Missionary (LDS Church)

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 50,000 full-time missionaries worldwide.^[1] Commonly referred to as Mormon missionaries, most LDS Church missionaries are single young men and women in their early twenties and are assigned to a mission of the church that is usually far from the missionary's home. Mormon missionaries do not receive a salary for any of the work they undertake.

Contents 1 Preparation to serve 1.1 Basic qualifications 1.1.1 Standards of worthiness 1.1.2 Other exclusionary factors 1.2 Mission call 1.3 Temple attendance 1.4 Training 2 Cost 3 Dress and grooming 4 Schedule 4.1 A missionary's day 4.2 A missionary's week 4.3 Monthly events 5 Organization 5.1 Missions and mission leadership 5.2 Companionships 6 Personal relationships 6.1 Contact with family and friends 6.2 Romantic relationships 6.3 Marital status 7 Number of missionaries and number of converts 8 Types of missionaries 8.1 Senior missionaries 8.2 Building missionaries 9 Coming of age 10 Returned missionaries 11 Mormon missionaries in popular culture 11.1 Films 11.2 Literature 11.3 Other 12 History 12.1 Incidents 13 References 14 External links

[edit] Preparation to serve

[edit] Basic qualifications

LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball said "Every young man should fill a mission".^[2] Young men between the ages of 19 and 25 who meet standards of worthiness are strongly encouraged to consider a two-year, full-time proselytizing mission. This expectation is based in part on the New Testament passage "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations..." (Matt. 28: 19-20). In 2007, approximately 30% of all 19-year-old LDS men became Mormon missionaries; from LDS families that are active in the church, approximately 80-90% of 19-year-old men serve a mission.^[3]

Women who would like to serve a mission must meet the same standards of worthiness and be at least 21 years old; women generally serve shorter 18-month missions. Married retired couples are encouraged to serve missions as well, but their length of service may vary from 3 to 36 months depending on their circumstances and means.

[edit] Standards of worthiness

All missionaries must meet certain minimum standards of worthiness. Among the standards that a prospective missionary must demonstrate adherence to include regular attendance at church meetings, regular personal prayer, regular study of the Standard Works, adherence to the law of chastity, adherence to the Word of Wisdom, and payment of tithing.

[edit] Other exclusionary factors

In addition to spiritual preparedness, church bishops are instructed to ensure that prospective missionaries are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of full-time missionary work. In the same speech where he called for "every young man" to fill a mission, Kimball added, "we realize that while all men definitely should, all men are not prepared to teach the gospel abroad."^[4] Apart from general issues of worthiness and ability, there are a number of specific situations that will disqualify a person from becoming a full-time missionary for the LDS Church. Among those excluded include those who would have to leave dependent children in the care of someone else; young couples who are still in child-bearing age; those who are in debt and have not made arrangements to meet these obligations; those who are on legal probation or parole; couples with serious unresolved marital problems; those who are HIV positive; and those who have been convicted of sexual abuse.^[5] Additionally, members who have submitted to, performed, encouraged, paid for, or arranged for an abortion and members who have fathered or mothered a child out of wedlock are usually excluded from missionary service, as are men under 26 and women under 40 who have been divorced^[6] and anyone who has participated in "homosexual activity" after the age of 15.^[7]

Until 1978 the LDS church did not call people of African descent to go on missions, due to the priesthood status of black members at the time. This status was changed during Kimball's presidency. ^[8]

[edit] Mission call

After application to the church and the requisite approval, prospective missionaries receive a "call to serve"—an official notification of their location assignment—through the mail from the President of the Church. The mission call will also inform the prospective missionary what language he will be expected to use during his mission. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are responsible for assigning missionaries to a particular mission.

[edit] Temple attendance

Before beginning their mission, prospective male missionaries are usually ordained to the office of an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood (if they do not hold this office already). All missionaries are "set apart" by the laying on of hands to preach the gospel; this is usually performed by the missionary's stake president. Prospective missionaries also usually attend the temple for the first time to receive their Endowment if they have not already done so.

