Mormon missionaries James Durrant and David Dayton stand on a St. Petersburg, Russia street corner searching for Mormon converts.

Both are 20 year old missionaries from Utah serving a two year mission in St Petersburg. The Church of the Resurrection of Christ, a Russian Orthodox church is in the background. The elders ignore the women, instead looking for males to stop and talk to since the Mormons are trying to find strong church leaders - only males hold leadership positions in the LDS church.

In the winter of 1995, the Chronicle sent writer Don Lattin and me on an around the world trip to document the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In 1996 the church that was founded 165 years ago in the US reached a historic milestone with more members living outside the United States than within it's borders. This was due mainly through the dedication of the church's young missionaries who devoted two years of their lives in foreign countries searching for converts.

Starting in California, reporter Don Lattin and I travelled to Mexico, Russia, Ghana, the Philippines and Japan to get a first hand look at how the church was able to grow so quickly.

One week in each country. A trip of a lifetime.