Jenny’s Free Mutual Breakout Room: Missionary Escape

This is an escape/breakout room I created for a combined YW/YM activity a year or so ago. I set up six rooms in the building with identical clues so that each group of up to 8 kids could compete against each other and hopefully escape during the time allotted for mutual. The goal was to keep the supplies low enough that cost of supplies was reasonable for mutual, while still being challenging. I’m pretty sure I spent about $60 for the 6 rooms, but it’s been a while…..

We had two groups of six successfully escape. This was a super fun activity!

The mission

Youth pretend to be missionaries who have to visit another companionship’s apartment. Suddenly the door slams shut behind them and locks! Using clues in the room and things they can look up on their cell phones, youth will figure out the lock code to escape.

The Steps

This is a 6-step Puzzle:

Find a key hidden in the room that opens a locked suitcase which contains
a 3-digit math puzzle and Matthew 5:16 poster that, when solved, contain clues to
open a box locked with a 3-digit lock that
contains a word scramble and UV flashlight which will help kids
find and solve a crossword puzzle written in invisible ink that has the clue to
use the word scramble and missionary codes to open the four-digit lock

Items needed for your Breakout Room:

the attached files, printed
card stock or paper in each of the YW value colors
invisible UV blacklight pen
UV flashlights
two suitcases or locked boxes per room
one 4-digit lock per room
one lock and key per room
one 3-digit lock per room
one Children’s Songbook per room
one 3-M Command Hook per room (big enough to hold up the 4-digit lock)
a suit coat per room, tossed in a random location (I put the 8 sheets of paper in YW values colors in the coat pocket)
tape
several rolls of Smarties per room (THIS IS IMPORTANT)
OPTIONAL: a couple of socks, neckties or other items that might be used by a missionary, tossed around randomly, if desired

Before Your Activity…

Before the activity, use the invisible ink to draw the crossword puzzle on the YELLOW (Good Works) paper as shown:

I wrote “Other side” on the blank side of the yellow sheet of paper where the crossword puzzle was written.

I also wrote random, uplifting messages on the memes in invisible ink so they’d show up with the UV flashlight when the lights were turned out, like “Keep looking” and “You’re almost there” or “Not here”.

*For the record, I tried several different invisible inks. Spend the money on the UV inks. They are much superior to anything else.

Room set up

1.Tape these memes and clues to the walls or other places where they won’t damage any paint. Most of these are just red herrings for kicks and giggles:

Forget the Bishop – https://thepartysaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/forget-the-bishop-meme.pdf
Note to Self – https://thepartysaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Note-toSelf.pdf (CLUE)
Bore Testimony Meme – https://thepartysaint.com/2019/04/25/jennys-free-mutual-escape-breakout-room
Spirit of Love Meme – https://thepartysaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/spirit-of-love-meme.pdf (I used this because it was the mutual theme that year)
Young Men Missionary Meme – https://thepartysaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/YM-MISSIONARY-MEME.pdf
Young Women Missionary Meme – https://thepartysaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/YW-MISSIONARY-MEME.pdf

2. Tape the key (to the locked suitcase) to the ceiling above the table.

3. Put the UV flashlight, Smarties, and Missionary Codes inside the suitcase locked with your 3-digit lock.

4. Put a table in the middle of the room. Place the Email – A Note From Home and Crossword Clues documents on it. Also put a sharpened pencil or pen on the table for youth to use when solving puzzles.

5. Put the 8 sheets of paper in young women colors in the suit pocket and toss the coast over a chair.

6. Attach the 4-digit lock to a door jamb using the 3-M Command Hook so that you don’t damage the building. I didn’t try to actually lock the kids in the room — we just pretended using the hook and four-digit lock.

Youth Instructions:

Each group of up to 8 kids received a copy of these instructions:

Please read and follow these instructions completely BEFORE entering the room!
Instructions:
1. Only one person per missionary group has a phone, so you may have only one smartphone or tablet in the room. The youngest person in the group operates the smartphone. Everyone else, please stack your phones/devices outside the door and leave them there during the game.
2. The youngest person may use the smart device to look up information.
3. Check your math!
4. Don’t break anything!
Scenario:
You are missionaries who have gone into another companionship’s apartment, when the door slams shut behind you and locks! Luckily the missionaries have left clues behind that will help you figure out the lock code to escape.
Tips:
1. Start out by walking around the room and calling out what you see. Sharing what you see helps everyone get on the same page sooner.
2. Use everyone on your team so you can work faster! Split puzzles up into parts to get everyone working.
3. If you get stuck, call/text the mission president at xxx-xxx-xxxx for help.