[edit] Training

Newly-called missionaries attend a short training period at one of 17 church Missionary Training Centers (MTCs) worldwide.^[9] The largest MTC is located in Provo, Utah^[10] adjacent to Brigham Young University. Missionaries who will not be learning a language in order to serve their missions spend three weeks at an MTC and are trained in the use of proselytizing materials, taught expected conduct, and study the scriptures. Missionaries bound for foreign-language missions spend eight to thirteen weeks at an MTC, depending on the language to be learned. During this period, they are encouraged not to speak in their native tongue but rather to immerse themselves in the new language.

[edit] Cost

Missionaries are expected to pay their own expenses while on the mission, often with assistance from family and friends. In the past, each missionary paid his or her actual living expenses, but this approach created a disproportionate burden on missionaries who were assigned to more expensive areas of the world. In 1990, a new program was introduced to equalize the financial responsibility for each missionary and his or her family. Now, all young missionaries pay a flat monthly rate which is then redistributed according to regional costs of living. The cost of a mission as of January 2006 is USD$400 per month, which covers food, lodging, transportation, and personal items.^{[citation needed]} As families now contribute to a general fund for missionary expenses, the sum is deductible under many nations' tax policies regarding charitable gifts.

Young people in the church are encouraged to save money throughout their childhood and teenage years to pay for as much of their mission as they can, although many receive assistance from parents, family, or friends.^{[citation needed]} Missionaries who cannot save the required funds may obtain assistance from their home congregation or from a general missionary fund operated by the church and contributed to by Latter-day Saints around the world. Married couple missionaries are expected to pay their own costs.^[11] In many areas, church members often invite locally-assigned missionaries over for meals to help reduce the overall expenditures of the missionary program.

[edit] Dress and grooming

Full-time Mormon missionaries are required to adhere to a dress code: for men, conservative, dark trousers and suit coats, white dress shirts, and ties are generally required. For women, modest and professional dresses or blouses and skirts must be worn. In some areas these standards are altered slightly. For example, in hot, humid climates, suit coats are not required and dress shirts may be short-sleeved. Casual clothes may be worn when appropriate, when missionaries are providing manual labor or during preparation day, when the missionaries are involved in recreation, cleaning, shopping (at the discretion of the mission president), and laundry.

All full-time missionaries wear a name tag that gives their surname with the appropriate title ("Elder" or "Sister" in English-speaking areas). The name tag also bears the church's name, unless the mission president considers this inadvisable due to circumstances in the area (e.g., adverse political conditions).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Schedule

[edit] A missionary's day

Missionaries follow a very structured program. Missionaries are assigned a time scheduled to go to bed and to wake up that varies depending on the local culture. This is a typical missionary's daily schedule:

• 6:30 am – 10:00 am: morning routine. This period of time consists of 30 minutes of exercise, 30 minutes of studying The Book of Mormon, The Bible, and other LDS scripture, 30 minutes studying Preach My Gospel, one hour of planning and studying as a companionship, and one hour to otherwise get ready for the day (shower, eat, pray, etc.). Missionaries who are learning a foreign language also use part of the morning routine for language study and training.

• 10:00 am – 9:00 pm: missionary work. The missionary companionship goes out and performs their missionary work, which may include proselytizing and community service activities. They schedule one hour for lunch and one hour for dinner during this time.

• 9:00 pm – 10:30 pm: evening routine. The missionary writes in his journal, prays, plans and sets goal for the next day and makes necessary phone calls, and prepares for bed.

[edit] A missionary's week

Missionaries perform their work as normal every day of the week except for one (which varies according to mission) which is called "preparation day". This day (often nicknamed P-day) is for preparing for the week. The missionaries also use this day as a day to rest from their rigorous daily schedule. Common preparation day activities include buying groceries, doing laundry, cleaning their living quarters, playing sports, writing letters, and visiting tourist attractions. Missionaries living close to an LDS temple may be permitted to attend temple services on preparation day. Preparation day usually ends at 6:00 pm, after which missionaries carry out their missionary activities as normal. Missionaries are also instructed to maintain the same morning routine on preparation days, including individual and companionship study.

Missionaries hold a weekly planning session once a week as well. Sunday also differs for missionaries in that they interrupt their normal activities to attend at least one three-hour block of worship services of the church. Along with these services, missionaries may meet with the local Ward or Branch Mission Leader. District leaders meet with Zone leaders in a District Leader Council once a week, and all missionaries in the district gather for District Meeting weekly.

