-
NARRATOR: You missionaries have been called of God.
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You will be taking the blessings of the restored gospel to every corner of the world.
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You're excited to serve the Lord and your fellow brothers and
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sisters but in your excitement to become the best missionary you can,
-
do not take chances with your health or safety.
-
You simply cannot serve effectively when you are sick or injured.
-
You have been called to serve.
-
Service is the hallmark of missionary work, so go forth.
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Serve the Lord by serving His children but see to it that when you serve,
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you serve in safety.
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VIVIANE: Big show today, Missionary Training Center.
-
JAROM: Doesn't get any bigger.
-
MALE PRODUCER: Aaron, I see we have two of our three hosts in place,
-
please tell me you know where Spencer is?
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AARON: He just texted me, I know exactly where he is. Pulling into the parking lot.
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AARON: Everybody.
-
Thirty seconds to air.
-
He's not going to make it, it's going to be you two until the first break.
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JAROM: Let's do it.
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SPENCER: I'm here, I'm here!
-
Hey John.
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JAROM: Where have you been?
-
What are you thinking?
-
SPENCER: I'm good.
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JAROM: I'm almost on the air.
-
SPENCER: Whatever, when the light goes on I'll be ready, let's go.
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JAROM: Whatever, let's go.
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VIVIANE: You got some...
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AARON: And 10, 9,
-
8, 7,
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6, 5, 4, 3.
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SPENCER: I think we're good.
-
Two, one, okay, let's do this.
-
[MUSIC].
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: From around the corner and across the globe,
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it's The SafetyZone,
-
special Missionary Training Center episode "Serving in Safety". [MUSIC].
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VIVIANE: Hi, everyone. I'm Viviane.
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JAROM: I'm Jarom.
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SPENCER: And I'm just happy to be here.
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VIVIANE: His name is Spencer, and together,
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we host The SafetyZone,
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the only program dedicated to keeping our missionaries safe,
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secure and healthy through video replay and analysis.
-
Spencer, are you excited for today's show?
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SPENCER: Can't you tell? My heart is racing.
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JAROM: Like this every show.
-
When was your last doctor visit?
-
You should have your blood pressure checked.
-
SPENCER: Whatever.
-
VIVIANE: In this special MTC edition,
-
we want to cover three broad categories,
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the areas of life as a missionary that are well,
-
to be honest, troublespots.
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JAROM: That's right. Church leaders and safety specialists have determined that
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if you young elders and sisters give special attention to these areas,
-
you'll increase your chances of staying safe and healthy,
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allowing you to give everything you have to serving
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the Lord and your fellow beings during your mission.
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SPENCER: Amen.
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VIVIANE: That's what it's all about,
-
so Jarom, you're up first. What do you have for us?
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JAROM: Let's start with staying safe while getting around.
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SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Bicycle Pedestrian Safety.
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SPENCER: I specifically requested the longer version.
-
JAROM: That one costs a little extra.
-
The missionary handbook stresses the importance of maintaining
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the highest standards of conduct by keeping the commandments,
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living mission rules and following the counsel of your mission president.
-
It goes on to say that studying the handbook regularly will
-
help missionaries understand the principles it teaches.
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SPENCER: You are a really good rememberer.
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JAROM: Thanks, I think. I thought,
-
instead of showing bad examples,
-
I'd take you through the day of a missionary companionship who stays obedient, aware,
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and respectful while out and about.
-
It all starts with a safety moment.
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[FOREIGN]. These two elders are holding something called a safety moment,
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something every companionship should do before
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leaving their apartment or engaging in an activity.
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VIVIANE: Like at the start of a service project?
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JAROM: Exactly. Or even just heading out for teaching appointments.
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That's what's happening today.
-
So they're talking about where they'll be going, how they'll get there,
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and how to stay safe, obedient, and alert while traveling.
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SPENCER: Yes, I like the idea of safety moments. If nothing else,
-
it focuses missionaries' attention and makes them more aware while they're out there.
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JAROM: It helps them stay obedient.
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SPENCER: And aware.
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JAROM: And obedient.
-
Now, these two missionaries are assigned a car.
-
Take a look at this. You see that?
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SPENCER: What?
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VIVIANE: I saw it.
