Missionaries Find Way to Serve During Pandemic Lockdown

September 18, 2020 - How do you provide service during the middle of a pandemic and while you are under the governor’s instructions to stay inside and only leave your apartment for groceries, medical care or exercise? This was the dilemma that missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in the Micronesia Guam Mission faced as they contemplated how they could participate in the National Day of Service on September 11^th. The Mission Leadership Council went to work and came up with a plan to use their exercise time on Friday, 11 September 2020, to clean trails, parks and beaches.

After the start of the pandemic, all of the Micronesia Guam missionaries consolidated to Guam from the many islands in the mission, with only 22 currently serving. The Mission Leadership Council assigned each companionship an area on Guam to clean as they exercised. Donning gloves and masks and with trash bags in hand, the missionaries worked hard to improve their assigned areas. While this may have been a small act of kindness, it goes to show that even when there are restrictions in place we can all find a way to serve.

Elder Patrick Dickerson and Elder Aaron Calvin, companions from Layton and Farmington, Utah, respectively, said they had similar feelings to those Ammon in the Book of Mormon had when serving the Lamanites. “We love to serve and help others because we love all of God’s children, but none more than those in Guam and the islands here. When we follow the example of Ammon and serve others out of love, we see the hearts of the people we serve softened and our love for them increases. Plus, it’s good to get out of the house!” Not even rain that afternoon could dampen the spirits of the missionaries in the Micronesia Guam Mission. With missionaries providing service all over the island on September 11, clearly many hearts will be softened.