[edit] Monthly events

About once every month-and-a-half, zone conferences are held in which all missionaries in a broad area are in attendance. The Mission President interviews each missionary, and he and his Assistants instruct the missionaries in Church doctrine and in proselyting techniques. Occasionally, a General Authority of the Church may be present at these meetings. Also every month-and-a-half, missionary transfers occur, in which missionaries learn whether they are going to move to a new area of the mission or receive a new companion. Also, once a transfer, Zone leaders gather for a Zone Leader's Council with the President and his Assistants.

[edit] Organization

[edit] Missions and mission leadership

Main article: Mission (LDS Church)

Every part of the world is assigned to be within a mission of the church, whether or not Mormon missionaries are active in the area. An adult male mission president presides over the missionaries in the mission.

Most missions are divided into several zones, a zone being a geographic area specified by the mission president. A zone encompasses several more organizational units called districts. Each zone and district is presided over by leaders drawn from male missionaries serving in that area. Zone and district leaders are responsible for gathering weekly statistics and assisting missionaries in their areas of responsibility. A district typically encompasses four to eight missionaries, and may or may not comprise more than one proselytizing area.

In addition to the leaders mentioned above, the mission president has two or more assistants. Assistants to the President (APs) are typically missionaries who have previously served as district and/or zone leaders. They assist the president in administering policies and helping missionaries throughout the mission.

[edit] Companionships

A missionary companionship, consisting of two or, occasionally, three missionaries, is the smallest organizational unit of a mission. Every missionary is assigned by the mission president to be another missionary's companion. Missionary companionships are generally maintained for months at a time and most missionaries will have served with multiple companions by the end of their mission. Only in rare instances will missionary companions have met prior to the start of their missions. A missionary's companion is always a missionary of the same gender, with the exception of married couples, who serve as each others' missionary companion for the entirety of their mission.

Missionary companions are instructed to never be apart during the day or night (with the exception of time allowed for bathing and use of the toilet). Companions share the same living quarters and the same bedroom (but not the same bed, except in the case of married missionary couples). When companions have conflicting personalities or interests, they are encouraged to try to resolve them themselves. If they are unable to do so, mission leaders may be used to help resolve the differences. Sometimes the only resolution is reassigning the missionaries to new companions, however this is often seen as a 'failure' on the part of the missionaries.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Personal relationships

[edit] Contact with family and friends

Missionaries are encouraged to write a letter to their parents weekly. Because almost all of their time is otherwise occupied, other communication is limited. However, a missionary may use preparation day to correspond with any person that is resident outside of the boundaries of the mission. Missionaries do not go on vacation and are generally only permitted to telephone their parents on Christmas Day and on Mother's Day (some mission presidents also allow missionaries to telephone their parents on Father's Day). Missionaries are provided with a free church e-mail account to correspond with their parents and other relatives, but a missionary may only access their account on preparation day using a computer in a public location, such as at a public library or an internet café.

[edit] Romantic relationships

Single missionaries are prohibited from dating or courting while serving missions. The requirement of companionships staying together at all times is intended, among other reasons, to discourage these activities. While missionaries may interact with members of the opposite sex, they may never be alone with them or engage in any kind of intimate physical or emotional activity (e.g., kissing, hugging, holding hands, flirting). Missionary companionships are also asked to not visit with single members of the opposite sex apart from an initial first visit. If further visits are required, those contacts are usually handed over to a companionship of the same gender as the contact or to married couple missionaries.

Missionaries may have ongoing romantic heterosexual relationships with persons residing outside of the mission, but missionaries are prohibited from meeting with them or telephoning them while serving their missions. They may, however, write to these persons once a week by postal mail. However, missionaries often end their romantic relationships before serving their missions, as many see it as the best option for both parties involved.^{[citation needed]} Some missionaries, on the other hand, choose to continue their romantic relationships while on their missions. This can, of course, lead to a "Dear John" letter. Some relationships are able to last during this time of separation.

