Dangerous Mission

This is obviously not true. An 18-year-old Elder would look excited not scared when commenting on those facts.

Driving to the MTC

MTC at home seems like it is here to stay, doesn't it? At least in some sort of hybrid form where the missionaries start at home for a week or two and then travel to Provo or some other MTC throughout the world. I swear, every passing year my collection of missionary comic strips becomes more and more outdated.

Missionary Visions

I had this particularly dream all the time as a missionary. In fact, one time it felt so real that I was in a funk for most of a week worrying about how I was going to  get my grade point average up when I went back to school.

Today's gag comes from the fertile mind of faithful reader Elder V.

Leaving the MTC and a Contest Winner

Congratulations, Evan Haglund, you're our contest winner! Please send me your address and I'll ship your book in the mail. And thanks to everyone else who participated. Remember: you can always purchase the book on Amazon!

Now, onto today's strip, it looks like Elder Van Dyke and his MTC companions are finally ready to enter the mission field. Now it's going to get good!

Introducing Mission Daze the Book!

More MTC high-jinx.

But enough about that, today I am excited to announce the publication of Mission Daze, the ultimate collection of nearly 500 strips charting Elder Van Dyke's entire mission from mission call to homecoming!

Since I first created the character of Elder Van Dyke in the weeks leading up to my own mission, I have dreamed of seeing a collection of his adventures in print. That day has finally come. And now it is available for the low price of $9.95 plus tax and shipping.

Mission Daze would make a great gift for any missionary, returned missionary, person who has so much as heard of LDS missionaries, or person who has not heard of the missionaries in your life.

I've got a large inventory of these books and they are priced to sell, so please follow this link and buy a copy or two (or three) today.

Girlfriends and Care Packages

It's kind of ironic that as a missionary, I received lots and lots of care packages during the eight weeks I was in the MTC where I never had to worry about lack of food; but when I went to the mission field and had to pretty much fend for myself food-wise, the care packages pretty much dried up. Still, the care packages were good while they lasted.

The MTC Choir

Ah, the MTC Choir: the sure way to guarantee a good seat at any devotional. And if you're lucky, you might just get a ticket to General Conference out of it.

I never participated in the MTC Choir during my eight week stay. Pity, President Hinckley spoke to us.

The MTC Zone

As missionaries often put it: "Days seem like weeks and weeks seem like days in the MTC."

P-Day Letter Home

For many missionaries, P-Day is entirely too short to write a letter home. This often results in messages like this one.

MTC Job

Poor Brother Love, he should have tried selling alarm systems or solar energy.

I filled in for an MTC teacher as a long term sub for about two weeks shortly after returning home from my mission. It was great experience, but within those two weeks, I realized that it was still just a job.

Weight Gain Worries Resolved

Looks like Elder Strong has worked through all his weight gain concerns. Now he can go back to enjoying all the bounties the MTC cafeteria has to offer.

Yet More MTC Weight Gain

More MTC Weight Gain

Yes, I went for the easy MTC cafeteria target again. What can I say? Sometimes cartoonists are lazy.

(The green hot dog sure is unappealing in color, isn't it?)

MTC Weight Gain

For missionaries in the MTC, this is a real issue.

Family MTC Visit

As tempting as it may be, please don't be this missionary mom!

Testimony Translation

Poor Elder Ryan is going to have a hard time speaking "bro" in Laputanian.

Speak Your Language

We got in trouble every time we tried to speak our language in the MTC cafeteria. (Although to their credit, the cafeteria workers were infinitely more patient than the one featured in today's strip.)

Dear John

This is the first strip of many where Elder Van Dyke's companion gets "Dear Johned." I decided early in the strip that it would be funny to have every one of Van Dyke's companions lose a girlfriend while serving with him. Of course, it's always more funny when it happens to someone else.

(Not that Elder Van Dyke didn't experience something similar himself.)

Of Life and Limb

As far as missionary jokes go, the MTC cafeteria is pretty low hanging fruit--even if it is quite good.

More MTC Language

Learning a new language can be hard.