You have heard it if you have ever been in a Kingdumb Hell. They talk about the pioneer spirit. It is supposed to be joyful. Pioneers are supposed to be very happy, since they are continually doing the work that God wants them to. Of course, they are elevated a bit in status (for "sisters", that is one of the few ways to get status.)
Reality check. I have been out in field circus with pioneers, and one of the common denominators is that they are almost always late for the group. The group met at 9, and they would be the ones coming in with coffee (and that was in the days before Starbucks became a household word) at 9:15. More often than not, they were very tired at that time. Frequently, they would grumble about how tired they were. Now, would anyone doing their favorite work have to force themselves out every day? I don't think so.
Once out, the pioneers would drive slowly. Typically, they would do about 40 km/h (in the states, that is 25 MPH). Very often, they would slow down to about 15 km/h (10 MPH) to look for a street, or while on the street. And then, once they get out, they would rush to the first house and then back to the car at the first opportunity (I used to like when it was very cold, since the witlesses would get back in to warm back up). I have seen them do one or two houses and then get back in to waste half an hour warming up (I wonder how that is going to play out if gas is still $4 a gallon).
And the coffee breaks. Typically, we would go to A-Plus or 7-Eleven for coffee. Nowadays, people are more likely to hit Starbucks or Tim Horton's. (And tip the poor waitress with a waste of paper--if you are going to do that, PLEASE stick with self-service coffee so the poor waitress at Starbucks can make a living!) Those can run for half an hour or longer--I have heard of coffee breaks where they last a whole hour. Good for me-less time spent going door to door. (And I don't even drink coffee--I would usually get something like orange juice because I needed the vitamins and minerals--magnesium--to deal with the stress of being a witless).
Now the worst part. Usually, they showcase happiness. However, I have seen scattered threads on this board where pioneers dreaded going to the doors. Usually, it was the drudgery. I have seen one thread where a poster reported hating people while pioneering. While I never pioneered myself, I never liked going to a study or a good call with one. Half the time, it was some disgustingly ugly guy, and I would think "I'm supposed to be drawn to that? Usually, they were drunkards that were old and haggard. I have been in on a call where the guy was spitting blood into a jar at regular intervals.
All that, and you are supposed to live by higher standards. You will be hounded more than the average publisher. You can't even look at anything that resembles porn, or even "soft porn" without Brother Hounder telling you that you have to be exemplary. You have to look extra modest, and a dress cut a millimeter too high or low or a slit a few millimeters too long will generate a lecture. Everything has to be extra clean, from the car to your house. People are always using your bathroom while out in field circus (good thing I never pioneered). You are supposed to be a generous host or hostess. And there is the danger of being used at the Grand Boasting Session for a dummy part that may or may not be pre-recorded on a MP3 in lieu of a live part.
Ah, the joys of pioneering.