This will definitely be a recurring theme throughout the years. Don't worry though! I came out of it alright.

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Transcript:

Having so many church members here in the UOM is a wonderful blessing! Many of them do a great job at supporting and working with the missionaries to invite people to learn from us.

However, it comes with its own set of challenges... Missionaries here cover way more wards than most other places in the world. Most missionary companionships around the world will cover between 1/2 a ward to 3 wards at a time. In the UOM (and probably other missions in/around Utah), missionary companionships cover between 1/2 a stake to 3 stakes at a time, which is around 3-25 wards. This allows missionaries here to have fantastic opportunities to learn leadership and resource management, but it also causes a lot of mental and emotional stress.

The well-intended goals of the mission leadership do not always align with the well-intended goals of the stakes, and missionaries sometimes get so occupied in trying to maintain this balance that they neglect their mental and emotional health. It is one of the reasons why many missionaries here attend counseling sessions at some point during their mission.

That being said, I don't want to make it sounds like the UOM's challenges are harder than the challenges other missions around the world face. Each mission has different circumstances and challenges that make the mission experience difficult, no matter where you go in the world.