The mission president’s number was my cell number. Unlike a real escape room, I didn’t have a reasonable way to watch the kids in each room, so I gave them a way to ask for help if they needed it. I also walked around and checked on each room a few times during the game.

We had the youngest person cell phone restriction so that younger kids wouldn’t get left out of the game.

I am not including my printable for this. You can make your own easily and adapt it if you have special rules or other adaptations you need to make.

The Clues:

Following are the important clues for the game to work:

Email to Mom says:

Wed, Apr 1 1, 2018 at 10:41 AM
To: mymissionary@ldsmissionariesarecool.com
Dear Elder Son, It was great to get your email this week. You always write the best emails, full of scripture references that I look up. I know life can get discouraging but hang in there. Chin up! And remember what your father always says: “The key to your problems is turning to a Higher Power. If you look up and move forward your path will be sure.” Your father and I love you and know you will succeed!
Love, Mom
PS — I looked it up, and there are 7 temples in California, 17 temples in Utah, and 6 temples in Arizona!

The purpose of this email is to get the kids to look up and find the key, which has been taped to the ceiling. I found taping the key to the fluorescent light fixtures worked well.

Note to Self Says:

Note to self: Elder Smith’s favorite song is 267a in the Children’s Songbook! Must memorize!

This gives the kids the song and page number they’ll need later.

You could write the text of Note to Self on the chalkboard so there are some things that are different in the room, but since not every space I used had a chalkboard, I made a printout.

Word Scramble:

This proved surprisingly challenging for some groups. Here’s what the cards look like:

Missionary Codes:

Elder Young’s Codes
AR – 6
DE – 2
EM – 6
ER – 1
ES – 6
FA – 6
GRI – 7
IN – 8
LI – 2
MI -5
MO – 7
RE – 3
RM – 5
TE – 5
TY – 3
Elder Johnson’s Codes
AR – 1
DE – 2
EM – 3
ER – 4
ES – 5
FA – 6
GRI – 7
IN – 8
LI – 9
MI – 8
MO – 7
RE – 6
RM – 5
TE – 4
TY – 3
Elder Gomez’ codes
AR – 76
DE – 32
EM – 92
ER – 98
ES – 43
FA – 26
GRI – 98
IN – 11
LI – 67
MI – 33
MO – 0
RE – 56
RM – 31
TE – 34
TY – 09
Elder Woodruff’s Codes
AR – 57
DE – 23
EM – 29
ER – 89
ES – 34
FA – 62
GRI – 89
IN – 11
LI – 76
MI – 33
MO – 0
RE – 65
RM – 13
TE – 43
TY – 90
Elder Smith’s Codes
AR – 9
DE – 0
EM – 4
ER – 3
ES – 1
FA – 1
GRI – 1
IN – 0
LI – 6
MI – 1
MO – 7
RE – 9
RM – 0
TE – 1
TY – 2
Elder Pratt’s Codes
AR – 0
DE – 0
EM – 0
ER – 0
ES – 0
FA – 1
GRI – 1
IN – 0
LI – 0
MI – 1
MO – 0
RE – 0
RM – 0
TE – 1
TY – 0
Elder White’s Codes
AR – 8
DE – 5
EM – 7
ER – 7
ES – 3
FA – 2
GRI – 2
IN – 0
LI – 7
MI – 4
MO – 7
RE – 8
RM – 9
TE – 1
TY – 3
Elder Moore’s Codes
AR – 1
DE – 2
EM – 3
ER – 4
ES – 5
FA – 6
GRI – 7
IN – 8
LI – 9
MI – 8
MO – 7
RE – 6
RM – 5
TE – 4
TY – 3

These provide the four-digit lock code to exit the room, in combination with the solution to the word scramble puzzle. You can alter these numbers to be anything you like — just make sure you use the RE DE EM and ER.

3 Digit Lock Code Math Puzzle:

The Crossword Puzzle

This puzzle is left on the table at the beginning of the game as both a clue and a red herring. Only the solutions to 7-down, 11-down, and 12-across are actually needed to solve the puzzle.

Down

1– Families can be _____ forever

3– Nephi will __ and do, 1 Ne 3:7

5– ___ and ye shall find, Matthew 7:7

7– _____ ye this day, Joshua 24:15

9– Ezra and Northrop, ___ your ears! D&C 33:1

11– Sixth word of D&C 4:4

Across

2– President Kimball: Every worthy young man should serve a ____

4– It’s hard to get up for Seminary but it’s ___ it

6– Eighth word of the Eighth article of faith

8– The worm is spread ____ thee, 2 Nephi 24:11

10– “ I will praise and adore at the mercy ____”

12– Remember ___ Sabbath day, to keep it holy, Exodus 20:8

The solution

If you’re a leader, click here for the solutions to all the puzzles.