Megan Lewis

When I think of Elder Rhineer the words that immediately come to mind are enthusiastic, sincere, and hardworking.

Elder Rhineer and I didn’t cross paths much until my last transfer when I was transferred to the office.  Before then, all I really knew was that he had a reputation of being a stellar missionary.  We all knew he would be AP, but I was not expecting it to be so early in his mission.  In the office I quickly learned that Elder Rhineer loved golf. He would carry around a stick to practice his golf swing whenever he got a chance.  I also discovered how very thoughtful he was.  He and his companion Elder Chell would go out to do whatever it is APs do and would return carrying McFlurry’s for the Sisters, which we very much appreciated.

Elder Chell’s mission ended the same transfer as my own, which meant Elder Rhineer was going to get a new companion.  So of course, Sister Johnston and I thought we should take advantage of being in the office to find out who the new AP would be.  The Elders thought this was hilarious so would try to mislead us.  They would occasionally stage moments for us to “accidently” overhear the name of some Elder as the next AP.  They got pretty elaborate and tried to leave papers out to “quickly-not-so-quickly” cover up pointing out one Zone leader or another.

At the end of my mission we all drove to Manchester to attend the temple and share testimonies.  I remember Elder Rhineer’s testimony to be genuine and sincere.  He was crying pretty hard when he talked of losing Elder Chell as the two were quite close.  He said he felt like he was losing an arm.  This made us all laugh as his new companion was Elder Legg, so he was losing an arm, but gaining a leg.

On a more personal note, I have never met you, but I’ve always imagined that the person for Elder Rhineer would be an amazing person.  He shined so bright, it made sense that he would have someone just as bright standing next to him.   You have been in my thoughts and prayers as you are navigating through this incredibly difficult time.  I know I felt comforted by Elder Scott’s words at General conference when he said (quoting Joseph F Smith and referring to those who have passed on), “We live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever… their love for us and their desire for our well-being must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves.”

May God bless and watch over you.

Megan Lewis (aka Sister Guggisberg)