DIFFERENT CULTURES—Jamie Pinkston poses with a few of the Chinese students she taught English to during a four-month stay in China earlier this year. Pinkston, 21, is leaving next month for Santa Maria in Brazil to do missionary work for the Mormon Church. Jamie Lee Pinkston appears to have the spirit of goodwill in her DNA.

At just 21, she's already done a lifetime's worth of volunteer work, often in support of those outside the borders of the United States.

Last February, Pinkston and her sister, Haley, 19, spent four months teaching English at a private school in Wuxi, China—an ancient city in the Jiangsu province of eastern China.

"The program is total immersion," Pinkston said. "The kids only speak English in class. We taught them through games and activities familiar to them."

Now Pinkston, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, is about to embark on another adventure. She's leaving for Brazil in January to spend a year and a half there completing her Mormon mission.

"It's a chance for me to share my religion with other people and experience another way of living," said the Simi Valley resident. "I could have been called stateside. I think that would have been different, but I've always loved traveling."

Pinkston has long been active in the church's many outreach programs. Locally, she helps gather school supplies and clothing for children in need.

"Jamie is an incredibly compassionate girl," said her mother, Julie, a homemaker. "She's always had the desire to get out and serve. She goes the extra mile."

Pinkston will do her missionary work in Santa Maria, a city known for its universities and student population. The 18-month stay costs $400 a month. The church doesn't cover the expenses, so Pinkston is working to earn the money.

She will first report to the Mission Training Center in the capital city of San Paulo. She'll spend two months training, learning Portuguese and studying the scriptures.

"The missionaries work in pairs, talking to people in their homes or on the street," said her mother. "They're out every day spreading the gospel, sharing what they know about their religion."

Pinkerton's older sister, Jessica, 23, recently returned home after 18 months as a missionary in the Brazilian city of Joao Pessoa.

"Jessica loved the people. She said it was a humbling experience. The people were friendly and willing to take a minute to listen," Pinkston said.

She said she feels her experience in China has readied her for the challenge of living abroad.

"If I hadn't gone to China I don't know what I would have thought about the Chinese people," Pinkston said. "(They) were so open and friendly. It's cool to meet the real people, not just hear things on the news."

Pinkston graduated from Simi Valley High school in 2005 with honors. She was a star on the girls' varsity volleyball team, and she also plays the bagpipes.

The opportunity to travel and do missionary work has temporarily interrupted her studies at George Wythe College, a liberal arts college in Cedar City, Utah.

Pinkston is following a family tradition. Her dad, Rob, a physical therapist, was a missionary in Spain when he was 19. Her other sister, Heidi, 18, and brothers Patrick, 16, and Davis, 12, are active, too. The entire family frequently takes missionary trips to Mexico.

"From the time the kids were little I encouraged them to do this kind of thing," Julie Pinkston said. "Traveling to Brazil will be a great experience for Jamie. She will learn another language, gain confidence and help other people."