-
SPENCER: What?
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JAROM: With this companionship, it's not just driver and passenger—
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it's driver and co-driver,
-
like a pilot and copilot.
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Both remain alert and aware.
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SPENCER: Wait, show me again.
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JAROM: See, both elders look right and left and right and left, again, two times.
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VIVIANE: Both staying so alert. What else, Jarom?
-
JAROM: Watch this next example.
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ELDER 1: Hey, it's Elder [FOREIGN NAME].
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Hey, Elders.
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JAROM: These Elders right here on bikes,
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they're staying safe too, wearing helmets,
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writing single file, traveling with traffic to the right, constantly aware.
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VIVIANE: Way to sailor, Elders.
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SPENCER: Which ones?
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VIVIANE: Both companionships,
-
they're all doing what they should.
-
JAROM: I want to make one more point. Let's roll it back.
-
See, the biking elders,
-
at first, don't recognize the other missionaries.
-
To them, it's just a car, but regardless,
-
they're aware that the driver of this car might not see them,
-
so look at the eyeline here.
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SPENCER: Yes, they're watching for others who may not be watching for them.
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JAROM: They make sure to make eye contact,
-
watching for others who may not be watching for them.
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SPENCER: That's what I just said.
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VIVIANE: Making eye contact with the driver lets them know it's safe to cross. Excellent job.
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JAROM: Obedience and awareness while driving and while biking, but now take a look at this.
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These two missionaries just finished an appointment.
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Now they're walking back to their car.
-
See, even when walking,
-
they stay alert to their surroundings.
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It's like I said—so much of this is being aware of those who aren't being aware of you.
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SPENCER: I said that.
-
JAROM: Watch what happens next.
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Elder 1: Oh no, who is it?
-
SPENCER: Oh, come on,
-
man, you don't do that.
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VIVIANE: Staying alert is not only a way to stay safe,
-
but look, being constantly aware opens opportunities for missionaries to be missionaries.
-
JAROM: Service is almost always a function of staying alert to the needs of...
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MALE PRODUCER: We're closing up the A block, ready with the bumper.
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VIVIANE: That's right, what a great opportunity to serve others.
-
These elders are sharp.
-
JAROM: Listen up. Whether you're driving, biking, or walking,
-
always start with the safety moment, then stay amazingly alert out there.
-
Watch out for those who aren't watching out for you.
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SPENCER: Yes, I wish I had said that at some point.
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Don't go anywhere. When we come back,
-
Spencer tackles preparation day safety.
-
MALE PRODUCER: Hey, Steph, you have the playbacks ready for Spencer's block?
-
STEPH: Yes. Have you seen his picks?
-
MALE PRODUCER: Better show me.
-
STEPH: Playing them back right now.
-
MALE PRODUCER: Oh, boy. Can I have your headset?
-
STEPH: Yeah.
-
MALE PRODUCER: Hey, Spencer, can you hear me?
-
SPENCER: Yes, Hank, go ahead.
-
MALE PRODUCER/HANK: Say, this footage for your next segment.
-
SPENCER: No, that all happened.
-
That's real footage from preparation day activities gone wrong.
-
HANK: Yes, that's what worries me.
-
Listen, just in the interest of time, what are your two favorites?
-
SPENCER: Let's go with lost in the market,
-
and out of hand soccer match.
-
HANK: Lost in the market, out of hand soccer match.
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Hey, ready up, everyone.
-
AARON: And we're live in 5, 4, 3.
-
Cue intro.
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Welcome back to The SafetyZone.
-
Now, the man with a full throttle and the dry tank. Spencer.
-
SPENCER: Pretty sure I didn't approve that intro.
-
JAROM: Yes, that's because I did.
-
SPENCER: Of course you did.
-
VIVIANE: What's the topic, Spencer?
-
SPENCER: The topic is preparation day safety.
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Preparation day safety.
-
SPENCER: I had so many good examples you probably wouldn't believe.
-
VIVIANE: Examples of how to stay safe on preparation day? Good examples?
-
SPENCER: Well, let's just call them entertaining examples.
-
JAROM: Sorry to interrupt, but just to set the stage,
-
the Missionary handbook talks about preparation day activities.
