Mormon missionaries
I am sure that you have seen them around your
neighborhood, walking down the streets or even in the grocery store, and that
you have wondered who these young men and women dressed in suits and ties and
dresses or skirts are and what they are doing. Well they are missionaries
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and they are in
your neighborhood to share a message about the gospel of Jesus Christ fully
restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
that same gospel read about in the New Testament and talked about in the Old
Testament by prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Isaiah, and many others.
The missionaries are there to help the light and spirit of Christ to be seen by
the world.
These young men and women volunteer 18 months
to 2 years of time to share this message with the people in the respective
missions. Missions are designated areas within a state or country where a
missionary goes to teach the gospel. The missions are split into areas so that
the missionaries can reach as many people as they can in that area and share
their message. Young men leave their homes usually at the age of 19 and return
home at the age of 21 and young women leave home at the age of 21 and return
home around 18 months later.
Mormon Missionaries serve all over the world
in 341 different missions. They learn the language of the people that they are
going to teach in a specialized training center called Missionary Training
Center, or MTC for short. These training centers are in 17 different locations
throughout the world and are used to teach missionaries how to teach the gospel
and serve those that they are around. In almost every case these young people
learn to love the people and the culture that they are in and never forget
their missions.
Missionaries go out door to door trying to
find people to teach, but when they are told that a person or family is not
interested they leave and wish them a good day. The purpose of the missionaries
is not to force one to believe the gospel but to let the Holy Ghost touch the
hearts of the people so that they find out for themselves and then chose
weather or not to believe in the truthfulness of the gospel. Missionaries are
always taught to be respectful, help those around them, and be good examples in
general.
Mormon Missionaries are called by the
president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to serve in their
missions. Before they get their call they must send in papers that show their
worthiness to serve and that they are healthy and able to serve in the way that
a missionary has to. A missionary leads a very demanding lifestyle for the
duration of their mission and needs to be healthy and follow the rules that the
leader of their mission sets up.
Missionaries start their day off a 6:30 a.m.
and then they work out for 30-60 minutes depending on the mission rules. They
come back and then they get ready for the day: eat breakfast, have personal
scripture study for 1 hour, and companion scripture study for 1 hour. All missionaries
travel two by two so that they can remain safe and help each other out. After
scripture study they then leave their homes at 9:30 or 10 a.m. to go and
proselyte, also known as tracting, they also set up teaching appointments for
the time that they are out of the house and teach people interested in
listening. They have an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner; they also have
to plan out their week and set goals.
Missionaries usually return home by 9:30 p.m.;
they then make phone calls for appointments and give reports to the area
leaders about the day. Light out is
at 10:30 p.m. Mormon Missionaries do get one day in the week where they can write
their families and friends, do laundry, go grocery shopping, and do a fun
activity with the other Mormon missionaries in their area. The elders and
sisters get to talk to their families 2 times a year, at Christmas and on
Mother's Day, so they have very limited contact with their families and friends
for the time that they serve their missions. This is done so that they stay
focused on the work that they are doing.
Missionaries have meetings called Zone
Conferences every 6-8 weeks so that they can be instructed on how to better
perform their missionary labors and to be spiritually fed by the mission
president (overall leader of the mission) and each other. About every 6 weeks missionaries
get transferred to a new area within the mission to serve in, although
sometimes they can stay in one area for extended periods of time.
Mormon
missionaries are people just like the rest of us and they are serving the
Lord so that all people everywhere have a chance to hear the gospel. They work
hard and truly love the gospel that they teach and love to help all the people
that they serve around.
For More Information
Mormon
Missionaries - DearElder.com
Mormon
Missionaries - BBC Religion and Ethics