Advertisement

Mission: Sofia, Bulgaria

Share

They have to wear a suit and tie practically everyday and are only permitted to use the phone to call their parents, but even then only on Christmas and Mother’s Day.

Interaction between sexes is limited, so dating is out and even flirting isn’t allowed, but then dating would be hard when spending nearly every minute with one or two other guys.

This is the life 19-year-old Drew Loughran signed up for for the next two years when he decided to complete a mission trip with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Advertisement

Despite the hardships he is in for, the trip isn’t about himself, he said.

“I hope I’ll change others,” he said. “I hope that I can help other people.”

The Huntington Beach resident is expected to depart Wednesday for a two-month training session in Provo, Utah, before he leaves in December for about two years in Sofia, Bulgaria.

During the mission, Loughran will be spreading the beliefs of the Mormon Church door-to-door.

The mission was always something Loughran was going to do, he said.

Loughran grew up in the church, listened to his father’s stories about his own mission trip and talked to recently returned friends about their experiences.

His feelings about leaving fluctuated day to day, but it was only a matter of making the final decision.

“It still hasn’t set in yet that I’m going to do it,” he said. “I’ve been preparing my whole life, so it wasn’t too hard to make that decision in the end.”

After setting his destiny in motion, it was only a waiting game to see where he would be sent. Loughran said he thought he would be going to South America, so Bulgaria was a surprise, especially because he wasn’t really sure where it was.

He looked it up on a map, checked out pictures and read up on it on Wikipedia. The location wasn’t a disappointment, it doesn’t matter where they sent him, but the language is going to be difficult, he said.

The language along with the multitude of other rules and restrictions will be “tough times,” but “knowing that I’m helping others, serving others, spreading the gospel” is what makes the trip worth it, he said.

“We believe in Jesus Christ … he spread his gospel,” he said. “We should all be like Christ. And try to do what he did.”

Until now, Loughran said he has only shared his faith with his friends, but his next two years are going to be all about spreading the word.

Although Loughran is expected to be faced often with rejection, there is one thing he expects to come away.

“I think I’ll definitely learn more about [my faith] and how it affects other people’s lives,” he said.

Advertisement