They had it pretty rough!

Unseen Heroes: How LDS Missionaries Braved the Pandemic Years

Braving the Unknown: Serving an LDS Mission During COVID 19

When a young man or woman accepts the call to serve a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, they step into the unknown with faith. But no generation in modern history was thrown into the unknown quite like the missionaries of the COVID 19 pandemic.

As the world shut down, borders closed, and public gatherings disappeared, these missionaries found themselves in uncharted territory. And yet, despite the isolation, uncertainty, and unexpected challenges, they pressed forward with incredible strength and courage.

A Mission Unlike Any Other

The missionary experience is often imagined as knocking doors, teaching in homes, and worshiping with local congregations. But during the height of the pandemic, everything changed. Airports closed. Missionaries were reassigned, delayed, or called to serve in their own hometowns. Many taught the gospel entirely through video calls and social media.

And yet, they adapted.

They found creative ways to connect, uplift, and serve. Sometimes without ever leaving their apartment. Their mission field was not a faraway land, it was a laptop screen and a prayerful heart.

Strength in Isolation

Many missionaries faced long months of quarantine with only their companion, often someone they had just met. Gone were the crowded church meetings and street contacts. In their place came stillness, quiet, and self reflection.

This solitude could have broken them. Instead, it refined them.

Missionaries used the time to study deeply, strengthen their testimony, and learn to hear the Spirit in the silence. They developed resilience, patience, and a closeness with the Lord that few generations have had to seek in quite the same way.

The Spirit Was Not Quarantined

Though church buildings were closed and baptismal fonts sat still, the Spirit of the Lord was not hindered. Many missionaries bore witness through video chats and Facebook messages. Others fasted and prayed for people they could not physically reach and saw miracles anyway.

Conversions still happened. Prayers were answered. And even when the work felt slow, the Lord was in it.

Some missionaries may have returned home without the statistics they hoped for, but they returned with a deeper understanding of what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.

A Legacy of Faith

These missionaries will be remembered as pioneers. Not just for preaching the gospel, but for showing what quiet courage looks like. They served without recognition, often without crowds, and sometimes without a single convert to show for it.

But heaven saw them.

They were modern day stripling warriors, standing strong in uncertainty, and proving that faith is not measured by numbers. It is measured by devotion.

What We Can Learn From Them

Every missionary sacrifices something to serve, but this generation sacrificed in ways that few could have predicted. They served amid fear, global confusion, and personal uncertainty. They did not have the answers. But they showed up every day with their name tag on and their testimony intact.

Their experience teaches us that service is never wasted, even when it does not go as planned. That God sees our efforts even when the world cannot. And that in times of crisis, the quiet strength of discipleship shines the brightest.

If you served a mission during the COVID 19 pandemic, thank you. You were called to serve at a time of great need, and you answered that call with courage. Your faith, endurance, and sacrifice matter. You showed the world what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

May your story continue to inspire others who are called to serve, in calm or in crisis.

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