-
It says things like recreational activities should be safe and enjoyable and how you
-
should avoid activities that might cause injury or extreme fatigue, that sort of thing.
-
SPENCER: Take a look and see if we can learn a thing or two.
-
Let's watch something I call
-
"Lost in the market."
-
These four sister missionaries
-
happen upon each other while doing their weekly shopping.
-
The two senior companions have been friends since
-
all the way back in their MTC experience.
-
They haven't seen each other for months.
-
What a glorious reunion.
-
VIVIANE: Look at them. It looks like they have a lot of catching up to do.
-
SPENCER: Clearly, stories are exchanged.
-
OLDER SISTER IN PURPLE: Sister Warren, this is my old companion.
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JAROM: Oh, the memories.
-
SPENCER: Fantastic, right?
-
But they're about to make a classic mistake.
-
VIVIANE: I see what you're talking about.
-
They're leaving those poor younger sisters behind. That's kind of rude.
-
SPENCER: Rude is probably an understatement.
-
JAROM: It's being disobedient.
-
VIVIANE: Disobedient?
-
SPENCER: Actually, for once, Jarom's right.
-
Preparation Day offers great opportunities for groups of
-
missionaries to get together for various activities but
-
at no time should missionaries separate from
-
their assigned companions unless authorized by the mission president.
-
JAROM: You sound like me. It's in the handbook.
-
SPENCER: It's in the handbook.
-
Don't pair up with other missionaries.
-
VIVIANE: I feel so bad for those newer missionaries.
-
SPENCER: Yes, you should. They've only been in the country two weeks,
-
and it's not exactly an easy language,
-
so here's what happened.
-
You can see it all over their faces—
-
they lost their companions completely,
-
and you may have also noticed it's a really big market.
-
JAROM: Don't they have phones?
-
SPENCER: The senior companions have both phones.
-
After more than an hour,
-
they found a store owner who was kind enough to let them call the mission president.
-
VIVIANE: Wouldn't want to be those senior companions after that phone call.
-
SPENCER: Yikes. The lesson here is,
-
stick with your companion always,
-
even on preparation day.
-
Your mission president had the inspiration to assign you two together,
-
so when you're in groups, don't pair off with others.
-
HANK: Ready up the soccer game footage.
-
SPENCER: Another potential source of safety trouble on preparation day involves,
-
and I know this isn't your forte, Jarom,
-
but bear with me. Physical activity.
-
JAROM: You're right. That's my number one strength.
-
The handbook says physical activities to sports should be enjoyable and not competitive.
-
It also says not to do things that could get you injured or
-
cause extreme fatigue. Just trying to be helpful.
-
SPENCER: Well, it was a nice try.
-
Does your brain ever hurt?
-
JAROM: Yes, they're called headaches. I take medicine for that.
-
SPENCER: Outstanding. Let's roll the footage,
-
I call this "Out-of-hand soccer match." [BACKGROUND].
-
Energy high, smiles all over the faces preparation day in this way,
-
is a game day and great opportunity for physical recreation.
-
These elders get together within
-
their area just about every week at a local soccer field.
-
Great chance to pass it around a little bit,
-
get some exercise, laugh, it's healthy.
-
Show off—some elders are better than others,
-
and that's okay—just get out and have fun.
-
JAROM: Nice stuff.
-
VIVIANE: That's pretty good.
-
SPENCER: Look at that wizardry.
-
JAROM: Great move.
-
SPENCER: Then it gets a little physical. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE].
-
The blood's boiling a little bit.
-
Clearly. Time for a segment I like to call...
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Let's break it down.
-
VIVIANE: That was nice, Spencer. I like it.
-
SPENCER: Thank you, Viv.
-
JAROM: It's decent.
-
SPENCER: Time to break it down.
-
What's going to happen here?
-
JAROM: This is too easy. Competitive games should be avoided.
-
That's what the handbook says.
-
SPENCER: There's nothing wrong with a little pickup game of soccer or football,
-
depending on where you are in the world.
-
VIVIANE: Of course not. It looked like most of these elders
-
were there to enjoy themselves and get some exercise.
-
But this one, this one's turned out to be some kind of battle.
-
JAROM: Sometimes, battles result in casualties.
-
SPENCER: So your analysis is?
