Bolivian youths wanting to serve full-time missions face many challenges. Just getting ready to go can require several months and stretch meager financial resources to their limit.

But through a series of missionary preparation clinics throughout the Bolivia Cochabamba Mission, most of these steps are now taken care of in less than four hours, and at little or no cost to the prospective missionaries.About 200 youths have participated in the seven clinics held since early May. And in a country with a pressing need for local missionaries to help maintain a pace of teaching and baptizing several hundred converts a month, the results have been gratifying.

"This already has had an excellent impact on our work," said Pres. Harrell G. Fallis of the Bolivia Cochabamba Mission, who worked with local priesthood leaders to organize the clinics.

One of those local leaders, Pres. Mario Guzman of Cochabamba's Universidad stake, reported that more than 20 youths from his stake attended a clinic. "Nearly all of these young people will soon leave for their missions," he said. "People who we never thought would be able to go because of finances came to the clinics excited about proceeding with their mission plans. Now it's up to us to help provide the financial means so they can go, but we'll take care of it."

The clinics include a series of interviews, check-ups and meetings. Each potential missionary (all youths 18 1/2 years of age and older are invited to attend) is greeted at the door and given a nametag similar to what missionaries wear.

They meet with their bishop and stake president, who interview them and fill out mission papers with them. They are given medical and dental examinations. Barbers give them haircuts, and they are loaned a suit, white shirt and tie (or dress) for their missionary photo. After lunch, usually provided by the Relief Society, the youths receive final instructions on temporal and spiritual preparations for missionary service.

Sister missionaries Marian Durtschi of Driggs, Idaho, and Patricia Leano, daughter of Pres. Jorge Leano of the Colombia Cali Mission, coordinate the clinics.

Sister Durtschi, who is a retired nurse practitioner, said the idea for the clinics came from a similar program two years ago in Peru. "This has helped reduce what used to take weeks or months to a few hours," she said.

And, Sister Leano pointed out, all of the technical help is volunteered. "We have doctors, nurses, dentists, laboratory workers, barbers and photographers who are Church members in many stakes in Bolivia. But where we don't have them, we have sought out volunteers to assist us - and we've never had problems finding them."

The clinics have been so successful that priesthood leaders hope to conduct them mission-wide twice a year in each stake and district.

"Leaders have found it difficult to call youths before," said regional representative Carlos Pedraja. "They made efforts, but it wasn't easy because of the financial difficulties. These clinics are helping a substantial number of young people to take steps toward a mission."