Published: 9April2017 Last Updated: 30July2017
Vocabulary list:
COB: Church Office Building for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
CSM: Church Service Missionary
FHE: Family Home Evening: a fun, spiritual night for families to grow closer together; in YSA wards that lack the same family atmosphere, there are FHE activities every Monday night for the adults to grow closer as a ward family
FogBugz: website that collects all the feedback emails in one place and allows organization by assigning emails to other users to make sure the problems get fixed
GL: Gospel Library: an app for scriptures, lesson manuals, and other content
LDS: Latter Day Saint
PSD: Publishing Services Department
QRS: Quality Resolution Service: the service I help with, which takes feedback and submits issues for repair
SLC: Salt Lake City
WorkFront: Facebook-like website used for repair and project coordination; I sometimes call it Facebook for programmers
YCSM: Young Church Service Missionary
YSA: Young Single Adult; also used to describe a Young Single Adult Ward
What Sister Gee Does:
I am in the Language Division (subdepartment) under the Publishing Services Department. I receive and organize foreign language feedback for LDS.org and the Gospel Library app.
I am part of the Language Quality Resolution Service, which is just called QRS since we're in the Language Division. The Gospel Library calls us "Non-English Content Issues" because they handle English Feature and Content Issues for Gospel Library.
QRS handles non-English problems in church apps, church websites, and even church printed items. We work on translation errors like misspellings, grammar errors, and untranslated text. Content errors or "content bugs" include missing pages, missing manuals, or missing collections.
I tell people that it's kind of like a bridge between the Language and Technology departments.
QRS has two major steps that missionaries serve.
Intake:
reading and responding to emails describing issues
checking for the issue on our own devices
submitting the issue for review and eventual repair
Repair:
contacting and assigning tasks to publishers and programmers
getting updates on repairs from publishers and programmers
checking for the issue on our own devices daily
praying that the issues have a speedy repair!! (lol)
(In order to give a look at what I do, I will post Issues of the Week!)
Improve: (large scale stuff)
collecting data from issues
processing content requests
suggesting ways to update data to avoid glitches or issues
People in QRS:
Gary: missionary manager
Greg: Gary's manager
Elder and Sister Dunford: missionaries that do Improve projects
Dan: church employee that does special projects and repairs stuff
Elder Broderick: hilarious and smart guy; does smaller special graphic design projects
Sister Aversa: Brazilian amateur programmer; fun-loving cubicle companion
Sister Rademacher: ex-Gospel Library team member; Intake trainee; very interested in ASL
Sister Beck: missionary choir director; musical theater and history enthusiast; part-time Intake helper
Sister Gee: Intake guru; actively working in Repair coordination
YCSM rules:
Tag:
I am to wear my tag while I am at my mission assignment or when I am at church meetings like Sunday services. I do not wear it to YSA activities outside the church building.
However, I am advised to not wear my tag anywhere else when I leave the COB to go to my car. Since YCSM's are such a new idea, it will take a while for people to fully understand the calling and the restrictions. It is so we do not confuse people to think that I am a disobedient young full-time missionary leaving my companion. While explanation combats confusion, it is sadly not possible for me to explain my assignment to every single person that sees me with a tag. I am also advised to not use my cell phone while wearing my tag, and while outside the COB. Church employees inside the COB are used to CSM's and do not judge our actions the same as a random bystander out walking in Temple Square.
Dress:
I must wear knee length skirts and have a properly groomed appearance to communicate my committed and respectful attitude towards my missionary calling. I can dye my hair in natural colors.
I can wear jeans or casual clothing while not on mission assignment or at church meetings.
Some YCSM's serve on the grounds or in the cafeteria and they have uniforms for those assignments.
Technology:
I can use technology the same as before my mission, but I, of course, should limit my usage. I am to police my media more intensely, even though I am allowed to watch movies and listen to music. I have made most changes in my selection of audiobooks and music due to language.
I can call and text when I please, and use social media. So you can contact me!
Dating:
YCSM's are technically allowed to date, but it must be discussed with their bishop. Nothing more than handshakes are allowed between the opposite sex while wearing the missionary tag. Hugging is allowed without the tag! Kissing is technically even allowed, but cute little kisses are allowed, not passionate long ones. From what I can tell in my group at the COB, nobody is actively dating any other missionaries. I know of several sisters with boyfriends on other full-time missions, or even in Utah, but not much from what I can tell. But, anyway, just don't get married while you're on the mission.
Living Arrangements:
YCSM's are required to live with a relative or other responsibility party. The home is supposed to be a healthy, spiritual environment for the missionary living there. I live with my grandparents in Salt Lake City. Most YCSM's in the COB do not live as close as I do. Some live as much as an hour away by car or an hour and a half by train (which is a huge deal in Utah). I do not live with a companion.
People are allowed to visit me, of any age and any gender!
Ward:
I attend the ward within which boundaries I live. I am a member of the ward instead of assigned that ward. I am inclined to serve those in my ward by my own choice and within my own schedule. I am also able to receive a calling in the ward if my schedule permits. I have been called to serve with the FHE planning committee!
Companions:
YCSM's are assigned companions in certain capacities, but in my group, it is more common to not have a companion. Those with companions in my zone do not have to stay together in sight and sound and live separately. Those with companions in my zone are district leaders and leaders over the sisters.
Some missionaries that require assistance with their disabilities are either assigned companions to be with them throughout most of the day, or they have someone nearby who can help them with anything.
Mission President:
In most CSM cases, the CSM's stake president acts as their "mission president". Since I am in the Church Office Building which a whole bunch of other YCSM's, I went through a mission coordinator to help me find a fitting mission assignment in SLC, and then I was assigned the mission presidents over YCSM's with this type of assignment. I am not totally sure of the extent of missionaries that Elder and Sister Wright keep track of, but that is as much as I know for now.
With that said, I still need to meet with my stake president even if I am not technically serving within the stake's service opportunities.
Time:
There is a minimum and maximum amount of designated service hours for the mission assignment designated by the mission presidents, and arranged by the missionary depending on their circumstances. I do not know, but I think my zone at the COB has a minimum of 16 hours and a maximum of 40 hours. There is also a minimum and maximum amount of months for YCSM's. The YCSM chooses in increments of 6 months to serve from 6 months to 18 months for sisters, 24 months (2 years) for elders. This time can be adjusted, and also be put on pause for circumstances like long-lasting surgeries.
Similarly to the full-time missionaries, we stand as an example of Jesus Christ at all times and all places, especially more with His name written on our tag, Spirituality cannot be measured, but we are encouraged to improve our spirituality in order to serve in our mission assignments with the Spirit. A part-time job doesn't mean that you can't do the same work; it only means that you can't do it at the same frequency as a full-time job. It is all the same to the Lord, and it should be the same to you.
We are real missionaries. We are not "fake" missionaries, or "lesser" missionaries, or "weakling" missionaries, or "pathetic" missionaries, or "wimpy" missionaries, or "half-hearted" missionaries. Missionaries are missionaries and that's it. A mission is a calling through the living prophet by God to serve in an assigned area for a period of time.We are called of God and set apart to an assignment to serve the Lord and spread the gospel in whatever way we can.
Short answer:
- You can call/text/email/message me
- You can visit me
- I don't have a companion
- I go to a normal YSA and can hang out normally
- I serve a specific mission assignment during the day
- I don't have the same rules as a full-time missionary at any time of the day
- The best way to explain is that it's like a spiritual internship
Here is the YCSM handbook PDF.
https://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/callings/missionary/church-service/ycsm/09795-YCSM-Principles-Handbook-WEB.pdf
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