[edit] Marital status

In the early days of the LDS Church, men were called to serve missions regardless of marital status. Today, however, married young men are not expected to serve missions, unless called to oversee a mission as a mission president. A call to be a mission president is typically extended to the married couple, and in turn, the entire family of the chosen mission president. Older retired couples also may serve as missionaries.

[edit] Number of missionaries and number of converts

Further information: Membership history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

As of December 31, 2006, there were 53,164 Mormon missionaries serving in 344 church missions throughout the world. Their work, often in cooperation with local members, resulted in 272,845 convert baptisms in 2006.^[12] Author David Stewart points out that the number of convert baptisms per missionary per year has fallen from a high of 8.03 in 1989 to just 4.67 in 2005.^[13] He argues that the number of converts would increase if Mormon missionaries made greater efforts in meeting new people; he points out that the average companionship spends only four or five hours per week attempting to meet new people.^[13]

[edit] Types of missionaries

The most visible and most common type of missionaries are typically those who proselytize door-to-door and ride bicycles for transportation, but not all missionaries engage in these activities. There are "service missionaries" who solely perform volunteer work in impoverished areas, do genealogical research, or are tour guides or hosts at Temple Square and other historical church sites. In many areas, even proselytizing missionaries spend most of their day responding to incoming phone calls and queries, delivering requested media from the church's television and radio commercials. Many missionaries also use public transportation, walk, or in some areas drive automobiles owned by the church.

The LDS Church also has a strong welfare and humanitarian missionary program. These humanitarian missionaries typically serve in impoverished areas of the world and do not actively proselytize; humanitarian missionaries will not wear any identifying tags if local law forbids it. This allows them to operate in countries where religious organizations are typically forbidden, such as in predominantly Muslim countries or in Southeast Asia. Regular proselytizing missionaries are asked to engage in welfare activities and community service for a minimum of four hours per week.

In 2007, 80% of all Mormon missionaries were young, unmarried men, 13% young single women, and 7% retired couples.^[14]

[edit] Senior missionaries

All retired couples and elderly single women of the Mormon Church who are able both physically and financially are encouraged to go on missions. For those with health or financial limitations, many other opportunities of service in their home congregations are available.

Senior missionaries, also called Elders and Sisters like their younger counterparts, pay their own expenses, though they may receive some assistance from family. They have more choice in the placement and purpose of their mission, particularly if they have unique skills such as medical expertise or knowledge of foreign languages. Many serve humanitarian missions in which they are sent to specific regions and help with agriculture, food procurement, medical missions, or clean water initiatives. These are run through the Humanitarian Services arm of the LDS Philanthropies first begun in 1955. The LDS Church has recently begun immunization projects and a wheelchair initiative with much of the volunteer work being performed by senior missionaries. Some senior missionary couples serve as leaders in areas of the world where there are few experienced church leaders. Part of their responsibility includes training local members to be effective leaders.

Senior missionaries represent a small percentage of the total full-time missionary force of the Mormon Church. As of 2004, there were approximately 5,000 senior couple missionaries in the Church out of more than 56,000 total missionaries.^{[citation needed]} However, senior missionaries form a large part of the Church’s part-time missionary force.

In the last couple of decades, the LDS Church has stepped up its call for senior couple missionaries. Leaders have encouraged this both as a responsibility all of us have to help our fellow men and as a cure to loneliness and depression which often affects the elderly. In 2002, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said,

"Caring for the elderly has become one of the great social problems of our time. Of course they reach an age when they cannot do very much. I can testify of that. But there are years between retirement and that age when they can play around doing things that really lead nowhere or they can give their great talents, the fruits of many years of marvelous experience, to lift and help people. They become concerned with others less fortunate and work to meet their needs. And they say, 'What a great time we are having!' I know of one couple now on their eighth such mission."^[15]

[edit] Building missionaries

Building missionaries were originally called by the president of the Tongan Mission in the early 1950s. Among their major successes was building Liahona High School.

