Good boys, good boys... whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Hello all,
Next month will be my 13th anniversary of completing my two-year mission to England for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I spent two years there, from November 1990 to November 1992. I lived in and around London; mostly out in the countryside, but spent about six or seven months in the City, also known as the "Crossroads of the World".
So what is required to be a successful Mormon missionary? Let's break it down...
STUDY
"Missionary school" consists of three weeks (or two months if you have to learn a language) at the Missionary Traning Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah (adjacent but only tenuously associated with Brigham Young University). It's a good time for all, where you get to meet other missionaries and you all get to prepare for the two years of dedication to the Lord. For me, it was a nineteen-day immersion course in spiritual things. Long days but entertaining and uplifting days. Then on a plane to London.
Ideally, the typical missionary studies his/her scriptures for at least two hours a day. First thing in the morning (6:30 for me) my companion and I would get up and read together for an hour. Usually a pre-determined study session, led by a manual issued to all missionaries during their time at the MTC. Then, during breakfast, I would study for another hour or so, independent study of scriptural topics. So you can be assured that the two guys knocking on your door are up on their scriptures.
TIME MANAGEMENT
The day's schedule consisted of (for us):
0630 - Up and out of bed.
0930 - Out the door, on the road... once a week, we'd attend a meeting of all the missionaries in our local area (district). Once a month, the districts would meet as a "zone". The zones would meet every three to six months, depending on the needs of the mission. London missionaries are easier to get together for a conference than say, South Pacific island missionaries...
1200 - Lunch, sometimes provided by a local member. This helps the missionaries save money, which is one goal of the local membership. Missions are usually self-financed, so any cost-cutting measures are deeply appreciated by the misisonaries and their families back home.
1300 - Finding activities. Finding usually consisted of "tracting" (knocking doors to contact people cold. Refers to the now-outdated policy of handing out tracts/booklets of church doctrine), GQ-ing ("Golden Questioning", which is talking to people on the streets and asking them GQ's, like "Is your family important to you?" or "Where do you think we go after we die?"), or gaining referrals from members (hitting up local members for friends, neighbors, etc., who would be interested in a visit from the missionaries).
1700 - Dinner. Also usually provided by a local member. Ideally, the missionary does not cook for him/herself, except at breakfast. But we're a long way from that goal.
1800 - Teaching appointments, either in the homes of "investigators" (people actively studying the Church's teachings, hopefully with the purpose of being baptized and joining the Church) or in the homes of members.
2130 - Home. If we stayed out past 9:30 pm, we were in danger of turning into pumpkins.
2230 - Bed! 8 hours later, the cycle continued.
OUTGOING PERSONALITY
I met tons of people (mostly because I was actively searching them out), but I think that when I was in the City I met more non-British than British. Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Zaire, Zambia, and Burkina Faso made up the dominant African cultures represented in London. From Asia and the Pacific, I met people from India and Pakistan, as well as people from the Phillippines, Australia, and New Zealand. From South America and the Caribbean, I knew people from the West Indies, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Belize, and British Virgin Islands. Excellent time, I still love to meet people from those places, since I can still talk tohe talk, as it were. Plus it really surprises them to hear that a typical-looking white American knows what Jallaf rice, moi-moi, and foo-foo are. (Ask me in another post.)
So, this is an ideal day. A very plain-vanilla day. Most times, we were faced with interesting curveballs, but usually it was pretty straight forward. Looking back, I had an amazing time as a missionary,a nd I just wanted you in JU to appreciate what the guys on the other side of your doors go through.
Sheh-jeh-jeh!
Nigerian dialect (Yoruba) for "take it easy!" Phonetically spelled.