Faith calls Mormon women to missionary work

    

SALEM, Ore. — The image of two young men in suits walking down the street may be a common visual of Mormon missionaries, but it's not a complete picture. There is growing population of young female missionaries.

Living that out are four young women who now reside in a plain, humble two-bedroom apartment in Salem. Two desks dominate their living room. No TV or stereo is in sight. Instead, the home is decorated with a map of Salem marked up with highlighters, pictures that look like they were ripped out of a magazine depicting stories from the Bible and The Book of Mormon, and whiteboards that display goals, prayer reminders and schedules.

The four women, all 19 or 20, have come from Utah, Arizona and as far as the Pacific island of Tonga to bring their message and service to Salem.

But if it wasn't for a recent change in rules, they wouldn't be here.

In the fall of 2012, the age minimum was lowered for Mormon missionaries by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, allowing women to serve at 19 instead of 21 and men at 18 instead of 19.