These guys live on £4 a day and they’re happier than you

We chatted to some Mormons


They fast on Sundays, give a tenth of their incomes to the Church, and don’t drink coffee, tea, or alcohol.

And they’re actually really cool.

While we’re spending £40 and above on a standard night out, Elder Wrenger and Elder Chan live on just £4 a day. Every day. And don’t have any days off. Ever.

After finishing college in Germany and Hong Kong, the two boys signed up to a two-year ‘mission’ in which they “help people to make them happier”.

They are “just randomly talking to people, knocking on doors, telling people what the church is all about”.

Friends

They get no funding for their project and say they’ve saved up £6000 for the two years they’re here. On asking them how they got this sort of money, they replied: “We worked a bit”. A BIT.

But only £4 of this per day is to be spent on food. That won’t even cover a two for one Pizza Express deal.

Even more shocking, they can only e-mail their parents on a Monday, and are only allowed to Skype home twice a year; on Mother’s Day and Christmas. Something to tell your Mum next time she’s pestering you to come home for the third time in a month.

Elder Chan and Elder Wrengler have been door knocking

But these boys have a real passion for what they do. Elder Chan says: “If you help people, you can influence their future and you become much happier”.

They even offered to cook my tea for me.

Elder Wrenger asked: “Do you know anyone who needs an uplifting message?” We were tempted to send them over to the dark world of the Poly, but swiftly decided against it. Hallamers would probably have an absolute field day with them.

On how they decide where to spread their Mormon joy, they grinned: “We look on the map and we just feel good about one street.”

They signed up via The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but didn’t know which country they would get sent to. Elder Chan told us his brother served in Washington DC, and seemed to like the prospect of America, considering University there.

We had a read

They said they would both consider Sheffield as an option for University after their mission. Elder Wagner is considering studying physiotherapy and Elder Chan is interested in Computer Science.

The two nineteen-year-olds only stay in each city for a couple of months at a time, so Sheffield will have to say a reluctant goodbye to the happiest people ever to scale its torturous hills.