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!