From a young age, leadership, religion, and taking the initiative to help others have been core tenants in Ben Lake’s life. Now, as he is growing up, learning, and understanding the value of giving back to his community and church, he has made the decision to embark on a life-changing experience: moving to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala for two years as a missionary. Leaving on June 10, Ben will be spending his days learning Spanish, experiencing the new city and culture, and inviting the Guatemalan people to his religion.

“These missions are a big part of my church because we think that going around the world to share our church and our beliefs and finding happiness in it is a really important thing,” Lake said.

Not only did Lake’s parents both go on missions to different cities in Brazil, his sister, Addi, is also currently a part of one in Montevideo, Uruguay. These trips have been a prominent and valued part of their family, one that Ben is very excited to get to take part in, and has been looking forward to for a long time.

“I decided from an early age that I wanted to go on a mission,” Lake said. “I’ve had friends that have started to go that are older, and my sister just left, so I knew I wanted to do one, unofficially.”

The process of being assigned to a mission may seem anxiety-inducing, because Lake didn’t actually choose where he’d be spending the next two years of his life. Instead, he simply said he was willing to learn a language, and was then placed on a mission to Guatemala.

“Before I actually go to Guatemala, I’m going to go to Mexico City for six weeks, where I’ll spend all day learning Spanish and learning how to teach the lessons and teach people about my church,” Lake said.

Ben will have some preparation to do before he leaves, including brushing up on his Spanish skills using Duolingo. And along with having to find a way to fill a suitcase with two years’ worth of clothes and other necessities, presentability is an important factor that plays into his packing list.

“You’re supposed to dress nice, with a white shirt and tie every day to look very presentable,” Lake said. “People aren’t going to listen to you, if you have something to say, if you’re wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants.”

Within Lake’s geographical location, which all of the missions around the world are divided into, there will be 200 other missionaries. So, to make the amount of new people and the completely new environment seem less overwhelming, each missionary is assigned to one other person whom they will be with for a given period of time.

“You get assigned to a companion, just one other person that you’re with all the time so that we are safe and know that you’re staying on task,” Lake said. “Every six weeks, they switch it up and you’ll get paired with someone else.”

Although the main purpose of this trip is to hopefully welcome new people to the Church of Jesus Christ, being in a new country presents several opportunities of its own. While not working and meeting the people in Guatemala, Lake will get one day a week to explore and fully immerse himself into his new home.

“There’s one day a week that they call your preparation day, when you can get your grocery shopping done, make sure your clothes and apartment are clean, and you can also have free time that day,” Lake said. “You can travel anywhere within your boundary— you have time to play soccer, go to the beach, and walk around.”

Although being away from home and the things that are familiar in your day-to-day life for two years may appear like a terrifying experience at first glance, Ben has little else besides optimism as he continues to look forward to his mission.

“I think two years, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t that long,” Lake said. “To go and put my own personal needs aside to help one society — even though Christianity and Jesus Christ might not be the answer for them — and help them find happiness and peace, I think that will be a really cool experience.”

Looking even farther down the road, at the end of the mission, Lake hopes to find a real sense of accomplishment and fulfillment by the time he returns home.

“I think the end goal would be to give it my all and learn to love the Guatemalan people and the culture, and fully embrace it,” Lake said. “I’ll also be able to be on my own in a different place, and learn a lot about myself and how to live on my own.”