Opening doors Young Mormons work hard to spread the gospel

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- It's a cold, rainy day in April, and Justin Stanger is sick.

He woke up with a stomachache, and as he walks down a country road just west of Columbia, the morning chill hangs heavy on his shoulders.

But Stanger is on a mission. It never crosses his mind to take the day off. Originally from Ogden, Utah, Stanger is a Mormon missionary, a member of The Jesus Christ Church of Latter-day Saints. Known as "Elder Stanger," he's learning the ropes from fellow missionary Elder Blayne Wyler, 20, of Mesa, Ariz.

His stomach is hurting, but Stanger knows there's work to be done, so he and Wyler continue door to door as the rain falls. A German shepherd sniffs them, then decides to follow as the young men walk. Many times when they knock, no one comes to the door. People either are out or don't want to be bothered. Finally a woman opens the door, and Elder Wyler greets her with a smile.

"Hi, this is my friend Elder Stanger, and I'm Elder Wyler, and we're from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We're sharing a message about the gospel of Jesus Christ and wonder if you have a few minutes where we could come in and speak with you today."

The answer is sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but they've heard it all before. Wyler and Stanger are two of eight Mormon missionaries assigned to the Columbia area at any given time.

They work in twos, share a small apartment and usually stay anywhere from three to six months before moving to another city during their two-year mission. But the commitment to being a missionary starts even before they're chosen by church leaders. It takes money to get there. Each missionary pays his own expenses, about $10,000, for the privilege to teach others.

Although mission work is voluntary, young Mormon men are taught to accept Jesus' command: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every person."

But they don't expect to convert everybody. One baptism is a celebration.

At each assignment, Stanger and Wyler also donate time to a charity. Stanger and Wyler volunteer two days a week at the Central Missouri Food Bank in Columbia.

Two phone calls a year

During their mission, they do not watch TV, read newspapers or listen to the radio. They have a strict dress code that mandates a white shirt, tie and name tag. Letters are encouraged, but phone calls home are limited to two a year: Mother's Day and Christmas.

Elder Stanger misses the snow-covered mountains of his beloved Utah. Although many of his former classmates are in college, Stanger has no such plans. He wants to open a ski business with a couple of buddies.

"That's pretty much it," he said. "I'm going to ski till I die."

Wyler misses his girlfriend, Brittany. He also misses the $1,500 guitar his brother suggested he buy before he left. Now, his brother plays it.

"I didn't know why he wanted me to buy that guitar," Wyler said. "Now I do."

Their days are planned to the minute. They wake up at 6:30 each morning, study the Bible, eat breakfast and, by 9:30 a.m., head out to neighborhoods to meet with less-active church members or people who have agreed to a follow-up visit.

To save money, lunch is often warmed-up leftovers. With a living stipend of just $140 a month each, even a meal at McDonald's is a luxury. Soon, Stanger and Wyler are back to work making appointments and spending long hours going on door-to-door visits.

On a good day, they will have a home-cooked meal with a local church member. They rarely get home before 9:30 p.m., but it's not time to rest. This is when they go over the day's progress and make plans to spread the word the next day. It's hard work, but for Stanger and Wyler, it's more than that. Just last month, the young men accomplished something rarely experienced by their fellow missionaries: reaching someone with the word.

On a sultry July evening at a Mormon Chapel on Columbia's Highlands Parkway, a Hallsville mother and daughter changed from summer dresses into white, satin robes and were baptized.