After giving reports on their week's work, Blake Vierra (right) and Nathan Payne Spjute mount their bicycles as they prepare to set out from the Mormon Church in Hualien to make house visits. (Chuang Kung-ju)

Pairs of clean-cut young white males sporting white dress shirts, black slacks, and bicycle helmets pedaling along the streets and alleys--when you mention Mormon missionaries, this is the image in many people's minds.

Mormonism, officially referred to as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is a branch of Christianity, but due to discrepancies between its doctrines and those of other traditional Christian groups, they have long been criticized by the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Churches.

The static, however, has failed to drown out the message being spread by Mormon missionaries. Since its founding in America in 1830, the LDS Church has extended to all corners of the planet. It is the fastest-growing new religious sect in the world today. The church recently celebrated 50 years of mission work in Taiwan, once again piquing curiosity.

After a quick lunch, 19-year old Nathan Payne Spjute and 20-year old Blake Vierra hop back on their bikes and pedal single file from Chi-an Township along the road through Hualien City to Peipu.

Hualien may be small, but the road is tough to navigate. Not only do they have to dodge pedestrians, scooters, and cars, once they leave the city proper, they have to keep out of the way of heavy trucks barreling up and down the provincial highway.

Despite the danger, the two young men continue to pump along unruffled. When they come to a red light, Vierra, the "senior companion," comes to a well-practiced halt. He sets his right foot down and greets the motorcyclist that pulls up beside him in Taiwanese. If close enough, he will reach out and give the person a firm handshake and a name card. If the opportunity presents itself, he'll even whip out his notebook to jot down the person's phone number and name in Romanization.

They belong to the church in Hualien, which is under the jurisdiction of the Taipei Church, and they are tasked with missionary work in the northern Hualien area. A simple jaunt from the church located on Chi-an's Chungyuan Road to Peipu takes about half an hour. They make the journey at least once a day.