Behind them is an oversized copy of the Book of Mormon. It is a conversation starter made of cloth and tubing.

They are on a mission to spread their religion to legions of students.

“This makes me happier than anything else in my life,” said Jeralyn Turnblom, a 22-year-old Mormon missionary from Bountiful, Utah.

She greets the students who walk by, asking them how they were and if they had heard of the Book of Mormon.

Mormon traditions say the book was translated by Joseph Smith in the early- to mid-1800s. It details many events, including Jesus’ return to the Earth after his resurrection.

Sister Jeralyn Turnblom, a Mormon missionary from Utah, evangelizes for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Nov. 24 near Pearce Hall. (Libby March/Staff Photographer)

A long trip

Turnblom and her fellow missionary, Ashley Webb, 18, of Highland, Utah, are on 18-month missionary trips.

The practice is common, but not required, for young Mormon adults.

They have been in Mount Pleasant for the last seven weeks. They are unsure when they will leave or where they will go next.

“It’s so much fun. We go to the basketball games, the football games — I love it,” Webb said.

The pair works with local members of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, such as 18-year-old Jessica Pilling, a Canada freshman at Mid-Michigan Community College.

They spread the word on campus and usually arrange about 10 meetings a day with people interested in the religion. They teach their faith in the library study rooms and residence hall rooms.

A tough gig

But representing a minority religion with spotty portrayal in the media can be difficult.

“If I didn’t really believe it, it would be really, really hard,” Webb said.

Events such as the April 2008 raid on a polygamist compound in Texas and popular shows such as HBO’s “Big Love” often poison the well before they can even begin to speak.

“That wasn’t even Mormons. That was an offshoot group, the Fundamentalists,” Pilling said about “Big Love,” though the statement holds true about the Texas compound as well.

Pilling is a longtime track athlete and hammer thrower training in hopes of receiving a scholarship to a university.

She wants to go on a mission when she reaches the required age of 21 for female missionaries.

“I’ve had my own personal experience and trust my feelings,” she said. “I believe Heavenly Father calls us to the places where we teach.”