From 1955 on, Wendell B. Mendenhall institutionalized building missionaries on a larger scale with skilled tradesmen called as supervisors of the missionaries. Most of the supervisors were Americans, while most of the workers were young men indigenous to the areas of the South Pacific and Latin America where the work was carried out. However, at times the situation was more complex. One example is Jose Alvarez, who was a native of Argentina, but had lived in the Uited States for three years when he was called to go with his family to Chile, where he served as a building missionary supervisor.^[16]

The building missionary program was phased out in the 1970s.^[17]

[edit] Coming of age

For young Latter-day Saints, completing a mission is often seen as a rite of passage and most tend to regard it as a positive event; the phrase "the best two years of my life" is a common cliché among returned missionaries when describing their experience. President Gordon B Hinckley stated that "[the mission] is not to be a rite of passage," but this cultural aspect remains. With the usual starting age of 18-21, the mission provides a clear event or marker for the traditional age of adulthood.

[edit] Returned missionaries

A returned missionary (often abbreviated "RM") is a term used by members of the LDS Church to refer to men and women who have previously served as Mormon missionaries. Once they return home, RMs are generally encouraged to begin dating seriously and to seek to get married,^{[citation needed]} since marriage is highly esteemed in LDS culture.

While technically a neutral term referring to any person who has returned from a mission, RM is most often used when referring to men who have returned.

In Mormon culture, stereotypes and jokes abound regarding newly returned missionaries, most dealing with their difficulties in handling the reverse culture shock or learning to speak their native language again if they served a foreign-speaking mission. Other stereotypes revolve around the fact that as missionaries, they lived highly structured, disciplined lives and avoided contact with members of the opposite sex, so many RMs have difficulty readjusting to social life and dating.^[18] Other stereotypes include the supposed rush of many RMs to get married as soon as possible. Many families whose daughters are old enough to marry encourage them to date RMs since they are judged to be the most eligible.

Returned missionaries are frequently called to assist in the local missionary effort and are encouraged to stay active within the LDS Church through callings and service.^[19] RMs who served in the same mission frequently stay in touch and gather for mission reunions held in Salt Lake City to coincide with the semiannual LDS General Conference.

Some celebrities served LDS missions, such as the following.

Person	Area served
Aaron Eckhart	France; Switzerland
Jon Heder	Japan
Corbin Allred	Australia
Shawn Bradley	Australia
Kevin Rahm	France
Larry Bagby	Argentina
Kevin Curtis	England

[edit] Mormon missionaries in popular culture

[edit] Films

• Return With Honor: A drama about a young man's struggle to "save" his mom after his 2 year mission.
• The Best Two Years: A comedy film about a group of missionaries in Holland who are struggling with their missionary work.
• The R.M.: A comedy about a returned missionary's adjustment to life post-mission.
• God's Army: A film about a young missionary's adjustment to mission life in Los Angeles.
• States of Grace: Portrays themes of repentance and change in a mission story set in a gang-ridden section of Los Angeles.
• The Other Side of Heaven: A Disney film about the mission experiences of John H. Groberg in Tonga.
• Saturday's Warrior: A film in which two missionaries convert an artist searching for truth.
• Star Child: A sequel to Saturday's Warrior in which a missionary dies of cancer.
• Latter Days: A movie in which a secretly homosexual Mormon missionary is seduced by a Los Angeles man.
• Trapped by the Mormons: a silent, anti-mormon propaganda film, portraying Mormon missionaries as evil kidnappers. Originally released in 1922,^[20] with a remake in 2005.^[21]
• Orgazmo: an NC-17 comedy film in which the main character, a Mormon missionary, is coerced into making porn videos.
• Get the Fire: A PBS documentary (controversial to many Mormons) of the struggles missionaries go through when serving in foreign countries.
• Millions: A movie about a British boy who stumbles across millions of stolen pounds (£) and is inspired by several Mormon missionaries to do good with it. One of his good deeds includes secretly giving the missionaries money.^[22]

[edit] Literature

• Groberg, John H. (1993). In the Eye of the Storm (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft) ISBN 0884949001. Groberg's book which was adapted into a movie, The Other Side of Heaven. In 2001, Deseret Book re-released Groberg's book under the latter title (ISBN 157008789X).

