Gone for two years

Salt Lake City is synonymous with Mormons, even though members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not in the majority there. Mention the word "Mormon" and most people think of the temple in Salt Lake City, even though it is not the first temple completed by the LDS Church (the temple in Kirtland, Ohio was), nor even the first one completed in Utah (the one in St. George, Utah holds that distinction).

Another icon associated with the LDS Church is the missionary, and when you mention "Mormon missionary" most people think of a clean-cut young man between 19 and 21 years old dressed in a dark, conservative business suit and sporting a white shirt and tie. However, young women and retired, married couples serve as missionaries, too.

The young, single missionaries leave their homes for two years and during that time their contact with their family is limited to weekly letters or emails, one phone call on Mother's Day and another phone call on Christmas. Other than that they have no contact with their families. They also give up dating, movies, music and other pursuits typical of a young man or woman, and devote themselves to teaching people about Jesus Christ. They do not get paid. In fact they, or their families, pay their own way.

On Monday morning we left Salt Lake City to return home to New Jersey. Our flight was delayed so we had a long wait. I shot this photo of three young missionaries talking on the phone to their families as they were waiting to board a plane to Phoenix, with Leaving on a jet plane going through my mind. On an even more personal note, I was in the same place over thirty years ago as were these young men on Monday. My oldest son--whose family we had just been there visiting and who blessed us with the grandchild--did the same thing just a few short years ago. My oldest daughter is preparing to do so, as well, and we're in fact awaiting her mission call, which will tell her where she is assigned to labor (no, you don't get to choose).