Free resources about the Michigan Detroit Mission:
- Mission address and phone number
- Mission map
- Video interviews with returned missionaries
- Missionary blogs
- Facebook groups
- LDS Mission t-shirts and gifts
- List of past mission presidents
- Cultural articles written by returned missionaries
- Survey with RMs
*Other Mission Pages: Michigan Lansing Mission.
Michigan Detroit Mission Address
Here’s a recent address for the Michigan Detroit Mission. We try to keep this information up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.
Michigan Detroit Mission
23190 W. Nine Mile Rd
Southfield MI 48033
United States
Phone Number: 1-248-663-1198
Mission President: President Larry Cleveland
Michigan Detroit Mission Map
Here’s a link to the mission map for the Michigan Detroit Mission (LDS). To access the official LDS.org map for the Detroit Mission:
Videos with Michigan Detroit RMs
Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Detroit Mission. We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews.
LDS-Friendly Videos about Michigan
Here are LDS-friendly educational videos about Michigan. We scoured YouTube to find the best quality videos about Michigan, that are free from inappropriate music, immodesty and profanity.
Michigan Detroit Missionary Blogs
Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Detroit Mission. This list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.
Michigan Detroit Mission Groups
Here are Michigan Detroit Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Detroit Mission.
- Detroit Mission 2010-13: Pres. Holmes Group (229 members)
- Michigan Detroit Mission Facebook Group (113 members)
- Michigan Detroit Mission Facebook Group (92 members)
- Michigan Detroit Mission – Livingstone Group (57 members)
- Michigan Detroit Mission Moms (LDS) Group (25 members)
- Detroit Mission Alumni Network Group (14 members)
- Michigan Detroit Mission Facebook Group (14 members)
- Michigan Detroit Mission President Emery Group (1 member)
Michigan Detroit Mission T-Shirts
Here are T-shirts for the Michigan Detroit Mission!
Shirt designs include Michigan Detroit Mission logo/emblem shirts and Called to Serve shirts. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. LDS Mission shirts come in all sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, up to 4XL. The mission designs are printed on white shirts and are shipped to you.
*Simply click on a shirt design to view the details and submit an order. The designs on mission t-shirts may also be printed on other LDS mission gifts, including: Detroit missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.
*Click here to browse Detroit Mission gifts
Michigan Detroit Mission Presidents
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Detroit Mission.
- 2016-2019, Larry Cleveland
- 2013-2016, Nolan D. Gerber
- 2010-2013, Douglas D. Holmes
- 2007-2010, Michael L. Rawson
- 2004-2007, William S. Winegar
- 2001-2004, Alvin W. Emery
- 1998-2001, Rulon D. Robison
- 1995-1998, John P. Livingstone
- 1992-1995, Robert W. Poll
- 1989-1992, E. DeMar Baron
- 1989-1989, Robert C. Witt
- 1989-1989, Arnie Ferrin
- 1987-1989, Gareth Homer
- 1985-1987, Heber Perrett
- 1982-1985, John Miline
- 1979-1982, Vernon Cooley
- 1976-1979, Richard Horton
- 1968-1971, Arnold NP Roberts
- 1965-1968, Frank C Berg
Michigan LDS Statistics (2015)
- Church Membership: 43,748
- Missions: 2
- Temples: 1
- Congregations: 94
- Family History Centers: 41
Helpful Articles about Michigan
Michigan Detroit Missionary Survey
Here are survey responses from Michigan Detroit RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.
When did you serve?
- 2014-2016 (Chris)
- 2009-2011 (Greg)
- 2013-2015 (Kamree)
- 2013-2015 (Latu)
- 2013-2015 (Rachael)
- 2013-2015 (Rebecca)
- 1998-2000 (Michael)
- 1997-1999 (Suzanne)
- 2010-2012 (Daniel)
- 2013-2015 (Zachary)
- 2012-2014 (Tanner)
- 2015-2016 (Kellee)
- 1997-1998 (Michael)
- 2007-2009 (Jens)
- 2003-2006 (Brady)
What areas did you serve in?
