With the rise in full-time missionary applications and the creation of more missions worldwide, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has produced a video offering prospective missionaries and their families an inside look at how missionaries are trained.
The 21-minute video, titled “What It’s Really Like at the Missionary Training Center,” was filmed at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, last November, said Ben Taylor, a product manager for the Church’s Communications Department who worked on the video.
“We wanted to make YouTube content that was engaging and interesting to members and friends, showing them things they haven’t seen before,” he said. “Missionaries are such a visible part of the Church, we thought taking folks inside the MTC to show them the process of training to be a missionary would be an eye-opening and enlightening experience.”
The video is hosted by Danor Gerald, an actor and Latter-day Saint convert, who guides viewers through the MTC experience, conducting short, fun and heartfelt interviews with missionaries. It was released on YouTube on May 17.
“Every year, over 40,000 young men and young women come here to learn, to grow spiritually, to teach the gospel and prepare themselves for what will be a life-changing experience,” states a voice-over narration at the beginning of the video.
In the video, viewers will see:
- Arrival at the MTC: Missionaries are dropped off and say goodbye to their families.
- Welcome: Missionaries meet companions and get to know other missionaries.
- In the classroom: Missionaries attend classes to learn foreign languages and principles of missionary work.
- Physical fitness: Missionaries participate in physical activities for exercise.
- Meals in the cafeteria: Missionaries eat meals in the cafeteria with fellow missionaries.
- Learning to teach: Missionaries practice teaching the gospel in designated rooms.
- Evening devotionals: Missionaries attend Tuesday evening devotionals taught by Church leaders.
- Departure: Missionaries talk about what they have learned at the MTC before departing to their assigned mission.
“We try to encapsulate in this video the MTC experience from the moment you arrive to the moment you step onto an airplane. We want people to know what the experience will look like, and we want people to feel the excitement of missionary work,” Taylor said. “We’re hoping this can be a real gift for people who are preparing to serve.”
The video features interviews with various young missionaries with various backgrounds. They talk about why they decided to serve a mission, the sacrifices they made, what they are learning and the importance of relying on the Lord, Jesus Christ.
The Church hopes nonmembers who see the video gain a better understanding of the missionary experience.
“What are their stories, and what kind of process do they go through to train become a missionary? What kind of experience might one expect if one of these missionaries knocked on their door,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to show what the missionary experience is like for our members and nonmembers alike.”
The video’s release comes as the Church prepares to open 55 new missions globally, bringing the total of 506 worldwide. The Church currently has more than 78,500 teaching missionaries, 31,600 senior service missionaries and 4,500 young service missionaries, with the first wave of 18-year-old sister missionaries beginning their service.
The Church has 11 missionary training centers around the world. By name, they are the Provo, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Philippines, New Zealand, England, Ghana, South Africa, Thailand and Democratic Republic of the Congo MTCs.
Video creators hope the video will influence more young men and young women to want to serve the Lord.
“We’re experiencing a big missionary moment right now,” Taylor said. “We hope that seeing this video will be a deciding factor for the thousands of young people who are considering a mission.”