[edit] Other

In 2007, two former Mormon missionaries from Las Vegas, Nevada released a 2008 wall calendar entitled "Men on a Mission".^{[23][24][25][26]} The calendar features pictures of twelve returned missionaries "in standard missionary attire—white button-down shirts and ties" and "also reveals them shirtless, with chests waxed, in various moments of repose."^[27]

[edit] History

The following table indicates when missionaries from the LDS Church first preached in the territory of present-day countries.^[28]

Date	Country (current name and territory)	First official church missionary	Notes
1830	United States	Samuel H. Smith	Smith is regarded as the "first missionary" of the LDS Church. He preached in New York in June 1830.
1830	Canada	Joseph Smith, Sr. and Don Carlos Smith	Although Phineas Young preached in Upper Canada several months before the Smiths, when he did so he was not a member of the church and therefore was not an official missionary of the church. The Smiths preached in villages north of the St. Lawrence River in Upper Canada in September 1830.
1837	United Kingdom	Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde	Kimball and Hyde first preached in Preston, England
1840	Ireland	John Taylor, James McGuffie, and William Black	A few months before Taylor, McGuffie, and Black arrived in Ireland, Reuben Headlock preached in Belfast, which was part of Ireland at the time but which is now in Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom
1840	Australia	William Barratt	Barratt was a 17-year-old convert from England whose family emigrated to Australia. Before his departure, he was set apart as a missionary to Australia.
1841	Netherlands	Orson Hyde	Hyde spent a week in Rotterdam and Amsterdam preaching to Jewish rabbis.
1841	Germany	Orson Hyde	A British church member named James Howells preached in Germany in 1840, but he was not an official missionary of the church.
1841	Turkey	Orson Hyde	Hyde preached in Constantinople.
1841	Israel	Orson Hyde	Hyde preached in Jerusalem and dedicated Palestine for the return of the Jews.
1843	Samoa	"four men"
1850	Denmark	Erastus Snow, John E. Forsgren, and George P. Dykes	First preached in Copenhagen
1850	France	John Taylor and Curtis E. Boulton	A Welsh convert named William Howells preached in France in 1849, but he was not an official missionary of the church.
1850	Italy	Lorenzo Snow, Joseph Toronto, and Thomas Stenhouse	First preached in Genoa
1850	Sweden	John E. Forsgren
1850	Switzerland	Thomas Stenhouse and Lorenzo Snow
1851	Norway	Hans F. Petersen	Petersen was one of the first converts baptized in Denmark
1851	Iceland	Guðmundur Guðmundsson and Thorarinn Thorason	Guðmundsson and Torason joined the church in Denmark and were sent back to their native Iceland as missionaries.
1851	India	Joseph Richards	Church members Benjamin Richey and George Barber preached in India in 1849, but they were not official missionaries of the church.
1851	Chile	Parley P. Pratt and Rufus C. Allen
1852	Malta	Lorenzo Snow
1853	South Africa	Jesse Haven, Leonard L. Smith, and William H. Walker	Preached first in Cape Town.
1853	China	Hosea Stout, James Lewis, and Chapman Duncan	Preached first in Hong Kong.
1853	Jamaica	Darwin Richardson, Aaron F. Fan, Jesse Turpin, and A. B. Lambson
1853	Sri Lanka	Chauncey W. West and Benjamin F. Dewey
1854	New Zealand	Augustus Farnham and William Cooke	Preached first in Auckland and Nelson
1854	Thailand	Elam Luddington	Preached first in Bangkok.
1856	Mauritius	George Kershaw
1865	Austria	Orson Pratt and William W. Ritter
1876	Mexico	Daniel Webster Jones and Ammon N. Tenney
1876	Finland	Carl A. Sundstrom and John E. Sundstrom	Preached first in Vaasa.
1884	Czech Republic	Thomas Biesinger	Preached in Prague.
1885	Hungary	Thomas Biesinger and Paul Hammer	Preached in Budapest.
1888	Belgium	Mischa Markow	Preached in Antwerp.
1891	Tonga	Brigham Smoot and Alva J. Butler
1895	Russia	August Höglund	Preached in St. Petersburg.
1899	Serbia	Mischa Markow	Preached in Belgrade.
1899	Croatia	Mischa Markow
1899	Romania	Mischa Markow
1900	Bulgaria	Mischa Markow
1901	Japan	Heber J. Grant, Horace S. Ensign, Louis A. Kelsch, and Alma O. Taylor
1903	Latvia	Mischa Markow	Preached in Riga.
1905	Greece
1925	Argentina	Rulon S. Wells and Rey Pratt	Preached first in Buenos Aires. Wells preached in German and Pratt preached in Spanish.
