The white shirts, black name tags and indefatigable smiles give them away. Young missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are hard to miss.
Who are these dedicated young people? What do they believe? Why do they travel, in some cases thousands of miles from home, to serve as missionaries for up to two years?
Missionary companionship Elder Skyler Nelson and Elder Teawa Nephi Anderson (they work together in pairs and go by the title “elder”) were both born into Mormon families but grew up in very different cultures.
Elder Nelson, 20, an apprentice electrician, lived in Santa Clare, Utah, USA before coming to Australia. Becoming a missionary was a natural next step for him as he grew up. He remembers a plaque his mother hung in their home that simply read: “Missionary [noun] - a person who leaves their family for a short period of time so that other families can be together forever.”
He says he feels a compelling desire to help others experience the happiness that he has always known.
Elder Anderson, also 20, comes from Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. As a missionary he is unpaid and covers his own expenses. He was eight years old when he started raising money for his mission by delivering newspapers. Schooling, a variety of part-time jobs, and twelve years later, and he finds himself on a mission in Australia.
Anderson and Nelson - and over 50,000 more Mormon missionaries around the world - teach individuals and families who have an interest in learning about what Latter-day Saints believe. According to these two young men, it all starts with God and Jesus Christ, and how we can be closer to Them.
Elder Nelson shares a recent experience to illustrate. “One day we asked a man we had just met if he believed in God or prayer, to which he responded ‘no.’”
“We invited him to hear our message and over the coming weeks he received a life-changing answer to his prayers. Soon after, the man decided that he wanted to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Before taking that step, though, the man did not want to act in any way that might offend his parents. “So he contacted them,” says Nelson, “and explained how he felt and what he hoped to do.”
“They were very supportive of his decision to become a member of the Church.”
Latter-day Saint missionaries teach those willing to learn about Mormon beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, God’s plan for His children, and how to live a happy life. Central to their message is that the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in 1820. Latter-day Saints believe that Joseph Smith, a 14 year-old boy living in upper New York state, saw God the Father and the Son in a vision after he prayed asking which of all the churches was right.
Recently the New York Times published a slideshow article in its “One in Eight Million” series, which focuses on individuals living in New York. The slideshow tells the story of Shanghai-born missionary, Naisi Zhao. Her experience, as unique as Nelson’s and Anderson’s, also demonstrates a common theme with missionaries. While they certainly teach many people through their words and actions, they also come to learn. 