-
VIVIANE: Somebody's going to get hurt.
-
SPENCER: Let's see what happened.
-
JAROM: I think he's mad.
-
Right in the face.
-
My goodness. That did not go as planned. He's out cold.
-
VIVIANE: That is not good.
-
JAROM: That wasn't fair.
-
VIVIANE: It's always someone else who gets hurt.
-
The elder, is he okay?
-
SPENCER: No, he's not okay.
-
Broken nose, two black eyes,
-
unable to do any real missionary work for over a week.
-
JORAM: But I bet you he didn't play goalie again.
-
SPENCER: He probably didn't.
-
Injuries on preparation day are more common because
-
our elders and sisters are more physically active,
-
engaging in activities they normally don't during the week.
-
VIVIANE: But in all fairness...
-
SPENCER: Well, there's nothing fair about it.
-
Accidents happen unfairly to people who aren't at fault at all,
-
but those who stay situationally aware can often avoid accidents initiated by others.
-
JORAM: It's like they say [FOREIGN LANGUAGE].
-
It's from my mission in Brazil.
-
It means a broken foot throbs painfully,
-
whether you fall on the rock or the rock falls on you.
-
VIVIANE: That's actually pretty good.
-
JORAM: Thanks.
-
SPENCER: In South Korea, we say [FOREIGN LANGUAGE].
-
JORAM: What does that mean?
-
SPENCER: Don't worry about it. Back to preparation day.
-
Sports. It's easy to get competitive and forget
-
the purpose of recreational activities on preparation day. Jarom, again?
-
JAROM: The handbook? It says sports should be fun,
-
not competitive, and that being active is all about keeping
-
your body fit for missionary work.
-
SPENCER: Thank you, my friend. Getting competitive too
-
often leads to getting yourself hurt or, worse,
-
injuring others and stay together.
-
The handbook says that on preparation day,
-
you need to stay in your area and stay with your companion.
-
JAROM: I love when you quote from the handbook. I'm impressed.
-
It also says staying together means staying within sight and hearing of each other.
-
SPENCER: Now you know how to keep yourself safe on preparation day.
-
When we come back, it's Viviane's turn.
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: When we come back, our third and final health and safety area—nutrition and hygiene.
-
AARON: We're out.
-
VIVIANE: That was a nice, strong segment.
-
I think a lot of preparation day mishaps happened because
-
missionaries are involved in a lot of unfamiliar activities.
-
JAROM: What do you have for hygiene and nutrition?
-
VIVIANE: I think you'll like it. Do you still get queasy about germs?
-
SPENCER: Why?
-
VIVIANE: I know you'll like it.
-
AARON: People, we're live in 5, 4, 3.
-
HANK: Go ahead and play EBS.
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Welcome back to The SafetyZone.
-
VIVIANE: It's not just accidents and injuries that can put you out of commission.
-
Sickness and disease can slow down the work
-
and sometimes even lead to sending you home early.
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Nutrition and hygiene.
-
JAROM: It's a hard fact that missionary illness could be reduced
-
by up to 80% if missionaries would just get in
-
the habit of washing their hands frequently with soap and clean water. 80%.
-
VIVIANE: As you know, we live in a time of great leaps in technology,
-
so I'm proud to now debut for the very first time
-
the latest in video technology.
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Microbe enhancement.
-
SPENCER: Did he just say microbe enhancement?
-
VIVIANE: On the surface, it looks like the sisters who live
-
here do a pretty good job of keeping things clean.
-
But wait. Let's switch to microbe enhancement.
-
JAROM: There it is.
-
VIVIANE: They prepared chicken last night.
-
Looks like they forgot to take soap and water and wash off the cutting.
-
SPENCER: How do you forget that?
-
Chicken is one of the worst offenders.
-
Gnarly salmonella.
-
JAROM: Good old salmonella.
-
I believe he played center field for the Twins.
-
SPENCER: No, stop it.
-
JAROM: That germ cam mode is amazing.
-
You can see every little parasite.
-
Is this high definition or what?
-
SPENCER: You know, maybe we could... [GAG]
-
VIVIANE: Actually, what we're going to do is we're going
-
to follow these sisters throughout their day
-
and see just how easy it is to gather germs when you're not paying attention.
