Young Mormons visiting from the US are helping Australians clean up their homes and yards for free. Picture: Facebook/Allison Meister.
Young Mormons are travelling around Australia to help strangers clean up their houses and yards for free.
Tyson Kelly, from the United States, says he is one of hundreds of young Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries from around the globe to be stationed to Australia for up to two years “to serve’’.
The 20-year-old is part of a 130-strong contingent of missionaries, aged between 18 and 26, currently assigned to cover an area spanning from Mount Gambier, in South Australia’s south east, to Darwin.
Other missionary groups are also active in other parts of Australia, he said.
Through letter box drops, social media posts and word of mouth, the missionaries offer to undertake any job or task around the home or garden for free.
These include lawn mowing, weeding, hedging, vacuuming, painting, mopping and window washing.
The missionaries have come to serve for up to two years. Picture: Facebook/Tyson Kelly.
They offer to do a range of jobs, including lawn mowing, weeding, hedging, vacuuming, painting, mopping and window washing. Picture: Facebook/Jared Mass.
Mr Kelly said the volunteer work was part of the group’s purpose to “help people learn more about God and Jesus Christ’’.
While those they meet were often invited to church with the missionaries the following Sunday, he said church attendance was not a condition to receiving help.
“We just love helping,’’ said Mr Kelly, whose Australian missionary work has seen him help single mums and struggling families, as well as some schools.
“Sometimes, (the work involved) is a little gross.
“A lot of these people (receiving the help) are people who just got behind (with their house and yard work) and we’re just getting them back on track.
Mr Kelly recalled one “really big job” he and a group of fellow missionaries helped.
“The mum was in a super hard spot for whatever reason and you couldn’t even walk (around inside the house) without stepping on stuff,” he said.
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“We spent an hour cleaning up and it (the response from the family) was really emotional in the end.
“The kids were running around rolling on the ground (which they couldn’t do before because of the state of the house).”
“I’ve spent time in the Alice Springs area and I’ve seen how humble people in those circumstances are – it’s left a mark that will never leave me.’’
Reaction to the presence of Mormon missionaries within local communities has been mixed.
Some say that after using the free help they were “bombarded with calls … about coming to church’’, yet many have praised the missionaries’ “community spirit’’.
“They are Mormons but they are lovely,’’ said one social media user.
“They will invite you to church and ask to say a prayer for you but that’s it, they’re not pushy.
One of the yards the missionaries offered to clean up before they started. Picture: Facebook/Jared Mass.
What the yard looked like after they’d cleaned it up. Picture: Facebook/Jared Mass.
“This is how religion should be.’’
Mr Kelly has made several Facebook posts in recent days, to group pages for communities from Marion, in Adelaide’s south-west, to Alice Springs.
Each post lists a different number for people to call to request help.
Those same phone numbers appear on posts made by various other social media users offering free help and are also linked to invitations to free English classes and a variety of events, including games nights and sports competitions.
Mr Kelly said he would soon return to the US for study, having already spent 22 months in Australia, but would be replaced by another missionary.
He said becoming a missionary was not a requirement to be a member of the Mormon church and those opting to come to Australia had a genuine desire to help others.
He said the church provided housing for missionaries throughout their stay, with individuals required to pay for other personal expenses – often saving for years before departing their home country to ensure they did not have to engage in paid employment while in Australia.
Offers of payment for work undertaken were always refused – although food donations were allowed, he said.
“That (monetary payment for the work undertaken) is not why we are doing this and it takes away the whole point of why we are doing it,’’ Mr Kelly said.
“We get (contacted by) single mums or families that are drowning in work and people who, for a whole range of reasons, have a lot of (home) projects that have just been pushed to the side.
“It’s really powerful to see (someone’s) gratitude (for the help provided).
“We feel good and they (the recipients of the work) feel grateful for the offer to help, so it’s just like a double whammy.’’
– Lauren Ahwan
English (US) · 