Two smartly dressed young men going door to door in Clarendon, Hedley and surrounding towns aren’t selling encyclopedias or vacuum cleaners. They are simply on a mission, literally, to spread a message.
Elder Pack and Elder Romney represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and they are believed to be the first missionaries to bring the message of the Book of Mormon to this area.
“We came out here because we have a message about truth in God that has helped us and we believe can help others,” Elder Romney says.
LDS youth are encouraged to make a two-year missionary commitment, although it is not required by the church, according to Clarendon resident Daniel Burcham, a member of the LDS church. As a younger man, Burcham did his missionary work in Spain; but with the Iraq War underway, he was on the receiving end of anti-American feelings in Europe.
Romney and Pack’s experience in Clarendon over the past three weeks, by contrast, has been very welcoming, and they say most people they have met have been very nice.
Romney is 18 and calls Utah home, and Pack is 20 years old and from Washington state. They have to pay their own way during their mission and had to take a six-week training that included lessons in Spanish.
Burcham says the missionaries are only looking for people willing to listen and who want to find answers and truth through prayer.
“We’re not here to fight or contend theology,” Elder Pack said. “We’re here to help people increase their faith.”
It’s not typical for LDS missionaries to come to a rural town like Clarendon. Leaders of the church pray about where missionaries should take what they call the restored Gospel.
“We’ve been called here, and we believe Clarendon is ready for our message,” Romney says.
That message is that Christ has one church; but after His death and resurrection and the deaths of the apostles, many truths were lost. LDS members believe they have the truth as restored through a prophet, but Jesus remains at the center of their beliefs.
“We believe people should seek the truth for themselves,” Burcham said, “and we believe the best person to ask is God.”
The missionaries say their core beliefs are the same as other Christian denominations, but they want to help clear up any misconceptions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and answer questions.
“We’re here to help people learn more and increase their faith,” Romney said; and yes, he is very distantly related to the country’s most famous LDS member, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Burcham said the closest LDS congregations to Clarendon are in Childress, Pampa, and Amarillo.
Pack and Romney have course material and Books of Mormon with them that they freely share. Those interested in learning more about the LDS church are encouraged to look at www.mormon.org, and Burcham invites people to call him at (315) 882-3577.
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