Missionaries ride bikes a lot, yeah. They go around in
pairs (called companionships), they shake hands, they
grin and wave at people . . . so what? What do they
REALLY do?!
Missionaries leave behind their lives for about 2 years
and go out and tell people about God, Christ, and
families, what Latter-day Saints believe. They do service, like helping families in poverty stricken areas clean up their area, or teaching people to read, or maybe even mowing your lawn!
Missionaries are not allowed to date
while called as a missionary, they
cannot hold jobs, they must keep
themselves from all distractions from
the Work of the Lord. Missionaries
do not get paid, but it is a FULL-time
job, 24/7. They cannot call their
families, but they must write them at
least once a week. Missionaries are
USUALLY young men and women.
Worthy boys in the church are strongly encouraged to go when they are 19. Girls may go at 21. There are also elderly couples who go together.
When you put in your papers (applications) to
be a missionary you are turning your life
over to the Lord. You do not pick where you
will go, or what language you will speak. You
may be called to Rostov, Russia, or maybe Salt
It is really a sacrifice to go on a mission. It costs a great deal of money to put aside a job and go where ever you are called, and support yourself only on what you saved from before. Besides, you are sacrificing having your car, a boyfriend or girlfriend, school, Internet, telephone, TV, and just generally LIFE! So, Why in the world did I, Kipluck, even want to be a missionary?!?! Well . . .
If it's so very hard to serve a mission for the church, why do we do it?
1. Because we believe it. We believe we've got some good news, and we want you to hear it. It is news that makes us happy! It is news that our loving Heavenly Father wants us to hear and to tell our friends, so that all of His children can here it. The word "Gospel" literally means "the Good News."
2. Because individually we have felt strongly that God wants us to be messengers for His word.
3. Because we love God, our Heavenly
Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
4. Because we love you and want you
to be happy.
Girl missionaries are called Sisters . . . the boys are called Elders. They are called, like Sister Kreative instead of Kipluck Ann Kreative. They wear name tags with very important names, 1st the title Elder or Sister to remind them of their call, next their last name to remind them of their families, and after that the name of the church . . . the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to remind them of who it is that they are REALLY doing this for . . . Jesus Christ, the Savior!
Kipluck entered the MTC before going to Houston, Texas to serve as a missionary for the LDS church. She returned home from Texas April 24, 2003.
