Elder Gabriel Dominguez and Elder Jordan Grover are pretty visible as they pedal around the streets of Pittsburg, impeccably groomed in their white shirts and ties.
“We can’t hide the fact of who we are,” Grover noted. “Not that we’d want to.”
The two young men — Dominguez is 21 and Grover is 20 — are serving two-year terms as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons.
They explained that this service is not a requirement of their faith, but is completely voluntarily on their part. Missionaries are not paid for their service, and must cover their own expenses.
“I worked to save up money for the two years I’m going to serve,” said Dominguez, who also attended one year of college before becoming a missionary.
He is from Mesa, Ariz., and Grover is from Blanding, Utah.
“It’s a small town, about the size of Girard,” Grover said. “I love it here. Pittsburg has a small-town type of feeling. People have a friendliness and strong sense of community.”
“We try to be strong parts of the community,” Dominguez said. “You won’t always see us in our white shirts and ties. We’ve just started doing volunteer work at the Pittsburg Salvation Army.”
He said that missionaries serve between six weeks and six months in each assignment. He has been in Pittsburg around five weeks, while Grover has been here a little over two months.
Pittsburg is part of the Tulsa, Okla., Mission Field, which includes parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. Missionaries are assigned within the particular mission field by church hierarchy, after prayerful consideration.
“This is the seventh area I’ve worked in, but the first time I’ve been in Kansas,” Dominguez said. “I’m nearly done with my two years.”
During their service, the young missionaries, aged 19 to 26, have limited contact with their families. They can write or e-mail family members once a week, and may call home on Christmas and Mother’s Day. This is difficult but necessary, Dominguez said.
“Families are dear to us, but our families are proud we’re helping God’s kingdom to be built,” he said. “My mother has said how much I’ve matured during this time — she can hear it in my voice.”
The missionaries study gospels two hours a day, sometimes go from door to door, and other times just walk the streets of Pittsburg, talking to people they see.
“This is not a recruiting thing, it’s just to let people have the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus,” Dominguez said.
“This has made such a difference to us that we want everyone to have these blessings,” Grover added. “We love God with all our hearts, and we love our fellow man.”
They are happy to answer questions about the Mormon faith.
“We do our best to clear up misconceptions, and invite people to find the truth for themselves,” Grover said.
“Many people ask us if we’re Christians, and I say without hesitation that we are,” Dominguez said. “It is through Jesus that we receive salvation. We believe the Bible to be the word of God.”
Mormons also have a second book, the Book of Mormon, which they believe to be the fruit of the prophet Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, began to gather a religious following in 1827 after announcing that an angel had shown him a set of golden plates describing a visit of Jesus to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. In 1830, Smith published what he said was a translation of these plates as the Book of Mormon.
“We believe that God is engaged in our lives,” Grover said. “He’s an active God, as active now as He always was.”
The two are also sometimes asked about the custom of polygamy — having multiple wives — which was prevalent in the early days of the faith. However, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints discontinued this custom over a century ago.
“You cannot be a Mormon and have multiple wives,” Grover said, adding that break-away groups or cults who do allow polygamy are rejected by his church.
He and Dominguez can give tours of the local LDS church, are always happy to talk about their faith and also recommend the Web site mormon.org to those wishing to learn more.
“If you see us out on the street, just wave us down,” Grover said. “A friendly wave is wonderful, and we love it.”
PITTSBURG —