1928	Brazil	Rheinhold Stoof, William F. Heinz, and Emil Schindler	Preaching began among German speakers.
1929	Slovakia	Arthur Gaeth	Gaeth was the first mission president of the Czechoslovakia Mission. Thomas Biesinger had previously preached within Czechoslovakia, but only in the current territory of the Czech Republic.
1930	Zimbabwe
1946	Costa Rica	Arwell L. Pierce, Robert B. Miller, and David D. Lingard
1947	Guatemala	Seth G. Mattice, Earl E. Hansen, Robert B. Miller, and David D. Lingard
1947	Uruguay	Frederick S. Williams
1949	El Salvador	Glenn W. Skousen and Omer Farnsworth
1950	Paraguay
1952	Honduras	James T. Thorup and George W. Allen
1953	Nicaragua	Manuel Arias and Archie R. Mortensen
1954	Fiji	Boyd L. Harris and Sheldon L. Abbott
1954	South Korea	Richard L. Detton and Don G. Powell
1964	Bolivia		Preached in Cochabamba.
1956	Peru	Darwin Thomas, Edward T. Hall, Donald L. Hokanson, Shirrel M. Plowman
1956	Taiwan	Weldon J. Kitchen, Keith Madsen, Duane W. Dean, and Melvin C. Fish
1961	Philippines	Ray Goodson, Harry Murray, Kent Lowe, and Nestor Ledesma
1963	Luxembourg	Hyrum M. Smith and Gerald E. Malmrose
1965	Ecuador	Craig Carpenter, Bryant R. Gold, Lindon Robinson, and Paul O. Allen
1965	Panama	Ted E. Brewerton
1966	Colombia	Randall Harmsen and Jerry Broome	Preached first in Bogotá.
1967	Venezuela	Ted E. Brewerton, Floyd Baum, Neil Gruwell, David Bell, and Fred Podlesny
1968	Singapore
1970	Spain
1970	Indonesia	"six missionaries"
1972	Kiribati	Eb L. Davis
1972	Malaysia
1973	Vietnam	Colin B. Van Orman, James L. Chrisensen, David T. Posey, and Richard C. Holloman
1974	Portugal	William Grant Bangerter
1975	Slovenia	Neil D. Schaerrer
1975	Vanuatu	Asaeli Mokofisi and Peni Malohifo’ou
1976	Micronesia	George L. Mortensen and Aldric Porter	Preached first on Pohnpei.
1977	Marshall Islands	William Wardel and Steven Cooper
1977	Poland	Matthew and Marion Ciembronowicz[29]
1977	Trinidad and Tobago	Chris Doty, Doug Mathews, Randy Clark, and David Roos
1978	Dominican Republic	John A. Davis and Ada Davis	Latter-day Saints Eddie Amparo and Mercedes Amparo preached prior to 1978, but they were not official missionaries of the church.
1978	Ghana	Edwin Q. "Ted" Cannon, Janath Cannon, Rendell N. Mabey, Rachel Mabey
1978	Nigeria	Edwin Q. "Ted" Cannon, Janath Cannon, Rendell N. Mabey, Rachel Mabey
1978	Suriname	John Limburg and Beverly Limburg
1978	Palau	Ron Brown and Stanton Akana
1980	Belize	Samuel Flores and Robert Henke
1980	Haiti	Glenn E. Stringham
1980	Papua New Guinea	L. Douglas Johnson and Eva Johnson
1980	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	Steven B. Wooley and Terry Williams
1983	St. Lucia	Todd Hardy, Paul Jackson, Jay Schroeder, and Marty Harris
1984	St. Kitts and Nevis	Douglas Myers and Robert J. Molina
1984	Antigua and Barbuda	Ralph Tate and Aileen Tate
1984	Nauru	Joseph B. Keeler
1984	Tuvalu	Joseph B. Keeler, Glen Cornwall, and Shirley Cornwall
1985	Grenada	Robert W. Hoffmaster and Leonard G. Gill
1986	Democratic Republic of the Congo	R. Bay Hutchings and Jean Hutchings
1987	Swaziland	Kenneth Edwards and Betty Edwards
1987	Liberia
1987	Cyprus	James O. Henrie and Evelyn H. Henrie
1988	Guyana	Benjamin Hudson and Ruth Hudson
1988	Cape Verde	Marion K. Hamblin, Christopher Lee, Ken Margetts
1988	Côte d'Ivoire	Barnard S. Silver and Cherry Silver
1988	Sierra Leone
1989	Lesotho	Marc Modersitzki and Bradley Saunderson
1990	Botswana	R.J. Stone
1990	Namibia
1990	Uganda	Lark Washburn and Arlea Washburn
1990	Estonia	Gary L. Browning	Browning was the president of the Finland Helsinki East Mission, which had jurisdiction over Estonia.
1991	Ukraine	Gary L. Browning	Browning was the president of the Finland Helsinki East Mission, which had jurisidiction over Ukraine.
1991	Kenya
1991	Republic of Congo
1992	Mongolia	Kenneth H. Beesley and Donna Beesley
1992	Malawi	James Griggs and Diane Griggs
1992	Tanzania
1992	Albania
1992	Lithuania	Gary L. Browning; Robert Rees and Ruth Rees	Browning was president of the Helsinki Finland East Mission, which had jurisdiction over Lithuania. The Rees were the first missionaries assigned to preach in Lithuania.
1993	Angola
1993	Cameroon
1993	Central African Republic	"a French missionary couple"
1993	Ethiopia	Eugene Hilton and Ruth Hilton
1993	Madagascar
1995	Solomon Islands	E. Crawford Jones and Judith Jones
1997	Moldova
1999	Mozambique
1999	Georgia	Philip Reber and Betty Reber
2001	Kazakhstan	Barry A. Baker and Tamara H. Baker

