User Score
2 votes
“There are two sides to every love story”
Two young Mormons, John and Darla, meet one evening in a video outlet that rents "edited, cleaned-up" versions of movies. They hit it off, share a lot of time together, and some weeks later John proposes marriage. Darla explains that her parents have asked her to only marry a man who has served a religious mission for the LDS Church, and he immediately pledges to become a missionary to allow their dream of a future together to be possible. After 3 months in the mission field, John moves to a new apartment with three other elders. Elder White has just received a "Dear John" letter from his girlfriend after a year away from home. The other elders got their letters at 6 months and 8 months respectively. John tells them that he will never get such a letter, but back home Darla is showing off her wedding dress to her girlfriends the day before her marriage to somebody else, and is explaining about her "romance" with John. However, in her rationalization, John is a socially inept klutz.
Status
Released
Original Language
EN

John H. Groberg, a middle class kid from Idaho Falls, crosses the Pacific to become a Mormon missionary in the remote and exotic Tongan island kingdom during the 1950's. He leaves behind a loving family and the true love of his life, Jean. Through letters and musings across the miles, John shares his humbling and sometimes hilarious adventures with "the girl back home", and her letters buoy up his spirits in difficult times. John must struggle to overcome language barriers, physical hardship and deep-rooted suspicion to earn the trust and love of the Tongan people he has come to serve. Throughout his adventure-filled three years on the islands, he discovers friends and wisdom in the most unlikely places. John H. Groberg's Tongan odyssey will change his life forever.

Elder White
A newlywed couple cancels their honeymoon and returns to the snowy Midwest to make the funeral arrangements for their best man, who died unexpectedly after their ceremony.