Would you give up millions to serve God? One 19 year old did just that. His name is Will Hopoate. Watch his video here. He is a professional rugby player in Australia, and has decided to postpone his career to go on a mission. While this isn’t the first time this has happened in the history of the church, it is still just as admirable.
There have been others that I have heard of that have done the same, however, sharing the same faith that they do, I can’t help but ask myself, would I have done the same? While it is not a commandment for women to serve LDS missions, I still felt that same desire to go and serve the Lord. But, if I had a chance to stay home and make millions, would that desire have been as strong? I’m not sure it would have been.
Back in 2006, this article was written about another such athlete. A pro-football player that also put his career on hold to serve a mission.
I’m sure a quick search on the internet would show that there are many more like these two young men. For some of these young men, I’m sure there are no guarantees that what they have now, will still remain when they come back from their missions. In addition, many of them are not going to be able to maintain the same level of athleticism on a mission as they do training for their sports. They will have to most likely work hard when they get back at gaining the same skills they had pre-mission. After all, a mission is rigorous in many ways, but there is not a lot of time for training of working out.
Most missionaries wake up around 6:30 am or so and spend time studying the scriptures and preparing for the day of teaching that lies ahead. So, if they want to work out, it must start before that. And, they will have to talk their missionary companion into getting up early too, because missionaries are never alone.
I’m always impressed when I hear stories like this. I’ve served a mission and I know what a sacrifice it is. It takes determination, faith, and love for God to be able to do it at all, much less do it while giving up millions. Very impressive.