- Palmer Park East, Canton East, Canton West, Plymouth, Detroit River South, Belle Isle West, Bloomfield Hills, Saline and Grand Blanc North. (Chris)
- Bloomfield Hills, Flint, Livonia, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Belle Isle. (Kamree)
- Southfield, Walled Lake, Palmer Park, Monroe, Dearborn. (Latu)
- Lapeer, Palmer Park, Riverview, Belle Isle, and Flint. (Rachael)
- Lapeer, Palmer Park(Detroit), Livonia,North Shores, and Walled Lake. (Rebecca)
- Adrian, Chelsea, Waterford, Detroit. (Michael)
- Croswell, Ann Arbor, Livonia, Manchester, Southfield. (Suzanne)
- Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Belleville, Ypsilanti, Clarkston, and Fenton. (Zachary)
- Clarkston, Detroit, Monroe, Dearborn, Adrian, Lapeer. (Tanner)
- Roseville, Riverview, Plymouth, Northville, Farmington, Grand Blanc, Chelsea, and Canton. (Kellee)
- Roseville, Chelsea, Pontiac, Detroit, Rochester Hills, Monroe,Ann Arbor, & Pinkney. (Michael)
- Detroit, Westland, Walled Lake, Blue Water, Monroe, Flint. (Jens)
- Jefferson (East side), Lincoln Park, Flint, Southgate. (Brady)
What were some favorite foods?
- Chorizo, pizza, Ramen, subway, tacos, tostadas, Costco. (Chris)
- Tacos de Chorizo (Mexican Sausage), Pupusas (El Salvadorian corn flour stuffed tacos with cabbage and tomato sauce) and Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican rice with chick peas). (Greg)
- I loved Rally’s fried chicken and Jet’s pizza. Vernor’s ginger ale is a winner, as well as apple cider from the cider mills. Can’t beat the soul food either! (Kamree)
- Coney dogs, spaghetti squash, tomato soup and grilled cheese, Olga’s Kitchen. (Latu)
- Vernors, coneys, Boston coolers, etc. (Rachael)
- Verner’s Ginger Ale, Apple cider, and doughnuts from a cider mill in the fall. Doughnut Burgers (found in Lapeer) and many little ice cream shacks that were open in the summer. (Rebecca)
- Ghetto food. (Michael)
- Vernors and moose tracks. (Suzanne)
- Pizza Papalis, rocket burger. (Daniel)
- Kuba. (Zachary)
- Coney islands, burger joints, deep dish pizza, and I tried and liked some Arabic food in Dearborn. (Tanner)
- Coney dog, Ice cream, Faygo. (Kellee)
- Jiffy Mix, Dinner at the members homes. (Michael)
- Ghetto Mac n Cheese. (Brady)
What was a funny experience?
- Forgot to put water in my ramen noodles when I cooked them in the microwave. (First one I thought of…) (Greg)
- There are so many funny tracting stories- we were mistaken for everyone from the police to Girl Scouts. (Kamree)
- Serving in Palmer Park Ward. Mostly everyone there are converts and church is held in a Greek Orthodox building. Testimony meetings are the best. They clap and say “amen” and talk to you while you’re bearing your testimony, lol. (Latu)
- I had a recent convert that refused to close her prayers in the name of Jesus Christ. She always said, ‘in the name of Latter Day Saint, amen.’ Then we’d remind her she needed to close in Christ’s name and she would say, ‘fine! In the name of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint, Amen.’ (Rachael)
- In Detroit many people were concerned that a girl as white as me was knocking doors. One lady said that I reminded her of a Disney character and when I visited she expected woodland creatures to enter the house and sing with me. (Rebecca)
- Linda Nimke horse bit my thumb. (Michael)
- Being one of the two white people in a city and also having someone come up to me thinking that missionaries actively kill black people. Really? (Daniel)
- My Tongan companion running over a skunk with his bike. (Zachary)
- Being one of the few white people in Detroit, it was funny to see each person react to you at there door or you biking down the street. There are way to many funny experiences to just name one. (Tanner)
- When my companion was calling a member and on the voicemail, after she was done she was like ” ok love you! In the name if Jesus Christmas Amen…wait what?!” We were laughing pretty hard. (Kellee)
- When church was in session in the Detroit South area during Sacrament, the speakers were interrupted with emergency calls that you could hear them in pursuit. (Michael)
- We would play basketball against those playing street ball and tell them, “If we beat you, we get to teach you.” It was a nice ice breaker. (Brady)
What was a crazy/dangerous experience?
