The roulette wheels, the bright lights, the booze, the women — they define Las Vegas. Many believe a trip to sin city is something everyone should do at least once.

Aaron Wagner, of the Toronto Argonauts, spent time in Las Vegas on a Mormon mission. (Toronto Argonaut Football Club)But CFL player Aaron Wagner sees Vegas very differently. The Lethbridge, Alta., native went to the city six years ago at 19, on a mission to spread the word of God. The 2001 mission was part of his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Members are also known as the Mormons.

When Wagner, who is now a linebacker with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, went to the gambling capital, he stayed for two years. And after his experience, believes what happens in Vegas doesn't have to stay in Vegas.

While he was there, Wagner spent much of his time in the underbelly of the city, with its poorest, most desperate residents. He has no qualms telling people about the seamier side of the place where many choose to have a fun vacation.

Mission a 'shocker'

The Latter-Day Saints church sends young people all over the world on two-year missions. During that time, they cannot watch TV, read newspapers or socialize with members of the opposite sex. And they can only call home twice a year. They also have no choice where they are sent. Wagner had never been to Las Vegas, and had no intention of visiting.

He's talking about his experience during a sweltering day in July. While most Canadians are at home enjoying barbecues, Wagner is running down field, covering a punt.

"It was a shocker for me. My immediate thought was casinos, strip clubs, gambling and crazy people," he laughs.

But he wasn't there to convert gamblers on the strip. In fact, Wagner wasn't allowed near the casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard. Wagner was sent to work with junkies, drug dealers, petty criminals, and prostitutes.

"I got sent to the nastiest part of Vegas there is," says Wagner, who worked in areas nicknamed "Crack Alley," and "Naked City."

"Man, those places are horrible. You go into 'Naked City' with your clothes on, you come out with nothin' on," says teammate Richard Seigler. Seigler, a defensive end with the Argonauts, knows what he's talking about. He grew up on the city's hard-scrabble east side.

Saw knives, guns, SWAT teams

"A lot of low-life people [live]there. If you come across the wrong person it can be dangerous," Seigler adds. Wagner's mission was to spread the word of God in several low-income, government-housing areas. He lived in the projects. He says there were police stations inside some of the apartment buildings.

"We had shootings and stuff in the apartment complex that I lived in. In the middle of the night there were choppers and SWAT teams kicking down the doors."

"Some of these people are on drugs and a lot have lost their minds. Some of them carry weapons. One time, a guy just pulled a knife for no reason on us and he just started swinging," says Wagner. Wagner admits several times, he was scared.

"Aaron was fearless," says Richard Nehring, who was Wagner's companion for three months. The missionaries work in pairs. Their job — to knock on doors and invite people to church. Nehring, who now lives in Indiana, remembers both knives and guns being pulled on them.

"There are a lot of gangs. It was pretty rough, I was scared lots of times. Aaron would talk guys down. I don't think we were ever in life-threatening situations," says Nehring.

That's debatable. Wagner recalls peeking inside an open door once and getting a dangerous surprise.

"All the lights were off. I said, 'Hello?' Then all of a sudden, I saw a shotgun pointed at my head and an old lady laughing. And so we just ran."

Thought of quitting

"We try to be careful. If it's very dangerous, we pull them out," says Lorey Draper, a church instructor. Draper supervised Wagner and Nehring while serving as a mission president in Las Vegas. "You have to have a lot of courage. We've had a few situations, but no serious injuries," says Draper.

The missionaries involved in the Latter-Day Saints church work 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. They ride bikes while carrying sacks of Bibles weighing 11.3 kilograms. Wagner says it was 53 C his first day on the job, and he wore a full suit. The pay is terrible. Wagner says he received a $137 US monthly stipend, which had to cover all his food and laundry. He admits he thought of quitting several times. But he's glad he didn't. He says the skills he learned in Las Vegas toughened him up, and helped him develop his real estate business. And he laughs when he hears football players complain about how hard their lives are.

Wagner says his mission in Las Vegas was scary at times, but he's glad he had the experience. (Toronto Argonaut Football Club)"This is a cakewalk. This is great. You couldn't ask for a better job than to get paid to play football," says Wagner. Most of his teammates only know that he's a family man who doesn't drink nor smoke. But not even his coach knows about Wagner's visit to Vegas.

He also says he made many lifelong friends in Las Vegas.

"People are looking for hope, they want something good in their lives. They're just trying to reach out and find it. I don't know how much I helped them, but I know the message and the Gospel that I shared changed a lot of people's lives."

Wagner hopes to reach out to more people. Both he and his wife Candace plan to volunteer on another mission once his football career is over.