Lamar University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, November 9, 1979 Page: 4 of 6
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UNIVERSITY PRESS November 9,1979*4
Diversions
Mormon missionaries/Topaz
Pumping pedals for Christ
Mormon missionaries spread gospel bike
By LIDIA FROEHLING
of the UP staff
They ride their bicycles 10 to 50 miles a
day, six days a week.
No, it is not because of the gasoline shor-
tage, and they are not physical fitness
nuts. They are Mormon missionaries, and
their bicycles are their calling cards for
the two years they spend on their missions.
Elders William Garrick and Delmond
Wilson, both 20, are members of. the Chur-
ch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
more commonly known as Mormons?
Garrick is from Kearns, Utah, and
Wilson is from Holiday, Utah.
Mormons who feel a calling are asked to
volunteer to serve their church as
missionaries for two years.
Applicants, Wilson said, must be living
in accordance with the commandments
and principles of the church, must have a
strong desire to serve, and must be willing
to live according to missionary guidelines.
According to Garrick, after going
through a tough screening and selection
process by the church’s missionary board,
missionaries are sent to Provo, Utah, for
four weeks of intensive training.
Missionaries selected for foreign service
undergo two months of foreign language
training, Garrick said. The entire free
vorld is divided into mission area by the
church, and missionaries are sent
wherever there is a need for them.
Garrick and Wilson found themselves
assigned to Beaumont, part of the Texas-
Houston mission of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The Texas-Houston mission stretches
south to the Gulf Coast, west to Bay City,
east to Lake Charles, La., and north to
Huntsville. Wilson said there are about 210
missionaries assigned to the Texas-
Houston mission.
Garrick has been a missionary for eight
months and has been in Beaumont for two
months. Wilson has been a missionary for
nine months and has been in Beaumont for
three months.
“We like Beaumont, the rain and the
friendly and outgoing people here,” Wilson
said. Garrick said they were a little
homesick at first.
Wilson said the church sets guidelines
for their dress, and they are easily iden-
tified by their dark pants, white shirt, tie,
and short hair.
A typical day for them includes getting
up at 6 a.m. and studying for an hour
before breakfast.
About 9 a.m. they set out to do “trac-
ting” (cold calls), and they may ride door-
to-door until they return home for a lunch
break.
After lunch they study for an hour, and
the/i hit the roads again. They end their
workday between 5 and 9:30 p.m.
Besides making “cold calls,” Elder
Garrick said they make calls on referrals,
people who have called someone in the
church for information.
Sometimes people stop them and ask
them to visit, and they also make hospital
calls.
According to Wilson, their two years of
service as missionaries is more than a
sacrifice of time. He said they are ex-
pected to support themselves financially
during these two years. Many of them
work and save for several years prior to
serving, he said. Some are supported by
their families.
Wilson said he saved $5,000 by doing con-
struction work for two years. “The money
is nothing,” he said. “If it cost $20,000, it
wouldn’t be a problem.
Garrick said he saved $1,800 by working
as a grocery checker. His family con-
tributes the rest, he added. “There is no
price you can put on the experience,”
Garrick said.
Garrick and Wilson estimate that they
live on approximately $180 a month. They
pay their own rent, utilities, groceries, and
for the copies of “The Book of Mormon,”
which they distribute. From the local chur-
ch, they may borrow such items as projec-
tors, recorders, or film strips.
“We don’t spend any money on a car or
gasoline,” Wilson said, “but we do have to
put up with traffic, loose dogs, ahd
carrying groceries on our bicycles.”
On call seven days a week, Monday is
their only time to take care of personal
needs. They may spend the day shopping
tor groceries and doing their laundry.
Being on a budget, they said they do most
of their own cooking. Occasionally they go
out for pizza or are invited to dinner by
church members.
In accordance with church guidelines,
they stay away from caffeine products
such as coffee, tea, and colas, as well as
cigarettes and alcohol..
Church guidelines also discourage use o.
radio and TV.
Their bicycling and some running keep
them in good shape.
There are married couples serving as
missionaries, Wilson said, but most are
single and young. The minimum age is 19.
Men, as well as women, may serve.
Wilson says for the duration of their
mission they are not encouraged to return
home for visits.
Church guidelines also discourage
dating while missionaries. He said they
are allowed, however, to keep in touch
with female friends back home by mail.
Photo by CINDY DO VIES
Delmond Wilson (left) and William Garrick
After their two years of missionary ser-
vice are over, they said they will return
home to Utah and return to being lay mem-
bers in the church.
They both plan to return to college.
Garrick plans to major in metallurgical
engineering and Wilson would like to study
animal science or veterinary medicine.
Wilson said the missionary force is a
vital element in the Mormon church.
There are 28,000 missionaries worldwide,
he said, and 168,000 people joined the chur-
ch last year as a result of missionary ef-
fort.
The church is 4 million strong worldwide
and growing every year, Wilson said.
