Over 85,000 young men and women between the ages of 18 and 25 are currently serving full-time missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormon church.

At SJHHS, there are seven students going on missions directly after high school. They all report in August and September and will be expected to serve for a period of two years.

Many people view Mormon missionaries as people who are dressed in suits, riding bikes, and always knocking on doors at “inconvenient” times. In reality Mormon missionaries are just young men and women who want to share and teach about the Mormon church. They make a great sacrifice by giving up two years of their life in order to share this message.

According to mormon.org, a normal day for a missionary consists of “waking up at 6:30 a.m., studying the scriptures, and meeting new people to share the gospel with. The afternoon might include discussing gospel lessons with people they meet and volunteering for service in the community. A good night has them teaching the gospel to interested individuals and helping them learn and keep God’s commandments or attending a baptismal service for someone who’s decided to join the Church. They return home around 9:30 p.m.”.

There are 406 different missions, aka locations, spread out across the world. People who choose to go on a mission don’t get to choose where they go. They are assigned a mission at the church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, which then sends a letter to the young man or woman.

“I’m most nervous about learning Russian” said Jacob Buchanan, who was called to Samara Russia and is expected to report to the Provo MTC, missionary training center, on August 26th.

All missionaries report to MTCs, missionary training centers, before they report to their specific mission. There are 15 MTCs located around the world.

“I’m really excited to learn new languages and share the experiences I have there,” said Kolten McCluskey, who is going to Guam, Micronesia on September 23rd.

“I really want to share the blessings and the comforts that I have from my religion with other people from other parts of the world,” said Ben Conover, who is serving his mission in Argentina.

Agree or disagree with what these missionaries are teaching, it is undeniable that they show great courage and sacrifice as they leave their homes for two years.

These seven students include:

Ben Hill- Birmingham, England

Cayden Norton- Leeds, England

Ben Conover- Mendoza, Argentina

Austin Cook- Rosario, Argentina

Jacob Buchanan- Samara, Russia

Kolten McCluskey- Guam, Micronesia

Ethan Chugg- Orlando, Florida