By Brogan Bennett
Life changes. It’s true. It’s not just a song by Thomas Rhett. You just got home from your mission, whether it was the next state over or across the world, and serving the Lord was probably the hardest thing you have had to do up until now and has probably been the most rewarding as well. Lesson learned: good things are hard. Well, now you have got to get back into the swing of things. Many of us when we get home become worried about jobs, relationships, school, and sports. After taking a two-year hiatus, we are all out of shape and a little rusty where once we were efficient and effective athletes. How do you get back to that? Do you have to start over? Don’t worry. We just learned that the hardest things bring the greatest rewards. If you are struggling to adjust to competition and your sport after getting home from your mission, fret no longer. We interviewed many of our student-athletes here at Southern Virginia University to help you get back on the field, track, course, or into the pool.Hi, I’m Brogan Bennett, I served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chiclayo, Peru. It was, up to this moment, two of my favorite years. My mission was fun. I loved it and I probably would’ve stayed if they had let me. A lot of that was the love for the work, the food, and the people. However, some of it was fear. Fear of not knowing what my life would look like after the mission. I was scared of going home and losing the habits that I had worked on for two years to develop. The prayer and scripture study, the goal setting, the relationship habits that made even the hardest companionships work. I worried about getting a job, a wife, having kids, my role in the church after. Just like everyone getting home from a mission, I found it to be just as scary as I initially thought. All of the sudden there wasn’t time to read my scriptures for 3 hours a day. I didn’t have someone by me every minute making sure I stayed in line. The truth is, life is different than the mission. And it should be. Let me explain.
Missions are fantastic. They broaden your view and understanding of the world at a young age. You get to see places you would’ve never otherwise seen. Love is a Christlike attribute that you develop for those you serve, your companions, and even the ones you didn’t get along with. Developing your maturity in several different areas including your spiritual and emotional side. Self-discipline is a must, waking up and going to bed early, exercising every day. You learn how to make relationships work, the give and get of being around someone all day every day. And most importantly you found a way to let God more fully into your life. These skills allowed you to be a successful missionary. These skills are also the skills that made you a successful athlete. While interviewing student-athletes around campus, one of them, Jeremy Brown, gave a great piece of advice: “Continue habits that you learned on your mission, like planning and setting goals. This will help you to be more productive and also feel more structure in your life!”
Jeremy Brown: SVU men’s volleyball. He returned from his mission in June 2022. He served in the Denver, Colorado North mission.
Discipline, maturity, relationships, love for your teammates and the game. Sports and missions are two great teachers. My goal is to help future and present athletes at Southern Virginia make that adjustment from mission to competition. “Ad astra per aspera,” a Latin phrase meaning, “to the stars through difficulty.” This is my favorite quote and I truly believe that SVU is helping me achieve that. We work hard, set goals, and we reach the stars. We conducted a little survey here at the school and got feedback from returned missionaries in every sport. We asked questions like, “Do you feel like your mission set you back with your sport?,” “How much did your mission enhance your ability to do hard things?,” and “what advice would you give to yourself if you had to do it all again?” We’ve got the answers for you and hope that you find something for yourself or someone you love. One athlete said, “The work ethic helps out a lot from the mission to school. It’s nothing a student can’t handle though. With the mission experience it expanded my knowledge of life. Take each day one at a time and put your best foot forward. Some days are good, and some days are rough, but the better eternal perspective you have, the better you will be prepared in the hard times. Understanding that college isn’t forever is important, too. Have fun and make memories with those you love because you won’t have that time forever. Enjoy every moment.”
Luke Wilson: advice for returning missionaries into athletics
Luke Wilson: SVU men’s golf. Served his mission in the Puebla South, Mexico mission after previously completing his freshman year at SVU.
In an article written for the church entitled, “Finding my new normal after my mission,” a part stuck out to me while I read it:
Although you adapt your habits as your life changes, that doesn’t mean that you’re disobedient. The Lord doesn’t give a quota for how long to read the scriptures or how many copies of the Book of Mormon to share. All He asks us to do is to believe in Him and be “an example of the believers” (1 Timothy 4:12). As you seek and listen to the guidance of the Spirit, you’ll know what the Lord expects of you now.
I think this does an immaculate job of helping us understand that just because you don’t do what you did on your mission, doesn’t mean you’re a failure. I’ve been home for 5 years and the biggest lesson that I have learned and am still learning is patience and humility, in the form of God’s will, not my will. I thought I had it all figured out for when I got home, “get a job, find a wife, have kids equals happy life.” Well just about none of those things have happened to me yet, but I’ll tell you what did happen, I started playing golf, I got good enough fast enough that in less than 3 years I was looking to play collegiately. I reached out to dozens of schools, none accepted me, then Southern Virginia came into the picture. It didn’t happen overnight, but eventually I found myself wearing a Knight crest on my polos and hats. I met some of my best friends and got an opportunity to play the sport I love at another level. Don’t let your expectations of a successful life after the mission ruin the adventure God has planned for you.
Ryder Wilcox: advice to returning missionaries into athletics
Ryder Wilcox: SVU men’s Baseball. Recently returned from his mission in August of 2023. He served in Ventura, California, Spanish speaking.
Now to get a little input from someone, who unlike me, has recently returned from her mission. Lauren Fowler is from Saratoga Springs, Utah. She served her mission in Houston, Texas speaking Spanish. Before serving her mission, she came to SVU and did a semester of school. She said, “I have a lot of dreams and my dreams change a lot.” She is currently planning on working in education. After her mission she was home for roughly one week and six days. Not a lot of time to get home and get comfortable. Being back at SVU, she said little is similar. The school, the professors, and a few similar faces. But the big change is in herself. Managing her time better, going to bed early, and getting all of her schoolwork and other responsibilities done.