-
JAROM: The handle will get you.
-
Everyone touches the handle.
-
SPENCER: Don't touch the handle.
-
JAROM: You know they will.
-
There it is.
-
SPENCER: Just go wash your hands, and everything's fine.
-
Don't touch anything else.
-
VIVIANE: You're doing okay, Spencer?
-
SPENCER: Not your face!
-
JAROM: Hand to the face. That's a penalty.
-
LADY: How are you? This is Bowler.
-
SPENCER: Don't bring a dog into this.
-
VIVIANE: But it's a cute dog, Spencer.
-
JAROM: With his cute little germs.
-
SPENCER: Cuteness has nothing to do with how gross this is.
-
SISTER 1: Hi.
-
SISTER 2: Hey, how are you?
-
JAROM: Don't. A four-person germ transfer.
-
SISTER 1: How's your week been?
-
JAROM: Hand to the face.
-
SPENCER: Poor unsuspecting people.
-
SISTER 2: It's been good. It's been a good week.
-
SPENCER: Well, it's about to be a really bad night, sister.
-
SISTER 1: I can't find anywhere.
-
SISTER 2: Here, you can use mine.
-
SISTER 1: I can't.
-
SPENCER: Common sense. Hallelujah.
-
SISTER 1: It's gross!
-
SISTER 2: Not like this. Just use your finger.
-
SPENCER: No.
-
SISTER 1: Are you sure?
-
SISTER 2: Sister Hoffman did it.
-
Sister Weymouth, Sister Chapel,
-
all my past companions.
-
SISTER 1: Okay.
-
SPENCER: Fail.
-
SISTER 2: No problem.
-
SISTER 1: Actually.
-
VIVIANE: Sorry, Spencer.
-
SPENCER: You too?
-
SISTER 1: I've been thinking a lot about Leah lately.
-
JAROM: You need to think about germs instead, I think.
-
SPENCER: Tell me they washed their hands.
-
JAROM: Nope.
-
SPENCER: Clearly, they didn't.
-
JAROM: All over.
-
Do they only need chicken, or is this a burger? Don't.
-
SISTER 1: A little something on your face.
-
JAROM: A little something?
-
SISTER 1: A little bit more on a corner.
-
SPENCER: That's disgusting. Stop it.
-
We get it. I'm done.
-
VIVIANE: Are you sure? I think they visited a petting zoo.
-
SPENCER: No. Don't team up with him. You're above that.
-
JAROM: The Llama wanted some lip balm.
-
VIVIANE: Yes, yes, it did.
-
HANK: Look at Spencer. The guy can't handle his germs.
-
VIVIANE: The point is, washing your hands regularly throughout the day
-
with soap and water greatly reduces the chance of getting sick.
-
JORAM: By 80%.
-
VIVIANE: That's just cleanliness of hands.
-
Making sure the food you buy and the food prep area of
-
your apartment are clean is also vitally important.
-
JAROM: Your whole apartment, in fact.
-
VIVIANE: That's right. Don't forget clean,
-
safe drinking water in parts of the world where you can't trust tap water,
-
our missionaries are issued water filtration devices.
-
Make sure you use them
-
not just for drinking water
-
but for washing your food as well.
-
HANK: Get ready for the wrap-up, folks.
-
JAROM: There you have it. The three big areas where missionaries who aren't being
-
obedient and aware often get themselves in trouble.
-
Vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian safety.
-
Preparation day safety and proper nutrition,
-
hygiene, and safe drinking water.
-
Spencer, you going to be alright, man?
-
SPENCER: I'll be fine.
-
VIVIANE: But once again, it's vital that you elders
-
and sisters understand that there are real dangers here.
-
Real missionaries, just like you, suffer
-
real consequences when they fail to be situationally aware and obedient.
-
We'd like to end with a segment we call
-
"Let's get real."
-
SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Let's get real.
-
VIVIANE: For instance, recently,
-
two sister missionaries waited to cross a busy multi-lane street,
-
2 or 3 lanes of traffic in each direction.
-
When a car in the near lane stopped for them,
-
one of the sisters hurried across,
-
assuming the cars in the other lanes would also stop.
-
She was struck by a driver who never saw her.
