Congratulations on completing both Mormon Lingo 101 and Mormon Lingo 201!  You are now ready for the advanced stage of Mormon Lingo.  These are words and phrases that the average Mormon probably hasn’t heard unless they served a mission, or have been around a Mormon affiliated university like BYU or Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho).  After completing this section, you will be ready for the final exam!

Mormon Lingo 301

MTC: The Mission Training Center.  This is a center where missionaries go to prepare before they serve on their full-time missions.  Missionaries study culture, language, scriptures, and how to teach for 3 weeks if it is a non-foreign mission and up to 12 weeks if it is a foreign mission.

GA:  Stands for General Authority.  General Authorities are the main leaders of the LDS church consisting of the Quorums of the Seventy, the Twelve Apostles, and the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors).

Flirt to convert:  I wouldn’t say this is an every-day LDS phrase, but it was one that missionaries jokingly used when on a mission.  I heard it at BYU (Brigham Young University) as well.  They used it in reference to flirting with a non-Mormon of the opposite sex to entice them to join the church. 

“I never said it would be easy…I only said it would be worth it”:  This was a phrase used in a picture with Jesus (see below) that I don’t hear much anymore, but frequently used to in the ’90s.  It is actually a quote by Mae West and is nowhere to be found in the scriptures.

“comp”:  abreviation of ‘companion’.  Missionaries are assigned to have at least one companion on their missions, which is why you see them walking two by two on the streets.

“greeny“: brand new missionary

“dear john” : Letter sent to missionary from their significant other while they are on their mission letting them know they are breaking up with them.

“mish” : abreviation for mission…one would use this in the phrase “So where did you serve on the “mish”?”

“dad” : On a mission, each “greenie” recieves a trainer as their first companion.  Missionaries would refer to this first trainer as their “dad”.

“grandpa” :  The trainer of a trainer on the mission.

“AP’s or APES” :  On a mission, the Mission President has two missionaries who are his right hand men in over-seeing the 150 or so missionaries assigned to that particular mission.  They are called assistants to the mission president.  Usually, rather than saying “assistant to the president” when referring to them, missionaries will call them “AP’s”.  Occasionally, I’ve heard them referred to as APES…like the monkey.

“mission mom”: The mission president’s wife

“I killed him”: Term used when your companion goes home from his mission

“I was born in…”: Area where you started your mission 

BYU: Usually people know this as Brigham Young University.  However, I’ve occasionally heard people jokingly say it actually means “breed ‘em young university” because people get married so young there.

BRT :   On a mission, when speaking with someone for the first time missionaries are trained to find common ground with them to build a relationship of trust.  The shortened accronymn for this is to simply “BRT” with a person. 

Split : The situation of a missionary companionship working with two local Elders and splitting up to cover two simultaneous appointments, also refers to the local Elders that assist in such endeavors

 White Bible: White Missionary Rule Book