The Falls

My name is RJ Smith.

My name is RJ Smith

or Elder Smith now.

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of

the Latter-Day Saints

or you can use the acronym IDS if you wish.

I'm 20 years old.

And in two days, I will leave for my mission.

This is my mother,

my father

and my sister Mary Anne.

We are told at a young age that it is our duty as men.

We are told at a young age that it is our duty as men

to serve God in two years in missionary service.

Mormons are told, if you serve our mission faithfully,

and well, you will be a better husband,

father, student and a better worker

in your chosen vocation.

I've been brought up to believe this.

I know the Church is true.

And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ,

amen.

This is my farewell party.

This is my girlfriend Elise.

We've never done anything past a few pecks,

some nuzzling and some dry humping.

She's a real sweetheart.

This is how I end every night...

with a prayer.

This is how I begin every morning...

still praying.

John!

Hey, thanks for coming.

I appreciate it. I appreciate it.

Enjoy that food.

It's great to see you.

Remember when he was this tall?

Yeah.

Whatever, you're- you're looking great.

And he's gonna be quite the world's traveler.

Family home evening: Food, board games,

charades, scripture reading.

Mormon faith truly is a benefactor of wholesomeness.

Mormon faith truly is a benefactor of wholesomeness.

This is the MTC,

or "Missionary Training Center".

Where elders prepare for the mission field.

At first, I held some animosity about only going

six hours away from home from my mission work.

Six hours away from home from my mission work.

But I realized, our Heavenly Father

has sent me there for a reason.

That's the building.

How was the bus ride?

Good.

Kind of smell like diaper the whole way but, you know...

You get your own set of keys.

So bathroom...

closet.

This is it.

Yeah, kitchen in there.

It's perfect.

Yeah. It's a great neighborhood too.

You'll love it.

So, I hear you're quite the athlete.

Uh, I'm okay.

Well, I've always heard it said don't be so modest.

You're not that great, you know?

So, this is Elder Merrill's bed and this one is yours,

so keep it tidy.

Where is Elder Merrill by the way?

Uh, he's should be in a meeting.

But, uh, you'll meet him soon enough.

So, tell me about him. What's he like?

So, tell me about him. What's he like?

Elder Merrill?

Um, his father is the member of the first quorum,

but I'm sure you already knew that.

Um, he reads a lot.

He eats "Lucky Charms" like they're going out of style.

I don't... is it... is there something specific

you want to know?

No, I was just wondering.

Oh.

Well, you'll meet him soon enough.

But sometimes, companionships don't work out.

If that's the case, then, we'll find somebody you are

more compatible with or you can just wait a few months

and you may have a new mission companion anyhow.

Hey.

Hey.

Elder Harris.

And you must be my new companion.

Uh, Elder Smith.

Yes.

And you must be Elder Merrill.

Yeah, that's me. Glad to meet you.

So, uh, did Elder Harris show you around a little bit?

Yeah, a little.

Well, I should let you guys get more acquainted.

I look forward to getting your reports

and I'm sure I'll see you around.

Goodbye, Elder Harris.

Thanks for the ride.

No problem.

He's nice.

Yeah.

I have to tell you how happy I am to be here...

very excited.

Uh, I'm also looking forward to starting my missionary work.

Good.

Good that's, uh, good to know.

Would you like to start this companionship off

with a prayer?

Yes, definitely.

- Are you all right? - Yeah.

So, where are you from again?

- Salt Lake City. - Oh.

- You're from Idaho, right? - Yeah, yeah.

Where were you serving before you're here?

I was on the coast.

Oh, uh, cool.

So, what would you like to do?

Uh, I like sports.

Besides competition, I'm a drummer.

Um, I'm learning how to play the guitar.

Kind of, I didn't bring it down or anything.

How about you?

I don't know.

I'm just been doing the missionary thing for so long.

Um, I guess being a missionary is all I do.

Do you have a girlfriend back at home?

No. Fortunately.

No. Fortunately.

Do you have a girlfriend?

Oh, yeah.

We've been together for a while.

What's her name?

Elise.

Oh.

How long you guys have been dating?

Um, three years.

Wow.

- You got a picture? - Oh, yeah.

Oh, she's pretty.

I know thanks.

- Are you done? - Oh, yeah. Thanks.

We just have a lot to go over so...

Okay...

Okay...

so, I have some planning to do for tomorrow.

Um, we need to get you a bike first thing.

So, how about, why don't you go ahead and just get some sleep.

I know you've had a long drive.

And we will start bright early tomorrow morning.

The drive actually wasn't that bad.

Are you sure you don't need help with anything?

Oh, no, no. It's okay.

You get some rest and... oh, by the way,

the left side of the dresser is yours and also

the top shelf of the fridge is yours if you need it.

- Thanks. - Yep.

Have you reached a stopping point, Elder?

Yeah. I think so.

Okay. So, today, we have a meeting at noon

with David Fellows,

but first, I wanted to take you and get a bike.

Um, then from 2:00 o' clock on,

I'm gonna take you out and do some tracting.

Next week, we have a couple of meetings

with some investigators.

One of which is Lydia Davis, who is a possible convert.

Okay.

That's pretty much it. Are you ready?

I'm ready.

All right.

How are you doing, ma'am?

I'm alright.

- Yeah? You're doing alright? - Yeah.

Having a good day?

- So far. - Good, good.

Well, my name is Elder Merrill.

I'm with the Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Oh. Oh, hello.

- Trina. - Trina.

Okay. And there's a card inside with my name and number on it,

Okay. And there's a card inside with my name and number on it,

if you like to give me a call.

- But this is yours to keep. - Okay.

Please don't feel... I mean, no pressure, really.

But, I really thank you for your time.

- It was a pleasure to meet you. - You're very welcome.

- Have a nice day. - Okay.

- Thank you. - God bless you.

Really good job.

Thank you.

- I'm gonna get another. - Hello...

- Hi. How ya doing? - Good. My name is Elder Smith.

How did you... how did you do that?

Hi, my name is Elder Smith.