This post is dedicated to the LDS missionaries serving all around the world.
Some of you know that I am Mormon and for those of you who don’t—SURPRISE! I’m Mormon. Some of you also know that I live in the Fresno, California region and The Book of Mormon musical is coming to the Saroyan Theatre in Fresno. A lover of theatre and a Mormon, what a predicament.
First off, if you love this musical, have seen, or just love belting the songs anywhere that doesn’t mean you are a bad person, that you hate Mormons, or that we hate you. It just means you love the musical. Second, this musical is not an accurate representation of Mormon Missionaries and should be treated as such. The authors, Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone, have written other works together including South Park and Avenue Q. And is very much the same style as The Book of Mormon musical. The musical is described as a religious satire musical and should be viewed as one. This musical is for pure entertainment and should be used just as that. If one actually wants to learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this musical is not a tool that should be learned to be used.
Being 19 and a Mormon girl is harder than being a normal girl.
I have so many friends who are leaving me this year and won’t be back till 2017.
Most of us don’t think that far ahead, but I do.
But I am so proud of them because of the works that they are participating in. Most everyone has seen a Mormon Missionary, on a bike, in Wal-Mart, or right before the door was slammed. Maybe you have even hidden from them. But I’m here to tell you a little bit more about them.
The mission age was just change which rocked a lot of kid’s worlds and maybe not in the best way. Boys were able to serve a mission when they were 19 and girls were able to serve when they were 21. And then they would submit your mission papers 120 days prior to his or her availability date; which is the earliest they could go on a mission and at that time they have to be the required age. But then in October 2012 they changed the mission age to 18 for boys and 19 for girls. Which created a flood of missionaries pouring into Mission training centers around the world. There are a lot of speculation about why the mission age was changed, so they could enter the temple sooner, get more kids out there, to keep this generation out of trouble etc. But these missionaries are not that old at all and yet are being shipped across the world. Kids whose biggest step is just moving out and attending college are living in apartments in unknown places and following strict schedules every day for two years, (for girls it is 18 months).
It is taught within the church that the young men should all go on missions. And that girls have the opportunity to go on a mission.
And this right here is a red flag for some, they think CULT! OH MY GOSH YOU ARE FORCING THESE YOUNG MEN TO GO ON MISSIONS AND THEY HAVE NO CHOICE AND THAT’S JUST WRONG.
Or some other dramatic declaration.
But, our church believes in personal revelation, which means we believe that we can ask for guidance from God and he can guide us in the right direction. And many young people use this daily in their lives when looking at colleges, looking for spouses, picking majors and go figure, deciding on whether or not to go on a mission. And sometimes the answer is no, even to young men. I personally know a couple of them and this is acceptable. Being a missionary is not something that is required to reach the Kingdom of God, but it brings others to it and that is why it is important. And yet we can also teach others without going on a mission. That being said no one is ever forced by the Church to go on a mission. Some are even honorably excused from serving because of health issues and such.
But if you think about it there might be a reason that boys are asked to serve. Crazy, right?
This is just my speculation, but I think it is a pretty good one so I’ll share. Men in the Church have the opportunity to receive the Priesthood. Which is described as the Power of God. The same power that Christ used to bless the sacrament, baptize and perform miracles. We also use this same power to bless the sacrament, baptize, and perform miracles in addition to many other ordinances. And all Elders on a mission have this power and without this power missions would not be possible. They would not be able to baptize, confirm or give personal blessings. It’s not that men are better missionaries that women or that they are more capable but because they have this power.
Then the dramatic yeller might come in and say BUT WOMEN DESERVE THAT POWER AND THAT’S NOT FAIR! GIVE IT TO THE WOMEN.
Our Church gets a lot of flak for that. But because that has been the way the priesthood has been used since the beginning of the church and I’m not talking about the Mormon religion but since Christ but even before him it isn’t going to change. Women have special attributes and “powers” but they just aren’t the same as the priesthood and that is okay.
Now that I have talked about how people decide and when they can go on a mission let’s actually talk about a mission. After one’s papers are submitted they receive a mission call within two to three weeks after. A mission call is a fat envelope with a letter from the presidency of the church that tells you where you are going and when. There are 406 missions one could serve in all over the world and 15 Mission Training Centers. I have friends in Denmark, Chile, Ohio, New York, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Spain, San Diego and Idaho. And I will soon have friends in Finland, Portugal, Colorado, New Jersey and various other places.
While on their missions they don’t get to call home, except for on mother’s day and Christmas, go swimming, use fireworks, go hang out, and they have one day a week (usually Monday) called P-Day or preparation day where they can email home, answer letters, meet with other missionaries, get a game of soccer in etc. And so many people when I tell them this ask get freaked out and ask why? And usually I just tell them it’s so they can focus. Because a mission ideally is basically just serving others and by not focusing on being home sick or what is going on at home allows for the work to come first.
Missionaries knock on thousands of doors, make teaching appointments with millions, and are able to change lives with the gospel.
The Book of Mormon is what they use to teach because if it is true then the rest of our religion is true. It is the corner stone of the church. The Book of Mormon is a record of people in Ancient America and it was translated by Joseph Smith. It is another testament of Christ and is used so much in our religion because like the Bible it is a work of scripture but has only been translated once and therefore has not been manipulated.
I know that this book is true because I have read it five times and I just started my sixth. I know that God knows who I am and I can receive guidance from Him about my life. And that this church is the light that most people are looking for and I am so blessed to have been born into this church. So maybe the musical is cool but I think the real Elders are cooler.
If you have any questions you can always ask me or the missionaries in your area.
http://www.mormon.org/missionaries
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