- It was the 2015 snow storm that dropped 18 inches in 2 days. My companion and I were driving and got a flat tire, tried to make it to Belle, and it had moved so we had no air in a tire in the middle of this blizzard. We drive across the street to this hole in the wall donut shop to park. Tommy and I get out, work on getting the wheel off, but it’s frozen. So we call roadside and were told 1-3 hours. We go into the shop this lady gives us each a free shake. Then the roadside guy comes, hits the wheel once with a sledgehammer, and it comes right off. So the next day our car is surrounded by 18 inches of snow and we are driving with a freaking donut on preparation day. Sketchiest drive ever. (Chris)
- Getting chased by a pack of dogs, while taking a shortcut on our bikes through a district of abandoned warehouses. (Greg)
- We almost got hit by a car late at night in the downtown city because we took a picture and they saw the light. (Kamree)
- Tracting in the below 0 freezing weather and slipping and sliding through the snow, not on purpose. (Latu)
- My first night on the mission we were contacting and some men referred us to a house. We knocked on the door and the guy was very upset. He was swearing and told is if we ever came back he’d shoot us with this; and he held up a gun. (NOTE: that was the only time that ever happened. It’s rare there is danger unless you are looking for it. God protects you). (Rachael)
- Nasty winter weather we had our car start to spin out until one of the sisters shouted, “Heavenly Father, stop this car we are going to die!!” The car immediately stopped. Drive safe in the snow!!! (Rebecca)
- A car almost hit myself and Elder Richins. (Michael)
- When we decided to still knock on our investigator’s door even though we could tell her kids were doing a drug deal inside. We smiled and waved to the lookout on the driveway on the way up to the door. (Suzanne)
- Seeing a guy with pure black eyes absolutely no white in his eyes. I understand that there are fake contacts to change your eye color but his changed to completely black. Probably the scariest things I’ve seen in my life. (Daniel)
- Being in a car surrounded by black people on a ghetto street at night. (Zachary)
- Had a guy think we were police and called his buddy and both jumped us on one of the doorsteps with guns. Proceeded to throw all of our things and swear and tell us to never come back. One of many crazy experiences. (Tanner)
- I got a gun pulled on me my fourth week out when I was tracting. Nothing happened, we just walked away. (Kellee)
- When I was doing missionary work in Detroit south area, I thought it was crazy when a man asked me if I wanted weed and I said I have a Book Of Mormon I can give you and he ran. (Michael)
- I heard gun shots on occasion, but the people overwhelmingly were kind, helpful and even protective of us “Jesus people.” (Brady)
What was a spiritual experience?
- I was in Belle Isle East with my two companions, it had been a rough day. We were on bikes and felt impressed to go up to a referral at 8 pm, no answer, we’re biking away, feel impressed to go back, we try again, no answer. It’s 8:30 now, so we’re like let’s bike home then I get the impression to go back, so we turn around, start biking, there no answer, we’re biking home when my companion feels impressed to knock a door. We’re in a rich part of the area, this lady answers drunk, but kind, and invites us in, but her husband comes out and says we need to go. We’re biking home feeling let down when we feel impressed that we have to knock one door on our way back which is all we have time for were scoping out houses late at night in October. Finally we feel impressed we knock on the door once, no answer, twice and we see this kid look at us through the door then disappear were waiting and about ready to leave when this lady obviously the mom answers the door and says she doesn’t normally open the door for people and never this late but she tells us to come back another day. It didn’t turn out but we had the perfect chance to invite the right person to Christ at the perfect time because we listened to a prompting. (Chris)
- Being an answer to someone’s prayer. An old lady, disabled, with no groceries and no way to get to the store prayed for someone to come and help her. We showed up at her door that day. She gave us money to go to Burger King to buy her a hamburger. (Greg)
- My companion and I saw a woman on a balcony who we wanted to talk to. She was in an apartment complex, so we didn’t know which buzzer to ring. We prayed and both felt good about a certain button, so we pressed it and went upstairs. It was her and we got to speak to her. (Kamree)
