Mormon Times: "Moving beyond full-time proselyting missions"

We've learned a lot about the variety of non-traditional Church missions as we've written about Elliot's traditional proselyting mission. Several months ago we featured a story about Church-service missionaries, where members of the Church can serve missions of varying lengths, performing service in many different ways, frequently while living at home. More recently, we learned of the inspirational story of Elder Sterling Wyatt, a missionary from Logan, Utah, who served a mission despite physical limitations. I think it's great there are alternatives to traditional missionary service for those who need some flexibility.

Today's Mormon Times includes a video interview of Joel Moriyama, director of the Church-service mission program. It's an interesting look at service missions, and includes some discussion of Elder Wyatt. He explains that 22,299 members donated 9.9 million hours of service in 2011. Enjoy the interview.

Mormon Messages: "Young Church Service Missionaries: Elder Wyatt"

We posted a story some time ago about Church service missions, non-traditional missions designed for those who wish to serve but, for one reason or another, are not able to perform the duties of a traditional proselytizing mission or wish to serve in a different capacity. The Church recently posted a Mormon Messages video that tells of the experience of one such young man, Sterling Wyatt of Logan, Utah, whose physical limitations did not limit his desire to serve. It's a great story of family, service, and devotion. Enjoy the video.

Missionaries continue to provide service in Japan

I love stories of missionary service, and there have been many such stories in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.  A pair of recent reports (here and here) document the service rendered by a group of 80 missionaries who helped to restore a Shinto shrine in Tagajo, right outside Sendai.

The Yawata Shrine had been devastated by the tsunami with cars washed into the grounds, the shrine flooded, and sacred relics scattered and destroyed. Eighty missionaries from Tokyo spent the day clearing out the debris and salvaging the shrine's treasures.

Their service did not go unnoticed by local religious leaders.

When Moriyasu Ito at Meiji Shrine saw the pictures of the service project in Tagajo he was overwhelmed and contacted the Church, which has had a long-standing relationship with the shrine. A priest who has responsibility for international affairs at the shrine, he has studied at BYU and lived with an LDS family in Provo, Utah.

He exclaimed, "Even we have not done anything to help the shrines in Tohoku. We want to know why the Mormons have done this."

At the invitation of leaders of the Mejia Shrine in Tokyo, missionaries and their leaders had an opportunity to explain why they render such service.

President William S. Albrecht of the Japan Tokyo Mission introduced eight missionaries who had worked on the project. Each of the missionaries spoke before a group of around 50 priests and employees, describing the feelings they had while working at the Yawata Shrine. Warmth, gratitude and happiness were a consistent theme in their remarks. During a question-and-answer session, Meiji priests asked why the missionaries chose to go on a full-time mission. The missionaries discussed their personal motivation for taking time out of their lives to give service to Christ.

Sister Cindy Grames, a full-time missionary who directs Public Affairs in the Asia North Area with her husband, Elder Conan Grames, explained, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has great respect and appreciation for Meiji Shrine and its clergy. The Yawata project was an opportunity to strengthen the bonds between our two religions as well as lend a helping hand to a friend. The Shinto religion epitomizes the culture and beauty of this great nation. We were pleased to help."