Joseph helps the ailing Husted out of an easy chair and leads him to a desk in his bedroom, where the private school teacher plans to spend the afternoon sorting through photographs. Joseph asked that his last name not be used to protect his family's privacy.

The 18-year-old visits Husted at least once a day, fetching his mail, picking up groceries, bringing home-cooked meals and helping with his research projects.

"I'm a single, grumpy old man and I don't tend to mix with other people's families," said Husted, 70, who is recuperating from illnesses. "I've had some as students, but as missionaries it's completely different."

And completely welcome.

Joseph is one of 17 young missionaries for The Work of Jesus Christ, a fundamentalist Mormon sect based in Centennial Park, located a mile south of the Utah state line.

The Work, which has about 1,500 members, is among polygamous sects that trace their spiritual roots to the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS Church disavows any connection to such sects today.

But the value The Work places on having young men serve missions reflects that heritage.

As in the LDS Church's program, the emphasis is on working hard, growing up and nurturing their faith. But unlike their Mormon counterparts, The Work's missionaries do not proselytize.

The missions are a voluntary program, but most of Centennial Park's young men participate after high school graduation. They put off jobs or college to spend an average of two years in the mission field.

The young men, supported by their families and, if they go out of state, the church, donate their labor to community projects. If they work for pay, their money goes to support their community and church.

The teens have worked on construction projects in the Arizona strip and surrounding states, helped build Centennial Park's charter school, baled hay and waited tables at community events.

In other words, they do whatever they are asked, building skills and a sense of what they want to do with their lives. They also devote time to developing a deeper understanding of their faith.

Aaron Timpson, 21, said a couple of factors pushed him toward the mission he finished about a year ago.

"To be honest, there is a certain amount of political pressure young people experience," said Timpson, who's now studying engineering in college. "That had something to do with it, but the main reason was to help me acquire skills, see what the options were, what kind of person I could be."

That was one outcome Marion Hammon, an architect of the program, had in mind when he helped launch it around 1959.

Back then, Hammon was among fundamentalists living in Short Creek, now the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.

The community had just gone through a historic, and failed, government raid aimed at rooting out polygamy. Hammon didn't want to rely on government help to build such things as a water or sewer system, said Arthur Hammon, one of his sons.

Instead, he thought missionaries could get those things done. But the program collapsed in the late 1970s, as friction grew between Marion Hammon and other leaders in Short Creek.

Residents of the twin towns, now home of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, never revived the missionary program, though there was a short-lived summer work program for elementary school boys. They also started Saturday work projects for boys and men.

In 1984, Marion Hammon and some others split from Short Creek and established Centennial Park, where they relaunched the work mission "as soon as we could get it rolling again," Arthur Hammon said.

Today, Arthur and his brother Alma oversee the missionary program, serving as project leaders and mentors to the missionaries.

"I see a lot of growth in the two years I work with them," said Alma Hammon. "They come on pretty green, with not much skill."

The community also offers a less intensive program for young women called The Nightengales. For two months, the women meet weekly to learn about caring for mothers and newborns.

In his first months as a missionary, Joseph laid bricks, wielded a hammer and worked on dozens of projects.

"Picking up a hammer was an experience for a while," said Joseph, who's more into computers and music.

But helping Husted, who has been in and out of the hospital in recent months and has no family near, brings a different kind of satisfaction.

Husted traveled the world before joining Centennial Park more than a decade ago. He has taught photography, geography and other subjects at Colorado City Academy, a private high school.

Joseph never took a class from Husted, but drew on his journals to write his biography as a school project.

"He has lived in several different countries and experienced quite a few things," Joseph said. "The most enjoyable thing about being around him is listening to him talk."

Social interaction is part of the missionary program. Each day, a different family hosts a missionary lunch.

"We form attachments to these kids," said Priscilla Hammon, as a dozen boys feasted on roast beef sandwiches at her home.

The teens also get time to recreate together, with camping trips, bowling nights and movie outings. But spiritual development is never neglected.

The missionaries meet for religious instruction on Saturday evenings. They are asked to devote at least 15 minutes a day to reading scriptures - the faith uses the same canon as the LDS Church - or biographies. And they must adhere to certain standards, such as avoiding alcohol.

"It's built my character up to a certain extent," said Thomas Timpson, 20, who is nearing the two-year mark of his mission. "They've taught me many things, both in working and as far as character goes. . . . The mission has given me a foundation of where I want to live and how I want to live."

While the end of Thomas' mission may be in sight, his 18-year-old brother Jonathan is just getting started.

"I wanted to help the community, for one thing," Jonathan Timpson said. "And I've seen the effect it's had on other missionaries. I just wanted to be part of it."

Not all boys do.

"Those who don't, have interests in other things," Alma Hammon said. "Some may want to go to college or pursue other jobs. Some don't want to stay around."

And some boys begin missions but later drop out, he said.

Those who stick it out usually find the service has shaped their lives.

Levi Hammon, Alma's son, wanted to be a missionary from the time he was little. He graduated on a Friday and began his mission on a Monday - gladly accepting an assignment on a construction project in Montana.

He was there 14 months, leading a flooring crew working on a hotel. In his spare time, he hung out with foreign exchange students from Poland who also were working in the area.

"I loved it," said Levi Hammon, now 22. "What it really showed me is there are a lot of really good people out there.

He eventually returned home to continue his mission, concentrating on construction projects. Last summer, he was offered a job as an on-site construction manager for a locally owned firm that does projects throughout the western United States.

"It grew me up," Hammon said. "There is no feeling like working for love. To me, you're working because you love the community."

brooke@sltrib.com