- Seeing those you’ve helped come to the waters of baptism, grow. (Latu)
- The Elders referred us to someone they met while doing laundry in our area. We set up an appointment and began to teach the Restoration to him. When we got to the first vision he stopped us. We thought he was going to end the appointment but when we looked at him he was crying. He then bore testimony that he knew this was true and wanted to be baptized as soon as he could be. He is now endowed in the temple. Still a boss every day. (Rachael)
- We taught a woman the Restoration but only covered the principle that God is her loving Heavenly Father. She had grown up thinking that God hated her and being able to testify that He was her Father and loved her more that we could describe brought tears to her eyes. It wasn’t much, but it really changed her life. (Rebecca)
- Being a part of the temple dedication and open house. (Michael)
- When we testified to our Russian, atheist investigator that God did live and there is more to life than just living until you cease to exist at death. He felt it powerfully and still refused to accept it. Maybe he was more courageous later in life. Also walking in the rain to teach a media referral (in a library) who we figured wouldn’t show up. He not only showed up, but he had watched the video and we had a great discussion about it. We lost track of him, but I bumped into him when he was getting his baptismal interview. I was so glad we walked in the rain, even though it seemed futile at the time. (Suzanne)
- Giving a blessing and with assurance, telling the individual that they will be cured of cancer if they read the Book of Mormon. (If this is shared please do not use my name, I do not wish to flaunt this experience but feel that it is a valuable and powerful experience). (Daniel)
- Watching the Spirit teach someone how to pray. (Zachary)
- My first baptism was a crazy coincidence that happened and fell into my and my trainers lap. We had no investigators and we’re praying hard and working hard and she showed up to a Wednesday night activity and 5 weeks later became a member. (Tanner)
- My companion and I where in a lesson with our investigator and we asked him to pray about what we taught him. He hadn’t prayed in a couple years but he said the most amazing heart felt prayer ever and after a minute he looked up and said. “I know that this is true.” Best words ever! (Kellee)
- When I prayed in an apartment in Chelsea, Michigan, we tracted in Gregory and we found a family that never found the gospel…they were the Atkins family. My companion Elder Gavin Wright spoke of it later in a mission conference and said he wished he still served with me because of the great experience we had.
- I was regularly led by the Spirit to those who were prepared to hear the gospel or those who needed our help. (Brady)
What are some interesting facts about the Detroit Mission?
- There are three ghetto areas- Pontiac, Detroit and Flint. Ebonics is a language that you learn serving here. It’s the best mission in the world. (Chris)
- It’s the thumb of the glove shaped state. (Greg)
- It is very small geographically. Mack Street in Detroit is named after Lucy Mack Smith. (Kamree)
- You can show anyone where you’re at on your hands, because Michigan known as the mitten state. (Latu)
- I served in two of the most dangerous cities in the world and those are my favorite areas. Vernor’s Ginger Ale is like medicine. It can soothe any upset stomach. The people are so amazing. (Rachael)
- You HAVE to put duct tape on your bike as an Elder. It makes your bike look trashy so it doesn’t get stolen in Detroit or Flint. (Rebecca)
- I survived in Detroit. (Michael)
- Detroit is a very diverse place! I was never disappointed that I didn’t go foreign. Ann Arbor was my favorite because of its diversity but we taught people from all over the world in other areas too. Some of the poorest people and some rather affluent ones too, live in and around Detroit. (Suzanne)
- There is an entire block in downtown Detroit that it remodeled with trash and made into art. (Daniel)
- It’s the best mission. (Zachary)
- It’s full of different people! And different cultures! For being in the United States, it doesn’t feel like it. Many different ethnic groups. Oh, it covers two of the top ten most dangerous cities in America! So ghetto and run down! (Tanner)
- The coldest it got when I was there was -31° with humidity. There’s a bunch of different races there. A lot of Muslims. Everybody says what up doe, haha. (Kellee)
- It’s a beautiful lake area in the mission! (Michael)
- Michiganders hold their right hand up and point at it like a map to show where different cities/locations are. (Brady)
What was the weather like?
