13 Sep
One in 8 Million: Naisi Zhao, The Mormon Missionary
I loved this story because my own husband was a missionary in New York. It felt like I was given a glimpse into what those two years of his life must have been like. He served for two years in the Bronx, English speaking. I’m so proud to be married to a returned missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I admire and respect every single 19 year old boy and 21 year old girl who makes the same sacrifice.
Watch this slideshow and listen to the voiceover to get a glimpse into the life of a Mormon Missionary in New York City.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
“Everyone needs a saviour.” How simple and beautiful and true. I guess that is what we are all looking for, whether we know it or not.
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1Loved the video - and I too love that I married a man that served the Lord in the this way. I love hearing the stories (he served in Trujillo Peru) and I can tell he truly enjoyed that time in his life.
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2Very cool. Stories like this always help put our life into perspective.
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3I enjoyed the slideshow and while I disagree with strangers trying to shove religious literature in my hands as I roam my home city of NYC, I promise that I am always polite to them! I am generally offended when someone (of any denomination or religion) runs up to me and tells me I need to be saved. How do they know I’m not coming from church/temple/mosque? Its hard to regularly be accosted on the streets in New York, be it by a missionary, a homeless guy, or a dude selling umbrellas. I do appreciate the spirit in which the missionaries are trying to accomplish their work, but I wish they had a more targeted approach than my street corner.
Jenna, I’d love a Sunday post on how the missionaries are assigned to locations and why the ages are different for men & women (does college play into the timing at all?). Might be a great opportunity for a guest post from one of your friends or TH, but I’d be interested in your perspective as one who did not serve as a missionary (at least, I don’t think that you did).
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4I’m always blown away by the commitment of the missionaries. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. However, I have to say that the age difference irks me- I wish both men and women could go at 19, and I wish that both men and women were told that serving a mission was a goal and an expectation- for women it’s often not talked about much, whereas little boys are told from very young “we expect you to go on a mission”. I realize that it would make it harder for early marriages if both sexes were away for two years starting at 19, but I don’t like men being expected to have this grand transformative service experience serving their God and their religion, while the women are essentially told “eh, I mean, you can go if you *want* to, but you don’t have to, and really, it’s not necessary- in fact, here! Have an extra two years to think about it/get married instead “. I understand it comes from different perspectives on the roles of men and women, but it still makes me kind of feel..I guess uncomfortable is the word. Every single missionary I have known- and I’ve know lots and lots
- has consistently said it was the most important experience of their lives. I just wish that more women were encouraged to have such an experience.
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