I'm a Mormon. {Ha. You know you're off to a good start when you accidentally type "I'm a Moron." Here we go, people.}
In our Church, young men volunteer to do full-time unpaid missionary service for two years. Most young men go when they're 19 years old, placing college and vocational careers on hold. They have no say in where they go, but they go willingly, because that's the caliber of young men that go on missions. Young women may go as well, when they're 21.
My brother is on a mission in Uruguay right now. Missionaries get to email home once a week, and they get to call home on Christmas and Mother's Day.
Yesterday we got to Skype with Covey, or Hermano Wilson, as he is called down there. We all squished around the laptop and talked face to face with him.
He showed us the best way to carry your backpack to lessen the chance of getting mugged, and so you can quickly swing if off your shoulder and use it to fend off attacking dogs.
He couldn't believe how much McKay's voice had changed, or how tall he had gotten.
He told Sam and I he wants sobrinos by the time he came home.
At the end of his allotted hour, we knelt down as a family and said a prayer. It was such a tender moment. Even though we're halfway across the world, our family was as close as it's ever been during that prayer.
I believe in Mormon missionaries. I believe in the good they do for strangers. I believe in the message of truth and comfort that they preach about. And I believe in the blessings that come from their sacrifice.
P.S. To learn more about my church, go here.
P.P.S. To read Covey's crazy missionary adventures, go here. Last week he ate cow bladder paste??
P.P.S. This post wasn't officially endorsed by the Church. It's just an experience I wanted to share.