“I feel privileged to be a part of it,”
Wilson said.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the
world,” Garrick commented.
Topaz reputed
as being lucky,
fidelity symbol
As a lucky stone, the
topaz has a reputation that
is unsurpassed.
Hindu tradition promises
beauty, intelligence and
long life to those who wear
it.
Lasting loves and
beautiful friendships are
also associated with the
topaz, a symbol of fidelity.
Ancient legend has it that
when worn on the left arm,
the topaz, November’s bir-
thstone, combats spells and
enchantments.
Topaz was famed as a
physical safeguard as well;
it was long considered an
excellent remedy for jaun-
dice (perhaps because of
its gold color), fever, asth-
ma, childbirth pains and
mental illness.
The largest uncut topaz
on record, one of Brazil’s
“pignos de agua,” weighed
600 pounds.
The famed “Braganza
diamond”—actually a 1680-
carat yellow topaz
discovered in 1740—was
placed in the Portuguese
crown jewels.
The topaz lends itself to
almost every jewelry use.
Its beauty, brilliance and
hardness make it a jewelry
lover’s dream.
And who knows, it could
pass its legacy of luck on to
you.
ENERGY. We can't
afford to waste it.
S. H. E. Center
Sex, Health, Education
“specialising in contraception ”
Professionally staffed by doctors, nurses and
counselors who care about your personal needs
and particular lifestyle,
in Beaumont *
833-9207
3440 Fannin
a non-profit center
The SSCC Forum Committee presents
Dr. George Sheehan
Speaking on
'/i
8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15 j
SSC Ballroom j
*
Tickets Available SSC Check Cashing Booth j:
LU, $1, available Today * f
High School, $1.50 and General Public, $2 j:
available Monday, Nov. 12
sscc EVENTS
In the world of power and
politics the “stone of
strength” had a strong
following who believed it
could foster friendships
with emperors and kings.
The monarchs themselves
wore the topaz to increase ■■ ■■ ■■ m ■■ * m * ■■ ■ ™ ■■ ■ ■■ ■■ M *
their wealth and power. Tonight
m , . , I Josh White, Jr.
No wonder November s
golden beauty has been M 9 p.m./Perch $1
sought after for centuries, ■■ ■■ ■■ sm ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ wm ms mi ms ■■ mm mm m ms ■■ ■■ iM|
Fittingly enough, “topaz” H Monday-Friday
derives from the Greek Ni ,.r . _. , _ _ . — _ _,,
word meaning “to seek.” ■ Er,c Clapton and Cream"
9 a.m.-4 p.m./ Videotape Lounge
Legend has it that the | Monday
stone was first discovered h 1
on a fogbound, faraway I Photo Contest Entries Due
island. The island and the
gems found there came to
be known as “Topazos,” or
sought and found. H Tuesday
One need no longer sear- I "Milestones in Animation"
ch for this lovely gem on ■ 12:30 and 6:30 p.m./.50 SSC Ballroom
obscure islands. Now it is — — — — — _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ I
mined in Brazil, Mexico, ... , ,
India, Japan, the United ■ Wednesday
States and the USSR. U Finals: Las Vegas trip winner
Brazil is the chief source I
of yellow topaz, the most — ™ ™
valuable form of the gem. _ Thursday
Less familiar color I Dr. George Sheehan "Running and Being"
variations include brown, H 8 p.m./LU ID,$1 SSC Ballroom
blue, green, pink and red. him sm m m hi m m ms hi sm mm mm m m aai ■■ ms m m
A white or colorless form H Friday
found in Brazil is called mm James Durst
| v 9 p.m./Perch
Geologists identify the mm mm h m mi mm m ^m sm mm m mm mm mm mm ms mm mm Hi hi ■
topaz as aluminum
fluosilicate which occurs in H
the openings or cavities of
fire-formed rock. Hot
flourine gas passing Bl ------- _ ____
through the rock has tur-
ned its aluminum silicates
into beautiful gem crystals
that sometimes reach
astounding size.
Setzer Student
Center Council
gJENNIGANe
325 IH 10 North
Beaumont
Bennigan’s Champagne Brunch
Served Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Eggs Benedict.. .$3.95
A traditional favorite, with Canadian bacon, English muffin,
asparagus and Hollandaise sauce
Bennigan’s Country Benedict.. .$3.95
Country Sausage and Poached Eggs served on an English muffin
and covered with Hollandaise sauce
Benedict Ahoy.. .$3.95
Poached eggs on an English muffin, with Baby Shrimp. Scallops
and Hollandaise sauce
Steak and Eggs Benedict.. .$5.95
Top Sirloin. anti your choice of Eggs Benedict
Champagne, only $2.95 a bottle
Open: Sunday
11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Monday - Thursday
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Friday - Saturday
11 a.m. - 1 a.m.
Happy Hour
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
833-2648
1
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Hale, Greg. Lamar University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, November 9, 1979, newspaper, November 9, 1979; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth500022/m1/4/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lamar University.