- It couldn’t make up its mind year round, so somewhere between -40 and 100. (Chris)
- Cold and humid. No amount of layers can stop it, though. The more layers, the better. It gets to below zero sometimes and sometimes around a foot or more of snowfall at a time. (Greg)
- It was the coldest winter in 50 years during the winter of 2013. It was very cold and snowy in the winter. Summers are short, humid and hot. (Kamree)
- Bi-polar. If you want to experience all four seasons, it will be there. (Latu)
- Depends on the time of year. Definitely bring vitamin D because it’s cloudy a lot and it can give ya the blues. Winter is very cold so prepare for that. (Rachael)
- Humid summers and winters can be FREEZING. It can snow for a long time!!! Roads will get especially nasty since many areas don’t plow the roads. (Rebecca)
- Cold as heck. (Michael)
- Hot and humid in the summer and cold and snowy in the winter. (Suzanne)
- The humidity was very high which made the hot weather feel like you were billowing alive and the cold weather even colder. Mostly the cold was the worst however. (Daniel)
- All of it. (Zachary)
- Humid and hot in the summer, fall was beautiful, winter humid and made it super cold, spring was my favorite!! (Tanner)
- It’s really humid so it’s either really hot or freezing cold…there isn’t really an in between. But it’s beautiful. (Kellee)
- It was humidity, snow and rain that you’ll never put up with. (Michael)
- Four bold seasons with full blown and beautiful transitions between them. Winter is bitter cold and icy wet. Snow is frequent but slush is predominant in the city. Summer is long and hot with a fairly wet humidity. Fall and spring both book end summer with a fantastic couple of weeks full of color and great temperatures. Fall is especially gorgeous and pleasant. (Jens)
- Cold and snowy during the winter. Warm and humid during the summer. Awesome in spring and even better in fall. (Brady)
Any things you really like about the area/people?
- Humble and willing to serve. I loved the openness people had with us. (Chris)
- The friendliness, openness, humility, generosity of the poor and stereo-typically violent lower class. (Greg)
- I loved how different people were- it’s a melting pot and you can find so many people from all around the world. People were generally so kind and humble, it was amazing to talk to them. (Kamree)
- Their personality. The language/dialects. (Latu)
- Everybody is so humble and funny. If you search for good you will find it. There are amazing people in this mission and you will be blessed to know them. I have some amazing friends from there that will last me a life time. (Rachael)
- The people in Detroit are so fun. A lot of them are nice and will be willing to talk with you. You will get many funny tracting stories and really change some lives. (Rebecca)
- Everything. (Michael)
- No matter where you go, there are great people. Members and nonmembers alike. The diversity of people and viewpoints was my favorite thing. (Suzanne)
- Very tight knit families for the people and as far as places, I grew up in more of rural areas so the city was very interesting to see and all the urban art as well as the car shows. (Daniel)
- They always wanted better. (Zachary)
- If you got to know them before you taught them, they were very receptive and kind from the hardcore gangster to the high up motor company executive millionaire! Very kind to me 🙂 (Tanner)
- The people are generally really humble, it didn’t matter where they were or what was going on around them, they knew that God was behind everything and they were just thankful that he woke them up that morning. (Kellee)
- I liked all the places and the people that I served in. (Michael)
- Great diverse cultures throughout the mission. As different from the western USA as you can get. (Brady)
Any packing/clothing advice?
- Don’t pack bulky clothes for winter, pack layers. Also don’t use all your shirts right away, use like 3-4 until their wrecked for day to day and 1 meeting/temple shirt. Then use your other shirts. Ask people in your area if you can do laundry at their place unless you have a machine in your apartment free to use. (Chris)
- No steel toe boots. They make your toes colder. (Kyler)
- I would focus on lots of layers for winter, including leggings and tights. You can buy a good coat there. A rain coat and boots are good too. For summer, light and flowy items work best. (Kamree)
- Pack for all four seasons, especially winter! Get some good tracting shoes especially for the snow. (Latu)
- Get a good humidity handling coat. There are days when it’s 5 degrees so you will want to be warm! (Rachael)
- WARM!! Get a long down coat. Good boots that are waterproof are a must. If you are a sister get some thermals and black leggings that you can wear over the thermals. As long as your boots cover the bottom of the leggings you are good to wear them. Also bring a golf ball. (Rebecca)
- Pack light. (Michael)
- Layers for the winter and good shoes. You will realize how little you need. (Suzanne)
- Good cold weather boots if in the city directly. (Daniel)
- Pack warm and cold. (Zachary)
- Warm gear for the winter and a lot of short sleeves for summer!! Summer and winter hit extremes on both ends prepare for them! (Tanner)
- Warm, warm, warm basically haha. For sisters, pack a lot of tights. And big coats. But also pack light stuff too for the warm weather. (Kellee)
- Just remember to pack the way you did when you first got there on your mission. (Michael)
- Boots. Real boots. Dress boots are not appropriate in Detroit because they won’t keep you warm and dry and they will likely wear out quickly on the poorly maintained roads. Winter and outerwear should not be compromised. Missionaries in this mission look like metropolitan Eskimos and trying too look all fancy and “Sunday best” while out in the elements is dangerous. Don’t bring anything that looks overly nice, and certainly don’t buy a nice bike. The more you look like you could have money, the more likely you are to get mugged or held up. The nicer your bike, the sooner it will get stolen. Oh yeah, bikes get stolen constantly. (Jens)
- Good winter boots, heavy jacket. Call the mission office for packing details you are unsure of. (Brady)
What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?
