You've probably seen a pair of young men in suits out riding bikes with their goofy helmets on (who even does that these days?) and wearing backpacks. Maybe they've even come to your door, asking if they can share a message with you. But have you ever wondered how they got to be there? If they like knocking on doors so much, then why don't they get jobs as pizza delivery guys or something, or go to school?
Mormons believe that we have the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Other churches have a lot of the truth and do an excellent job of bringing people to Christ, but they don't have as much knowledge as has been revealed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is because of this belief that Mormons believe that God has commanded us to share the fullness of the Gospel with the world. - If you have a good thing, you want to share it, right? If it's below zero and you have an overabundance of winter coats, and your neighbors don't have any, then you should give your neighbors some coats.
To qualify to serve for the full 18 months or 2 years, a prospective missionary must be able to meet the physical, mental, and emotional demands of a full-time mission. Young men must be at least 18 and single. For women, the age is 19. Older married couples may also serve a mission. Each prospective missionary must pass a worthiness interview with his or her bishop (the leader of a congregation), and then pass a similar interview with the stake president (the leader of a group of congregations). The interviews pretty much ask if you're living your beliefs, and they also make sure that you're prepared and able to serve.
Other preparation includes receiving vaccinations, having wisdom teeth removed, losing weight if necessary, purchasing missionary attire (like really good shoes for 2 years of walking!), getting a physical, and sending in an application.
After all the requirements have been met and the application sent in, the prospective missionary waits to receive his mission call from the First Presidency (three men who lead the Church, along with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles). When he receives his mission call a few months later, he usually calls his friends and family together and opens it. The mission call tells him where he is called to serve, what language he will be speaking, and when to report to the MTC (Missionary Training Center - there are several throughout the world).
The missionary bids farewell to loved ones and spends a few weeks at the MTC learning to speak his mission language and how to teach effectively. Then he is transported to where he will be serving, and the fun begins!
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If you or someone you know is sick, injured, or otherwise unwell, you can get a blessing for that person. If you don't know any Mormons who can help you get one, you can contact the local missionaries or a local Mormon leader by using these tools on Mormon.org:
