Why are Mormon Missionaries Always Knocking on Your Door?

How many of you have ever opened your door to find this?

 

And then you're just like, "oh great, how do I get them off my porch?" Some people are very polite about it and others just slam the door in their faces. Rude. Missionaries are people too.

So who are these weirdos that keep on coming to your door and approaching you on the street? They are missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and they have traveled hundreds and often thousands of miles to tell you some great news! The great news is that Jesus Christ's church has been restored to the earth with a living prophet, twelve apostles, and additional scripture and because of that your family and our family and everyone's family can be together forever! Yay!

Missionary work has always been part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible and Book of Mormon, the Lord sent His prophets and servants to go preach repentance to the people. In the book of Matthew, the Savior charged his disciples to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"(Matthew 28:19-20). Latter-Day Saints take seriously this responsibility to teach all nations about Jesus Christ and His gospel. 

The missionaries are always in pairs of two or three. Paul said to the Corinthians: "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established"(2 Corinthians 13:1). Missionaries work together to testify of each other's words and to be witnesses of the truth. But who exactly are these people? What kind of young adults spend their time trying to tell people about Jesus instead of dating and partying like everyone else? I am happy to explain just who these people are.

There are currently over 88,000 missionaries serving world-wide. Men can serve a mission beginning at age 18 and serve for a period of 2 years. Women can serve a mission starting at age 19 and serve for 18 months. The missionaries you see on the streets are usually anywhere from 18 to 25 years old. It is considered a duty for men to serve and a great option for women if they so choose. Once a young man or woman decides to serve, they submit what we call "mission papers." They have to go to the dentist and get a physical and fill out lots of fun information. They are then interviewed by their church leaders, usually the bishop, to determine if they are worthy and are keeping the commandments. Once that's all done, they can submit their papers to Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. Once it arrives in Utah, one of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles personally selects each and every mission call through prayer and revelation

Once their call has been assigned, a big, white envelope containing the call is sent to the excited future missionary. The mission call tells them where they are serving and when they should report. There are over 300 missions in 80 different countries that a missionary can be sent to. That mission is where they will serve for the full 2 years or 18 months. Missionaries report to one of 15 Missionary Training Centers around the world. They are there for anywhere from 2-12 weeks to learn how to be a missionary and learn their mission language if needed. Super duper exciting. 

Missionaries have very strict rules. They wake up at 6:30am and go to bed at 10:30pm every day. They can only email, shop, and have free time on Mondays. Mothers' Day and Christmas are the only days they can call home to talk to family. Every day they are out serving God's children, teaching people about the gospel in their homes, giving out Book of Mormons, and trying to be good representatives of Jesus Christ. It's hard work and a huge sacrifice. It's very tiring and taxing but these boys and girls come home as men and women. 

Missionaries leave behind their family, school, friends, sports, video games, dating, and lots of other things in order to go and serve the Lord and help others come unto Christ. As soon as missionaries get home, they go back to being regular members of the church. They can get married, have kids, start a career, and live their lives as strong members of the Church. Some have even gone on to play in the NFL or star in movies. 

These missionaries sacrifice their time and money to go out and serve because they love the gospel. It's also a way of saying "thanks" to God and giving back for all of the blessings they have received. They know that the Church has been restored, that The Book of Mormon is true, and that their families can be together forever. It has made them so happy that they want to tell everyone.

Have you ever discovered a new product, book, or movie that you just absolutely loved? What did you do? You probably told all your friends about it. When I first read the book, "The Hunger Games" four years ago, I thought it was incredible. I drove my mom and sister crazy telling them that they need to read it. I was frustrated because my sister waited so long to read it but once she did she fell in love with it as well. Sharing the gospel is the same way for members of the Church. We have discovered something that brings us joy and we want others to know about it too.

People who serve missions come from vastly different circumstances. Some were lucky enough to be born in a good home with two parents and financial security while others were born in hard circumstances where money was tight or parents weren't there. Some were born into the church and have been members their whole lives while others were only baptized a year or two before. Some missionaries' families support them wholeheartedly at home and send them loving letters and emails while other missionaries' family's resent their service and sometimes even disown them. I have met each one of these kinds of missionaries. No matter the differences in their backgrounds, all missionaries have one purpose: "To invite others to come unto Christ." 

So next time missionaries knock on your door or approach you, don't shut them down. They are just humble followers of Christ who are trying to serve and love everyone. If you have house or yard work that needs to be done, put them to work! They love doing service. You don't have to accept a Book of Mormon to accept their service or sit down and talk to them. 

I am grateful to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love serving and teaching others about Jesus Christ. This gospel is life-changing. I have seen how happy it makes people and what it does to strengthen and bless families. Even though I face a lot of rejection, I keep going because Christ never quit on me so I won't quit on Him.

"Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor"(D&C 88:81). 

Amen.