- So many that I can’t list them, but one of the biggest is a better sense of who I am and what I can be. (Chris)
- Too many to count. My mission set a pattern of discipleship for the rest of my life and taught me how to follow the Spirit and work with others. (Greg)
- Too many to count. I see more and more blessings every day. I strengthened my relationship with Heavenly Father and my Savior, I have more desire to take action, I developed and discovered talents, I developed a deeper love for learning, I appreciate and value relationships more, and I understand what is important. I also know miracles happen. (Kamree)
- A greater testimony, a greater love for the Savior, and my very own conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Latu)
- Too many to count. Like my mission president says, “Chicken is good, GOD is great!” (Rachael)
- I gained a greater appreciation for the importance of families, I am a much harder worker, and many more that I can’t list. My favorite is that my family’s testimony was strengthened as I served. (Rebecca)
- I can open my mouth to anyone. (Michael)
- A stronger testimony, of course. A knowledge that I could do a lot more than I was capable of with the Lord’s help. Not to be afraid to get outside my comfort zone. To love people despite our differences. And a knowledge that the Lord’s hand is in every detail, especially when it comes to His work and His missionaries – even a blender. (Suzanne)
- Testimony builder, can easily talk to anyone now. Confidence. Knowledge of the scriptures. (Daniel)
- Peace. (Zachary)
- Knowledge is my greatest blessing and communication too! The knowledge I came to gain is beyond anything I could get anywhere else ! (Tanner)
- A lot of patience and the ability to love everyone. (Kellee)
- The spirit through the priesthood. (Michael)
- My dedication to serve the Lord was renewed for my whole life. Seeing the gospel change families through the Spirit we felt with them is one of the greatest things I have experienced. (Brady)
What are some skills you gained?
- Learned ebonics, communication skills, I’m able to handle rejection better, biking skills. Street smarts. Also, I learned to truly love the people. (Chris)
- Talking to strangers. Standing up for the truth. Confidence. Faith. Conflict resolution. Learning to choose to be happy. (Greg)
- I learned how to mow a lawn! I also learned how to work with people better, as well as the best ways to manage stress- by turning to the Lord. (Kamree)
- Reading habits, being more prayerful, relying on the Spirit, studying more effectively and efficiently. (Latu)
- Patience! You have to be patient with whom you are teaching and with your companions. Communication is key. You will not succeed without it. Go by the spirit, in everything you do. BE OBEDIENT! “Faith without obedience is dead.” (Rachael)
- Confidence, harder work ethic, greater ability to study, and better communication skills. (Rebecca)
- Being able to talk to strangers. (Michael)
- Listening to the Spirit, though I’m still working on it. Effective scripture study. Working so closely with my companions gave me some much needed skills for my marriage. I treat my spouse like a companion, not a sibling. I learned to talk to people, personally and in a group. I learned to really talk to my Father in Heaven. (Suzanne)
- Looking into all options before making decisions. (Zachary)
- Communication, studying, loving, and being understanding of people! (Tanner)
- I’m better at planning and organizing. I also learned how to receive answers and be guided by the Spirit. (Kellee)
- To work better with people in the work world like you did with your companions. (Michael)
- Improved speaking skills, understanding of the gospel, improved study skills, improved ability to love my neighbors. (Brady)
What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?
