Mormon Dinner

My Korean friend has befriended our local Mormon missionaries. We had dinner together last night. The white boys from Utah spoke Korean well. They seemed pretty normal for missionaries. Most people I talk to in the religious recruitment business seem a little more trained, eager, and uncomfortably friendly. Elder Bulloch, and Elder Frost, enjoyed talking about movies, sports, etc.

Elder Bulloch is 1 of 14 kids, with 4 being adopted, 2 from Haiti, and 2 from Guatemala. He is studying biology and wants to be a surgeon. Elder Frost wants to be a special agent with FBI or US Marshals. Elder Frost had a neighbor in DEA who shared many "war stories" from the days of "the War on Drugs." These stories seemed to leave an impression of excitement and adventure on the 20 yr old.

I asked what the position statement of the church is on girlfriends. Seemed fairly normal. Wait until age 16. I asked what the position is on drinking. Seemed logical. Drinking may lead to losing control of your body, and they feel it is good to be in control of your body. They also avoid coffee because of caffeine.

What little I knew about the Mormon church came from a South Park episode. After listening to the Utah boys a little it seems the South Park episode was fairly accurate. The Korean translation of the Book of Mormon had some pictures depicting the story. All the ancient Americans looked like white barbarians on steroids. I asked why that was. They weren't sure exactly but said, "...well, they did carry swords."

In short, I suggest having dinner with your local Mormons. They are polite and have a great dinner story.

In case you are curious here is a typical day for them:

Wake up 6AM
Exercise 30 min
Personal Study 1 hour
Companion Study 1 hour
Day Planning 30min- 1 hour
Language Study 1 hour
Follow up on contacts 1 hour
Lunch
Afternoon speaking with people on the street
Dinner
9:30-10pm Home
10:30 Bed