-
Her injuries were severe enough to end her mission.
-
JAROM: That's awful. Not long ago,
-
four elders were driving to zone conference on the freeway when
-
the distracted driver realized he was about to miss his exit.
-
He crossed several lanes of traffic quickly.
-
They were struck by a vehicle in their blind spot and
-
their car rolled ejecting one of the elders.
-
All four were hospitalized and went home from their missions early.
-
The ejected elder required several months of painful rehabilitation.
-
SPENCER: And preparation day. An elder suffered a severe leg fracture when he decided it would
-
be fun to jump off a two-storey deck and onto a trampoline at a member's house.
-
Where was his companion while all this poor decision-making was happening?
-
Inside the home playing billiards with the member.
-
JAROM: Oh man, not in sight or hearing of his companion.
-
SPENCER: Another time, several elders were playing basketball on preparation day.
-
Harmless. Well, instead of getting simple exercise,
-
it turned it into a competition,
-
using a chair as a launching point for a slam dunk contest.
-
One missionary caught his ring on the hoop.
-
Jarom, you need to take over. [WARNING GRAPHIC VISUAL]
-
JAROM: Just breathe. The elder caught his ring on the hoop, degloving his finger.
-
I don't know if you've ever seen a degloved finger.
-
VIVIANE: That is awful.
-
JAROM: The surgeons had to amputate it.
-
All because missionaries ignored the rules.
-
They thought something sounded fun, so they disobeyed.
-
VIVIANE: On hygiene and nutrition,
-
a sister missionary in a developing country was admitted to the hospital with tapeworms.
-
She often failed to wash her hands and had been eating almost no fruits or vegetables.
-
The longest tapeworm in her digestive tract measured two feet.
-
Spencer, you ready?
-
SPENCER: I got it. Then, we recently had two elders who were
-
hospitalized with severe diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration.
-
Gross. You'd think this would be in some remote corner of the world.
-
Nope, the United States of America.
-
Turns out their food preparation area was filthy.
-
They rarely clean the countertops,
-
cutting boards, or preparation utensils.
-
JAROM: Well, I hope you get the point.
-
It gets real out there.
-
Real things happen to real missionaries.
-
Don't think that something like this could never happen to you.
-
VIVIANE: Because when you're not careful,
-
obedient, and situationally aware,
-
you put your health and maybe even your life at risk. Spencer.
-
SPENCER: Finally, the story of Elder Stewart Silver,
-
young, full of enthusiasm.
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Elder Silver was called to the Idaho Pocatell mission.
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His mom sent him off,
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like all missionary moms do, with a lot of pride, a little bit of worry.
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Then, just one week into his mission, the unthinkable happened.
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ELDER NICK KING: Was this accident preventable?
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Yes. There was one decision,
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just one, that we could have made to avoid all of this.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: I was on my mission for six and a half days before this accident occurred.
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The night of my first preparation day,
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we stopped by the home of one of our word mission leaders,
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and he told us about a service opportunity the next morning.
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ELDER BART BOWERS: This couple wanted this shed moved.
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They just moved here from back East.
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They're not members. I thought,
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this might be a great opportunity for them to get to know the missionaries.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: They brought a flatbed trailer with them to move these sheds,
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lift it up as a team,
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move it onto the flatbed trailer.
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We're talking about how we can secure it to make
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sure it doesn't move around as we're driving.
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ELDER BART BOWER: One of the elders said, we ought to just screw it to the deck.
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I thought, that's a great idea.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: The shed needed a little bit more support,
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and so the idea was brought up that we just hop on
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the trailer and help hold down the shed as we were moving.
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ELDER NICK KING: I looked at Stewart,
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and I said, are you okay with this?
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He's like, yeah, I'll be fine.
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I didn't have the common sense to say,
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this might be a bad idea.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: But I was a little bit hesitant about it.
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It seemed maybe not the very safest thing,
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but I didn't think it would be terribly unsafe.
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I don't actually remember exactly what happened next.
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ELDER NICK KING: We were going about 25 miles an hour,
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and a microburst came out of nowhere,
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which caught the sheds like a kite
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and just blew it straight up and off to the side of the trailer.
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ELDER BART BOWER: The west wind just took that shed to the east.
