The Mormon Church, with nearly 17 million members worldwide, relies on its missionary program that sends thousands of young men and women aged 18 to 25 around the world for its success.
For those who heed the call, the idea of sacrifice and service includes not only spreading the Mormon message but also foregoing things like dancing, swimming, movies and other activities, which many that age might find restrictive.
For Elder Bruin Salmon, 19 of Chino, Calif. and Elder Talin Ballard, 20, of Boise, Idaho, who are doing their missionary work in Peterborough this summer, the work is a welcome calling, where even a simple conversation at the Peterborough Town Library, they agreed, was “a miracle.”
The pair wake up at 6:30 a.m. every day, complete an hour of personal study – for Talin that’s studying Japanese – and must be out their door on Elm Street by 10 a.m..
“At that point it’s up to us what we do throughout the day and we plan what we do every single day,” Salmon said, explaining that this might involve doing more study, talking with people and making Facebook posts.
The title of elder is given to men over the age of 18 in the Mormon Church and is used by full-time male missionaries. After a mission has been served, the men are referred to as “brother.” Female missionaries, during their missions, are referred to as “the sisters.”
Male and female missionaries have different dress codes, and for Ballard and Salmon, that means wearing the church tag, being clean-shaven, wearing a white shirt and tie and in some areas a suit coat when attending Sunday worship services or other church functions.
Female missionaries can wear professional suits, skirts, blouses, jackets, sweaters and dresses.
“[Womens’] attire isn’t as strict as ours,” Ballard said.
“You can really see us coming, and everyone starts leaving,” Salmon said, laughing.
To become a missionary, an individual must fill out an application that is then reviewed by the president and prophet of the Mormon Church, along with the apostles. Missionaries serve for two years and are placed where the church decides they are needed, Salmon said.
“I found I wanted to go on a mission when I was younger,” said Salmon, whose father was a missionary in Milan, Italy.
The age of consent to become baptized in the Mormon Church is 8, and Samson explained this is also considered the “age of accountability.” It was around this age, he said, that he knew he wanted to do missionary work.
When he was 16, Salmon said he had to find out if the church was true before making a decision to become a missionary.
“I studied from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and found that it was true, and that I needed to go on a mission,” he said. “I always thought missionary work was so cool.”
The application for missionary service requires applicants to be of healthy body and healthy mind and able to perform service, which can include walking for 10 miles a day, and they are not paid for their service.
Salmon said one of the pair’s goals while in Peterborough is to “help other people come into Christ through the Mormon Church” adding that as long as people are “coming closer to Christ, that’s what matters the most.”
The pair’s approach to connecting with people, they agreed, focuses on being approachable and not being aggressive in any way.
“We’ve been reaching out using Facebook because a lot of people are on the internet these days,” Ballard said. “But a lot of times we’ll just be walking down the street or every once and a while we’ll knock on people’s doors; that doesn’t always go so well.”
“Some people don’t like us knocking on their doors, so we get a little bit of pushback occasionally but we’re here for our purpose,” Salmon added.
That purpose is to serve the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, which continues to be one of the fastest-growing faiths in the world. And they don’t get paid.
“I could be back in California going to school, trying to start a family, but I’m out here to dedicate two years of my life,” Samson said, adding that he has been on his mission a little over a year. Prior to being in Peterborough, he served in Gardner Mass., and also Maine and Vermont.
He was accepted at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and expects to attend college there in the fall of 2023.
Ballard said he has been on his mission for 21 months and is hoping to attend BYU next winter in Hawaii.
“The church encourages us to go because it’s a good life experience. You get to go and meet new people, work with new people. [Ballard and I] have only known each other for two weeks, but we’ve lived with each other for two weeks,” Salmon said.