Scouting Prepares Missionaries

There’s something missionaries figure out fast in the field.

Hard things don’t wait until you’re ready.

You’re tired before you want to be tired. You’re frustrated before you’ve had a chance to settle in. You’re living with someone you didn’t choose, in a place you don’t know, doing work that’s harder than you imagined.

The missionaries who handle that best?

They’ve been uncomfortable before.

Youth need tough experiences before the mission. They need them so that when they get on the mission, it’s not the first time they encounter difficulty.

Scouting gives them those tough experiences. On purpose. In a safe place. With Scouters who believe in them.

Sleeping outside when it’s cold. Leading a group when you’re not sure how. Finishing a project when you’ve lost motivation. Serving someone when you’re already tired.

Research identified six key outcomes for Latter-day Saint Scouting: building a testimony, learning to serve others, preparing for a mission, building confidence, learning life skills, and gaining integrity (Ensign, Oct ’04).

Every single one of those is a mission skill.

A young man who’s earned the rank of Eagle knows how to do hard things and keep going. A young woman who’s led her patrol knows how to guide people she didn’t choose. A Scout who’s served his community knows what it feels like to give when it costs something.

That’s not a coincidence. That’s preparation.

If you’re a Latter-day Saint Scouter, you’re not just teaching outdoor skills and merit badges. You’re raising future missionaries.