I asked her about her daily scripture study and personal prayer in the morning and how being home has affected that habit. “Definitely prayer, sometimes scriptures can be hard…but I always try to pick up the Book of Mormon at least once a day.” The hardest thing about being home for her is sports. Not playing soccer for a year and a half, then being thrown back into the deep end, so to speak, has made her realize how out of shape she got. It was a big shock for her, and in the first few days back or practice she had a few minor injuries because of how weak her legs were.
The advice she gives to all returning missionaries is to not have expectations. Don’t expect to come home and still have as much time to study the scriptures. Don’t expect to go on dates every day, work on making an effort to the Lord and you’ll see the blessings.
Ashton Smith Arizona Tempe mission 4 months returned. Swimmer.
Ashton Smith, an athlete for the Southern Virginia Men’s Swim team served his mission in the Tempe Arizona Mission. He has been home for 4 months and is doing well in both his sport and academics.
In the aforementioned survey asking returned missionaries what their experiences have been like getting back into playing sports at a high level of competition., we had athletes from multiple different sports, many different missions, and various languages. 30 percent of returned missionaries said that they felt their mission set them back in their sport. However, most said that it didn’t affect their respective sports, and a small percentage said that their mission was a benefit to them athletically. When asked about their perspective and how much the mission changed it, all of them were positive in their responses. 62 percent of them believe that their mission had a big impact on their ability to do hard things. Some of the advice they gave for returning missionaries included, “Your mission gives you a competitive edge with maturity and life experience,” “Be yourself, and get in a routine,” Work hard, it will all work out. God will bless you for your service.”
Another article featuring missionaries and their decisions to serve missions shared the experience of Chad Lewis. Rather than the mission being a hindrance to Lewis, the added two years of physical, emotional, and spiritual maturity proved advantageous towards his career. After his first year in college where he didn’t play football, he served a mission from 1990 to 1992 in Taiwan. After returning home he tried out for the BYU football team where he walked on and became a tight end. After his college career he then played in the NFL for 9 years and was a Pro-Bowler three times. “I learned a lot about hard work and toughness…My missionary service did not shut any doors. It only opened them.”
Just like Chad Lewis, there are hundreds of student-athletes at SVU who chose to serve missions and have been benefited for their service and faith. Some of the funny advice we got from the students here was, “date like crazy,” “keep yourself busy. You can’t mess up if you don’t make time for it,” and my personal favorite, “Don’t be the annoying holy weirdo that no one wants to talk to. You still have to be a part of the world. You are not better than anyone else just for going on a mission.” Missions can be great experiences. They can deepen our connection with the Lord, improve our ability to handle difficult situations, and they can in fact help us in our sports. We student-athletes at SVU are examples of that.
Colleges around the nation continue to sign returning missionaries onto their rosters. Despite this and the successes they’ve seen, there is no cookie-cutter design for getting these athletes back into competition. The best process remains — patience, trust, and an individualized approach. Everyone needs something different to help them back onto their feet. One returning basketball player for the Utah State team said he didn’t shoot a single 3-pointer for 3 months. He kept his training program to less than an hour a day and refrained from playing pickup for an extra month. Riley Ottesen, a pitcher for the University of Utah, shared his experience after having not picked up a baseball for 2 years. “You hear about missionaries coming back from their mission and pretty much losing everything, losing their ability to play sports,” Ottesen said. “That was definitely on my mind. I guess you kind of just have to have faith and you have to stick with the process, and stay strong with what you’ve got going. Hopefully, everything works out for you when you come back from a mission. Fortunately, I was blessed.”
In the intersection between mission and competition lies a profound narrative of growth, challenges, and resilience. The return from a dedicated service period brings with it a unique set of hurdles for athletes striving to regain their peak performance. Yet, within these challenges lies an opportunity for profound personal and athletic development. Through the diverse experiences and perspectives shared by our own Southern Virginia University student-athletes, a common thread emerges: the invaluable lessons learned during missions serve as a catalyst for success both on and off the field. The disciplined habits cultivated during missions — self-discipline, maturity, relationships, and a deeper spiritual connection — can seamlessly intertwine with the realm of athletics, offering a competitive edge.
The adjustment may not be immediate; it requires patience, adaptation, and a willingness to embrace change. Yet, amidst the uncertainties and adjustments, the journey from mission to competition embodies the essence of perseverance and adaptability. As shared by the athletes, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this transition. Each individual’s journey is unique, requiring a personalized strategy and an unwavering trust in the process. Embracing this transitional phase with open minds and hearts allows for new opportunities and unexpected successes, much like the stories of those who found unforeseen athletic achievements post-mission.
So, to all the returning athletes charting this new course, let the experiences gained during your mission continue to shape and empower your athletic pursuits. Your journey, though challenging, is a testament to resilience, faith, and the unwavering spirit of overcoming obstacles. As you navigate the transition, know that the lessons learned, and the growth attained during your mission will undoubtedly fuel your success on the field, track, court, or pool. In the end, it’s not about where you start but how you adapt, grow, and embrace the journey toward the stars — per aspera ad astra — “through difficulty to the stars.” Your mission experience is not a setback, but a stepping stone to greatness, both in life and in sports.
From Mission To Competition was originally published in The Herald on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.