[edit] Incidents

In August 2006, three male missionaries from Idaho, Nevada and California participated in the vandalism of a Roman Catholic shrine in San Luis, Colorado. This included pretending to sacrifice each other and holding the head of one of the statues. The LDS Church apologized for the desecration shortly after the incident.^[30] The incident recalled a 1972 occurrence in which a pair of missionaries in Thailand took pictures of themselves sitting on an ancient Buddha statue. Although the missionaries may not have recognized the statue for what it was, they were caught and sentenced to a year in prison, and their images were published in the newspapers. The King of Thailand pardoned them on his birthday, and they were released after six months. Missionaries of the church are counseled to respect other religions and cultures in order to avoid such conflicts.^[31]

Missionaries have also been the victims of violence at times, though rarely. From 1999 to 2006, only three LDS missionaries were murdered worldwide, while 22 died in accidents of some sort. Missionaries of other Christian faiths have a much higher murder-to-accident ratio, with 155 out of 164 missionaries dying due to murder rather than accident.^[32] One of the three LDS missionaries killed during that time was Elder Morgan Young, who died after he and his companion were shot while proselytizing in a residential area of Virginia. His companion survived.^[33] A few cases of kidnapping have also occurred, a recent one being in 1998, when two male missionaries were abducted while working in the Samara region of Russia. The kidnappers demanded USD$300,000 dollars for their return. The missionaries were released unharmed a few days later without payment of the ransom.^[34] In 2008, three men from Port Shepstone, South Africa were convicted of raping and robbing two Mormon women missionaries in June 2006.^[35]

[edit] References

1. Harper, Steven C. (1998), “Missionaries in the American Religious Marketplace: Mormon Proselyting in the 1830s”, Journal of Mormon History 24 (2): 1–29, <http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/jmh,13001> 

[edit] External links

• LDS Mission Network - A comprehensive index of LDS missionary alumni web sites
• Articles about mormon missionaries
• "Mormon Missionaries, the Vatican, and Respect" article by Cooper Johnson from FAIRLDS.org
• Brief History of Mormon Missionary Work
• Mormon Missionary Diaries : Brigham Young University's online collection of missionary diaries, spanning 1830s to 1960s

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