- Set more goals with mini goals set for distinct timeliness through out my mission with regards to myself and didn’t focus so much on the goals we set- they are people not numbers. (Chris)
- Listened more, talked less. (Greg)
- I wish I’d trusted God more. He knows what He is doing. I wish I had studied Preach My Gospel more thoroughly, wrote in my journal more, and talked to as many people as possible in the beginning, to make the transition easier. (Kamree)
- Keep a journal and take lots of pictures. (Latu)
- What it means to truly be obedient… To trust my mission president. Be open and inviting. Don’t be scared. This is the Lord’s work, He will open up doors for you, you have to make the effort to walk through them. (Rachael)
- The harder you work, the better you feel. Even if you have no investigators and are teaching nobody, God will bless you for your hard work. (Rebecca)
- The discussions. (Michael)
- That a mission hurts. (Zachary)
- Be loving and understanding and enjoy every minute! !! There’s always joy to be found even in the dark times! (Tanner)
- I wish I knew not to over think things and when something comes to your mind don’t second guess it just do/say it. (Kellee)
- How to work well with my companions when I first entered my mission. (Michael)
- I didn’t know what to expect in a lot of ways. My mission changed me forever, but I don’t want people to go in with certain expectations. Your service will bless you if you do your best. (Brady)
Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Detroit?
- I know it’s going to be one of the hardest things in your life. I know that at some point your going to want to give up on your mission, but do not. This mission is much more than you, if you stay out you bless more lives. I also know that stuff back home will start piling up and your going to feel that you need to be home, stop again this is about God, not you. Also, the earlier you realize that God doesn’t need you to do missionary work, but He wants you to, than you can get over yourself and over numbers. Also, truly love the people, it will make store contacting so much easier. (Chris)
- Best mission ever! (Of course) Give it your all. Learn from others. Follow the Spirit. Don’t rely on your own strength and wisdom. Get a U-lock for your bike and duck tape it to protect it from the salt they put down during snow storms and to camouflage it from thieves (making it look old and unattractive). (Greg)
- God can help you through it all. There are people you need and who need you. It is so worth it. (Kamree)
- Prepare mentally, physically, emotionally, and most of all spiritually… There are far too many souls who need to be saved, and if we aren’t prepared, we can’t find them. (Latu)
- You are going to the best mission ever! Enjoy it and work hard. Don’t treat it like a vacation or you will hate it. Like Brigham Young said “if you go on a mission with frivolity in your heart, looking to see the world, you will go and return in vain.” (Rachael)
- Remember that it is not about of you! God will use you to bless someone’s life and you may not know it. It doesn’t mean you aren’t successful, but you don’t need to see the results of your service. (Rebecca)
- Work hard and obey the rules, and you will have success. (Michael)
- You’ll never regret working hard and giving it your best every day. It’s such a short time! Put your heart into every conversation. Every one of those people is important to Heavenly Father, whether or not they are ready to be baptized. Love them and find a way to serve them and they will love you for it. (Suzanne)
- Gain a testimony of your call. (Zachary)
- Be full of faith and courage…those that don’t seem to be the chosen ones are! Smile and enjoy this is God’s work! (Tanner)
- Just know that it’s going to be hard, there going to be times when you think you can’t do it anymore but I know from experiences that things get better and easier. As long as you are in a constant relationship with God and your companion and you work hard, everything will work out. (Kellee)
- Read, pray , study and it will help you gain a more fullness of your testimony. (Michael)
- Some of the greatest challenges will come in the form of disobedient fellow missionaries. Whether it is a companion or District mate, you will find lots of missionaries that haven’t figure themselves out yet. Some of them want to get better and others just want to do their time and go home. Know who you are and don’t be discouraged by other missionaries. It is not your job to be friends with every other missionary in the field, but you should love them. Sometimes you have to distance your self from other people in order to keep on loving them. (Jens)
- Be yourself. But, be your best self. (Brady)
What was a funny language mistake?
- If you ever serve in Detroit River South, there is a lady there that is very adamant about missionaries speaking Spanish and I was chastised for not trying at first and afterwards she spent most of a lesson teaching me how to pronounce verdaderas. Now it’s stuck in my head, haha. (Chris)
- I had a companion ask someone how they made babies. They were explaining how they had 9 kids and he wanted to say, “How did you do it?” Like, how did you manage raising 9 kids… But, in Spanish the word for “to do” and “to make” is the same, so it sounded like, “How did you make them?” (Greg)
- I accidentally said we were from the church of cheese rice and rattlesnake eggs on somebody’s door step. (Kamree)
- One of my companions told an investigator they could be a king or queen of their own world someday. STAY AWAY FROM DEEP DOCTRINE!!!!! It creeps people out. Treat it like a newborn and teach them the fundamentals first. (Rachael)
- I tried to teach a companion how to never be afraid of speaking to Hindus from India. (Michael)