30 under 30: Mormon Missionaries Make St. Charles their Temporary Home

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in St. Charles, Elder Jake Thomas, 20, and Elder T.J. Bland, 20, are two of about 180 missionaries stationed in the greater St. Louis area. Originally from Nephi, Utah, Elder Thomas has been on his mission trip for one year and in St. Charles for six months. Elder Bland is from Phoenix, Ariz., and has been on his mission trip for six months, seven weeks of which have been spent in St. Charles.

Mission trips for members of the Mormon church last two years. The missionaries can be sent anywhere in the world.

St. Charles Patch: How did you end up in St. Charles?

T.J. Bland: As missionaries, we’re worldwide. But the areas we’re stationed in are called the mission boundaries and those cover the greater St. Louis area. So it’s basically all of St. Louis, all the way up to Danville, IL, and Springfield, MO, down to Poplar Bluff. There are 180 missionaries inside those boundaries and we basically switch around every six weeks. I was in East St. Louis before here; (Thomas) was in Fulton, MO.

St. Charles Patch: So you move every six weeks?

Jake Thomas: Potentially. I’ve been here for six months now, but there’s a potential to move every six weeks. The president, the person in charge of the missionaries, decides where we go. The story of how we got here to St. Charles is basically as missionaries we turn in papers that say we want to serve a mission, and it goes to the leadership of our church and they, through prayer, decide where we’re going to go throughout the world. That’s when we got the call to come to the greater St. Louis area.

St. Charles Patch: Why did you choose to do a mission now?

T.J. Bland: Missionaries generally go between ages 19 and 25. I would say the reason behind that is you’re just getting out of high school, you’re not married yet, so you basically have like two years to really devote when you’re not caught up in other things.

Jake Thomas: This isn’t required, for us to go. It’s suggested, but this is a voluntary thing. We don’t get paid to do this, we come out here because we want to.

St. Charles Patch: What is your goal while you’re on this mission?

Jake Thomas: Our purpose as missionaries is to invite other people in the area to come into Christ. We teach them about the restored gospels of Jesus Christ. So basically our goal is to help people develop faith in Christ and grow personally with whatever they’re struggling with.

St. Charles Patch: Where are you staying? Do you stay with a designated family?

Jake Thomas: It depends. Different areas have different families to stay with. Other people have an apartment. We actually, in St. Charles, stay with an older couple who aren’t members of our church, we just stay in their basement.

St. Charles Patch: How did you meet them?

T.J. Bland: They’ve been doing it for a couple years.

Jake Thomas: They were just looking for someone to rent, and the people we did service for knew them and referred us to them.

St. Charles Patch: What is it like staying with the family you’re living with?

T.J. Bland: We learn how to cook and live on our own before we leave. I know some missionaries like to move out. Most people go off to college anyway, so they’re already out on their own and they know the basics. Is it hard? Not too much. I mean, you miss family, but…

Jake Thomas: Being away from family is hard. It’s something that you have to get used to, but it’s worth it.

St. Charles Patch: What do you think about St. Charles so far?

Jake Thomas: I love it. St. Charles is my favorite area I’ve been to. It’s a suburb, so it’s not rural like I had been in. The people here, especially the members are our congregation, are awesome. They’re really nice. Just the atmosphere of St. Charles.

T.J. Bland: I like how there’s so much to do. Some missionaries have hard times finding stuff to do that’s out of the box of the regular routine, but here it’s really easy. We could just walk down to Main Street and there’s tons of people to talk to, tons of people to get to know, they have festivals going on all the time.

St. Charles Patch: What’s the hardest part of going door-to-door?

T.J. Bland: The first knock!

Jake Thomas: Our main goal is just to teach people. So tracting is what we call it when we go door-to-door. When we do that, it’s usually a last resort thing when we don’t have anyone else to teach. The hardest part about it is just rejection, because people aren’t willing to listen to what you have to say sometimes because it’s something different, which is understandable. Just getting the door slammed in your face, cussed at, rejected all day is something that’s hard.

St. Charles Patch: What do you like about tracting?

Jake Thomas: I personally don’t like tracting. I love teaching people. Teaching people is the best, even when we’re tracting, that’s my favorite thing: when people are willing to listen, telling them our beliefs and things that have helped us out in life, allowing them to feel that same happiness. That’s what I enjoy.

St. Charles Patch: What are you plans for after the mission?

T.J. Bland: Go back to college for engineering. I’m still deciding between electrical and mechanical. That’s my plan: go to college, get married, start a life, raise a family.

Jake Thomas: I’m going to start college. I’m going to study wildlife biology, something in that field. And then start a life, start a family.

St. Charles Patch: What do you like to do in your free time?

Jake Thomas: Back home, I love to be outdoors. Hunting was something that I loved. I really love riding four-wheelers and motorcycles. Probably my biggest passion is music, playing it and listening to it. On the mission, we really only have one day a week of free time. That’s Mondays. We go and do our shopping and something that we want. Out here we really like miniature golf, bowling, going to the zoo, the Science Center, those types of things.

T.J. Bland: Back at home, for me, I play golf, hang out with friends a lot, just enjoy life.