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ELDER NICK KING: I watch him as he falls forward
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and hits the railing of the flat trailer that we were on,
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and then his head hit the asphalt.
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ELDER BART BOWER: I just remember the sheds coming off and the elders.
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I could see them roll as they hit the road.
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I immediately knew this is not good at all.
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ELDER NICK YOUNG: When I come too, it's a few seconds later, not much time had passed.
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I opened my eyes, and I look over to Stewart,
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and he's convulsing,
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he's moving very violently.
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I stood up and started running to where he was.
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There was a lot of blood. I pulled out of my pocket,
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and I had a vial of oil. It's the same one.
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I found it and proceeded to give him a blessing.
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In the blessing, I said,
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you have many lives yet to touch on Earth, and you've touched mine.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: The impact to my head gave me a skull fracture that almost broke into my brainstem.
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I had severe bleeding.
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ELDER GLEN CURTIS: The people helping him and working with him believed that it was
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a lost cause and had not expected him to live.
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ELDER NICK YOUNG: I would have nightmares for the months after.
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I would see him just falling.
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I would just scream, and I couldn't wake up.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: It was quickly apparent that there was going to need to be
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a lot more time towards healing.
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I have five discs and 25 screws in my head,
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but there was never a question.
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As long as I was physically capable,
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I was going to go back and finish what I started.
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From accident to setting foot back on my mission was almost eight months to the day.
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ELDER NICK YOUNG: I thought that I had denied him that opportunity to serve because
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of my one choice to jump in the back of a trailer.
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ELDER GLEN CURTIS: Obviously, riding on the back of a trailer isn't very smart.
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This is so typical of missionary work.
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You want to help somebody, you want to get in there
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with that power tool to chop something down.
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You want to do something to help,
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and you don't want to tell anybody, no.
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I can understand that. Brand new missionary wanted to do what's right,
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didn't follow that inner core feeling that this probably isn't a good idea.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: To any new missionary,
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I would say that you have
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as much authority and responsibility for the area that you're in,
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for the work that you're doing,
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just as much as your companion.
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ELDER NICK YOUNG: I was wrong for allowing such an event to happen.
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I should have known better,
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I should have known to be more cautious or to mitigate that risk.
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ELDER STEWART SILVER: Be safe. Don't do anything dumb, and speak up if you feel unsafe.
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SPENCER: I want to make a couple of things very clear.
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First of all, Elder Silver and his companion were good, solid, hardworking missionaries.
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Secondly, they just wanted to help people.
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They wanted to get out, specifically Elder Silver,
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who had been in the field all of a week with the peak of enthusiasm and do some good.
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It's really unfortunate.
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But they were good missionaries trying to do good things.
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JAROM: They certainly had good intentions.
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Look, accidents can happen to anyone,
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whether you are being obedient or disobedient.
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But the principles that we talk to you about are things that will help reduce your risk.
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We don't want what happened to Elder Silver to happen to you.
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This episode won't be the last time you see us.
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SPENCER: Throughout your missionary service,
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The SafetyZone will visit you regularly with
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focused reminders about staying healthy, safe, and secure.
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VIVIANE: Future episodes will cover everything from maintaining safe apartments to
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carbon monoxide dangers to proper behavior with children and more,
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all designed to help you learn
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important principles and change your behavior when necessary.
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JAROM: As we sign off, never lose sight of
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the three keys to staying safe, healthy, and strong.
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Be obedient to mission rules, to local laws,
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and to the counsels of your mission president and the promptings of the Spirit.
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SPENCER: Be aware wherever you go,
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whatever you do. Be alert to your surroundings.
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Watch for dangers to yourself and your companion.
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Situational awareness saves lives.
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VIVIANE: Be respectful.
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A humble approach to all aspects of your mission puts you in a state where you
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are more receptive to promptings and more likely to make good choices.
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Thanks for joining us,
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thank you for answering the call to serve,
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and thank you for focusing on what you learned today.
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For Spencer and Jarom and me, Viviane, and on
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behalf of all the crew here at The SafetyZone, stay safe out there.
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SAFETYZONE NARRATOR VOICE: Tune in next time for Spencer,
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Vivian and Jarom in The SafetyZone.