men are going to college and having fun, was the right one for him and that no one forced him to do this. He then related a personal experience that happened this past summer while backpacking in Vermont for 13 days with three friends.

On the trail, Mr Tobin met a young hiker who was on drugs. He befriended the hiker and helped him realize how wrong drugs were, then watched the hiker throw the drugs into a campfire and commit to work on his drug problem. Sean said it gave him a good feeling to know he had impacted this young man’s life and confirmed to him that doing missionary work was important.

Mr Tobin’s brothers and sisters were in attendance, as were his parents, when he bid farewell to everyone. Evan, Kim, Kyle and Erin will join their parents this weekend in sending him off on his mission and will not see him for the next two years. They are all very supportive of his serving this mission and know he is well prepared.