What Are The 24 Hours Of Missionary Life Like?

6:15 AM I wake up and jump to my feet then drop to my knees. I say a prayer and thank my father in heaven for another day to serve. I ask for a blessing to pour out on the people that I have grown to love that live in this forest they call the Washington DC South Mission. I exercise, eat, and get ready for the day. You feel somewhat like a super hero as you dawn your outfit that you've been wearing every day for the past two years. You slide your name tag on that bears the name of what this whole mission experience is about. It is an honor to bear the name of Christ each and every day and to have the opportunity to act as his representative. Now for the hardest decision of the day... What tie should I wear?

8:00 AM It's time to study. I pull out of the old milk crate that holds all my books (no Elders desk is complete without one) a number of resources from scriptures, magazines, notes, talks, manuals, anything that I can get my hands on that will prepare me for what the day ahead holds. I sit at a desk and chair that were probably found outside a dumpster and depending on the day I may take a trip to the couch that we got when one of the neighbors was throwing it out. 

9:00 AM Time to combine forces with my companion. We read, practice, prepare and as long as no one is near to hear we may sing a hymn or two.

10:00 AM Time to get things started! We'll start the rest of our day off usually going to do some work on the computer. I thought being on a mission I would get away from technology but I have found myself using it seemingly more than ever before! I have never spent so much time on Facebook. I see how so many things that are in the world can be used in different ways. What once was a way to waste time now has become a powerful tool that I can use to spread the gospel.

12:00 PM After I'm done on the computer and following up with people it's one of my favorite times of the day. Lunch! After almost two years I have almost mastered cooking. All I have to do is get the timer just right on the microwave and I can say it is finally mastered.

1:00 PM We are out and about. I'm either talking to someone on the street, going into someones house that I've never met to teach them, or getting a door slammed in my face. Either way I'm testifying of the most meaningful thing that there has ever been.It is the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth that I want everyone to know about. The joy that comes from knowing the power and authority of our father in heaven has been brought back to the earth after centuries of being lost and that we now have a living prophet on the earth once more is news that the entire world needs to know. It is news that has forever shaped who I am and who I want to become.

5:00 PM Dinner! I look at the meal calendar that was passed around on Sunday and see all sorts of names of people that want us to come over for dinner. The food ranges from spaghetti, chili, roast, tacos, to anything that you could imagine. No matter what it is it has never been anything less than DELICIOUS! It's a rare opportunity to be in a new persons house for dinner each night. Sometimes you'll get there and there will be kids running, screaming, and falling asleep. Other times there will be four types of forks with a candle lit dinner waiting for the third course of the meal to come out. Or even here's the food, we don't use utensils where I'm from so dish yourself some spaghetti, chicken, rice and anything else you want up with your hands, mush it up into a ball, and you're good to go.  You never know what to expect! After we leave a spiritual thought and a blessing on the home we're on our way to more adventures and life changing moments for ourselves and the people we meet!

6:00 PM Prime Time!  Just as a football season culminates to the Super Bowl the missionary day hits its climax from 6pm to 9pm each night. This is the time to shine! I may be found in a home of a member of the church, teaching someone who is investigating the church, or finding people who have an open mind to listen to the message I share. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I'll do whatever it takes to fulfill that purpose. I will serve, reach out to the weak and helpless, strengthen, build, lift, and inspire the souls that are around me. I bare the name of Christ so I do everything I can to act as he would. Charity is the pure love of Christ. It goes hand in hand with sacrifice. When you combine the two the power to change the world is at your fingertips because it opens the door to bring Christ's Atonement into people's lives.

9:00 PM What are we going to do tomorrow? My missionary companion and I implore the Holy Spirit to guide us to where we need to be tomorrow so we will fulfill our Heavenly Father's will for us and his other children. Names, places, and faces come to our mind and we know who we need to see. We fill our day with meaningful activities that we hope will let us make these two years all they can be.

10:30 PM SLEEP!

Life Of A Missionary- The Missionary Training Center (Part 2)

It's finally time. You have packed your life away, said goodbye to your family and friends, and have your suitcases ready and waiting for the adventure of a lifetime. You double check to make sure you have everything. Shoes...check! Pants...check! Toothbrush...check! Shirts...uhhhh... I was on the way to the Missionary Training Center and I don't have any shirts packed!? My parents drive me back and we pick up the shirts. I get one last glimpse of my lifelong home as it fades to a memory as I turn the corner of my street for the last time for two years.

You pull up to the curb at the MTC. In a blur of emotion and confusion you somehow go through a whirlwind of hugs, suitcases, and other missionaries. Once the whirlwind stops you're in the middle of a thousand other people dressed just like you with the same name... Elder. It reminds me of when I watched The Wizard of Oz. From a farm in Kansas carried away in a tornado and dropped in a dream land. You drop your things off in your room and head to your classroom. You get your companion that is assigned to be within sight and sound of you 24/7 for the rest of your time there. Ok now you know what's going on a little...then a fire hose of information knocks you off your feet again! The next three weeks are constant information!

It seems that you're constantly either being taught, teaching, singing, praying, sleeping, or eating. You form a brotherhood bond between your group that you're with for those three weeks. You go through a slight case of withdrawals from the world you just left. You get to go on trips to the temple nearby once a week. You find things to do on the couple hours you have of free time once a week. From playing hacky sack, writing letters, or taking a nap you fill your time. You search your rooms for hidden treasure from past missionaries. You find notes, pictures, candy, and lists of missionaries who have come and gone. The day finally comes where you're to depart to the mission field. You leave your own mark for future missionaries to find and enjoy. Your bags are again packed and you're off to a new adventure and a whole new world! Soon you'll be a master at packing. You'll be able to fit a whole couch in your suit case by the end of your mission!

Your whole life has been preparing you for this moment whether you knew it or not. The times where your mom and dad told you to do the dishes, mow the lawn, or clean the bathroom are put to the test. Not only the mundane chores that you have to do but your gospel knowledge, testimony, attitude, stress level, and every capacity that you have is about to be realized and put to the test. This is your sink or swim moment. To sink or swim is what each and every one of us is here to experience on this earth. I think to myself what am I doing today to prepare myself for tomorrow? I'm given what I need but it's up to me to use what I'm given. Just as I had all my shirts bought and ready to go but had left them unpacked they do me no good if they're sitting at home. The same principle applies to everything in life. I can have exactly what I need but if it's not there when I need it then I might as well not have it.

We are not expected to rely on our own efforts. We have divine help and strength on our side. We may face temptations, challenges, and trials of all kinds. If we properly prepare ourselves then there is nothing to fear. The help is there but if we don't use it and make sure it's always with us then we might as well not have it. We must prepare ourselves for what the future holds.