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By Deborah Carl
Sister Missionaries in Ottawa Make Local Paper
OTTAWA, KANSAS -- The house on South Cedar Street in Ottawa Kansas sees
residents come and go every six weeks to three months. It's not that the
house is unlivable, it's that the residents are missionaries for The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The missionaries work from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., six days a week, visiting
members and going door-to-door sharing the beliefs of the Church. Sister
Yeager, from Southern California, a former tenant, said the people in the
area have been open-minded. "There are a lot more people who are
interested," Yeager said. "But we love talking to people from other
religions."
Yeager left college where she was studying sign language interpretation but
plans to return after her 18 months of missionary service are done. She
enjoys the work, but misses the contact with her family. Missionaries are
allowed to write home once a week and call at Christmas and Mother's Day.
But Yeager says she understands why regular phone calls are discouraged, "If
we called home all the time, we wouldn't be focused on the work of the Lord."
And what keeps Yeager going in spite of the long hours, restricted
life-style, and humble abode? Yeager said it's the satisfaction of seeing
people embrace the Gospel and get baptized. One couple she remembers, "just
shined with the spirit of the Lord."
Source:
Missionaries work the streets of Ottawa
Ottawa KS Herald (Harris News Service) 17Mar01 N2
By Ezra Sykes
Despite hardships, Mormons love their year of mission work
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