Elder Pitts sitting in playground
ELDER PITTS
We're used to being the ones asking the questions.
WOMAN, INTERVIEWER
Yeah.
ELDER PITTS
To help people and stuff. So when we get asked questions, we're like… 'Oh, it's my turn to ask the questions, is it?'
Men handing out leaflets
ELDER PITTS
We speak to everyone. We try to get a hold of anybody we can and share this message with everyone.
Elder Pitts speaks to a man in front of a house
ELDER PITTS
Have you had any experiences with God in your life? Finding out answers and things?
MAN
Uh, can't say that I really have. Um…
ELDER MCCHESNEY
G'day. My name's Elder McChesney.
ELDER PITTS
My name's Elder Pitts.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
We're a couple of missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
ELDER PITTS
We do a lot of tracting. Go out there… That's probably an effective way of finding people. A lot of people seem to think that we get a lot of negative reactions but it's a lot less than what people actually think. People are really, really nice.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
We're with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
WOMAN
I'm not interested, thank you very much. I've got my own religion.
ELDER PITTS
If they're not interested, fair enough. They can shut the door and we're fine with that. We're not here to take away anybody's choice. The Book of Mormon teaches a lot about families. Families is the most important part and we feel that, if you really, truly love someone, you love them for eternity.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
We write home to our parents at least once a week, we try to, and we actually get to call them each Mothers' Day and Christmas.
ELDER PITTS
Sometimes it's hard, sometimes you miss home, but, you know, you love it too much, you love the message too much to be worried about it. We can drink Coca-Cola. We're not — I guess, the word, um — yeah, encouraged to drink coffee or tea. Just as a physical thing and also a spiritual thing.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
There's a McDonald's restaurant about a two-minute bike ride away from one of our other missionary flats and we're still trying to determine whether that's a good thing or a bad thing because with fast food, yeah, you can eat that but, I guess as Elder Pitt said, the emphasis is we're encouraged to do things which are going to be good for ourselves. And if you have Maccas 24 hours a day, that's not going to do you too good, so in those senses, yeah, we want to use our own wisdom.
Elder Pitts, Elder McChesney and interviewer eat hamburgers
ELDER PITTS
Back home, I was into a lot of that classical rock'n'roll. Out here, we listen to church music.
INTERVIEWER
Do you find people like Marilyn Manson really offensive?
ELDER PITTS
Um… he doesn't offend me. He can do whatever he likes but… I like it when they can actually… they've got talent and things like that, so they're not just out there for a show.
Elder Pitts door-knocking
ELDER PITTS
Hello.
WOMAN
Oh, God! Hello.
ELDER PITTS
How are you doing?
WOMAN
Good, thanks.
ELDER PITTS
No need to be scared. In the future, if you see us around, we know the message is true, we'd love to share it with you, we encourage you to take that chance.
WOMAN
Thank you.
ELDER PITTS
Alright, have a good day.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
All the best.
ELDER PITTS
I really wanted to go foreign. I wanted to go, you know, out of the United States. Um… but I still wanted to speak English.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
I guess I was probably hoping to go overseas for the mission.
ELDER PITTS
When I got this call, I was so excited, it was my dream, my dream to come out here.
Elder Pitts knocks on door
ELDER PITTS
Starting to get little calluses on the knuckles from all the doors you knock on. You know, we're committed to do it and so, when we do come out, we're expected to work hard. We work six and a half days a week.
Elder Pitts and other men clean up graffiti on a wall
ELDER PITTS
In my last area up in Doncaster, we cleaned up a primary school, Nunawading Primary. 'Cause they didn't have janitors, so we'd just do all the janitorial work.
MAN1, MISSIONARY
We work with the city council of Dandenong, Springvale and Noble Park. We do that once a week to help the community look clean.
INTERVIEWER
So what about people who'd say the thing's art? You don't agree?
MAN2, MISSIONARY
Well… I don't know, I have to paint it off, I have to clean it up, so I don't know. Depends on a person's point of view. But I know, as far as the council's concerned, they tell us to clean it off, so we do. We're going with the council.
ELDER PITTS
And you're always helping out people. That just makes you feel good, to always be doing that.
MAN3, MISSIONARY
Mostly, all we do is the general walls like this that are council-owned.
ELDER PITTS
Hey, if you like, the missionaries can stop by at a better time and come talk to you more about it.
OLD WOMAN
That's alright. No worries.
ELDER PITTS
Yeah, OK. Thank you for your time. See you. We'll clean up your fence for you.
OLD WOMAN
Alright.
ELDER PITTS
Baptisms for the dead.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
We perform the baptisms by proxy here on Earth.
ELDER PITTS
They always have the choice. They have to accept it or reject it.
INTERVIEWER
Who makes the choice? The dead person?
ELDER PITTS
Oh, they do, not on this earth but we believe they're there in the spirit world right now. Now, we do the baptism for them but it's their choice to accept it.
Elder McChesney talks to a man at his front door
ELDER MCCHESNEY
No worries. How's the day been for you? Nice one? ..reinforce those principles which… No worries. You make sure you have a good one today.
ELDER PITTS
Shalom. I used to like comedies back home. Um… Steve Martin and Chevy Chase.
INTERVIEWER
Can you see any films while you're here? While you're on a mission? No.
ELDER PITTS
Just church films. Kids watch movies and get ideas from them. They get kind of desensitised. In the movies, there's a lot of things that aren't so good. So when they see that, they think it's normal. The standards of the Church aren't like that, so they encourage us to stay away from that. So… yeah.
Elder Pitts talks to an old woman
ELDER PITTS
Can we share a message with you today?
OLD WOMAN
Oh, I don't think we've got time today.
OLD MAN
Darling, there's a long distance phone call from your… Betty from Salt Lake City!
ELDER PITTS
Salt Lake, wow!
OLD WOMAN
My husband, the comedian.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
Thus becoming like a heavenly father. We believe that we're literally his children, that's not just like a phrase, it's a literal thing, that we do have the potential to become like him.
Elder McChesney talks to a woman
ELDER MCCHESNEY
G'day, ma'am. How are you?
INTERVIEWER
What's the Church's view on homosexuality?
ELDER PITTS
We definitely love the people, love all the people, no matter what they do, but don't love the act.
ELDER MCCHESNEY
As missionaries, you know, we don't date — we dedicate the two years to the service.
ELDER PITTS
We're in the world but we're not of the world.