LDS missions

[checkerboy]

Originally Posted by Maureen

I also have questions to add to ceeboo's questions.



Doesn't the LDS church pay for the plane fares to and from?
I can't be sure but I think it probably comes out of the pool of money that is the general mission fund.


When you fill out the papers to apply for a mission, can the potential missionary suggest places he would like to go to? (My nephew desperately wanted to go to Scotland and he got his wish)
You can list any foreign languages you know but that doesn't ensure anything. I knew two twins growing up that studied Russian and were almost fluent. They both got called to serve in Korea.


How does the missionary get his/her monthly allowance, when he/she is in the mission field? (that he has saved up prior to going on a mission)
You get a debit card that has your monthly allowance added each month. Your rent and utilities are paid from the mission office, so what you do with your money is up to you.

Thanks also!

M.

This info is based on my mission of course.

[Misshalfway]

I am not really sure on the stats......I think it depends on the part of the world we are talking about. In Utah and Idaho....I would say most.

Missions do overlap. The Missionary Training Centers get new missionaries every month. So do the individual missions and they also send missionaries home on a regular rotation when their service time is complete.

I think it can be dangerous, yes. We have had reports of missionaries being kidnapped or as a victim of a crime. I am thinking of one instance that happened in South America where two Elder's were kept in a shack in some jungle. Sometimes missionaries have died. Not all these safety issues are because of religious reasons. Some are political, some are simply accidents or crime or stupidity of the missionaries. Missionaries are given very specific rules to follow for their safety and sometimes missionaries fail to keep themselves safe.

From my own personal mission experience, I met all kinds of people. Some welcomed us with open arms and loved the missionaries even if they weren't interested in the message. Some were very closed but kind. Some were hostile. It just depended on the day. The whole experience makes for some fun story telling and some wonderful friendships.

I found my mission to be all those things you listed and more. Missionaries aren't allowed to phone home. (only in emergency or on Christmas and Mother's day) You can't chat with friends or girls or anyone familiar and you can't call your Dad when you have a hard day. You may write but that is all. So, it can be lonely especially for young 19 yr old kids who have never been away from home. My mission was the hardest thing I had done in my life up that point. It took me out of all my comfort zones and tested me in a way nothing else could. But it was also the best experience. I got to teach people from so many different countries. Some of my most cherished friends were from China. And the spiritual growth and experiences were wonderful. It was an irreplaceable experience and I cherish both my trials and my blessings.

I would and will absolutely encourage my kids to go on a mission. We spend a great deal of time preparing our youth to go. It takes commitment and dedication and sacrifice to go on a mission. And not everyone that applies is accepted. You must be worthy.....meaning that you have lived a clean life and that you have a strong testimony of the truth of this gospel. You don't go on a mission to play around or to seek your own interests. Every moment of everyday is assigned to you. You don't go to school or have a job. Your clothing must fit the standards, as does any haircut. You have one day off, but only for laundry and grocery shopping and a little R&R. You, for two years, live to serve the Lord and to serve the people of your mission boundaries ONLY. I want my children to know how to sacrifice and work hard. I want them to learn to love and understand other cultures and viewpoints. And I want them to learn to rely on the Lord above even me. Missions are great experiences. I think that is why parents are sometimes saddened when their children choose against such a choice and why mother's want their daughters to marry a returned missionary. It isn't the only good experience, but it is something most LDS families want as part of their children's experience.

[checkerboy]

Ok I will attempt to answer.

Originally Posted by ceeboo

Thanks again to ALL who have shared this info with me on LDS missions

A few more questions, if I may.

What percentage of LDS have served a mission ( half, most, few ?? )
My guess is that only half of those that are eligible have served, but that is just a guess.

Do missions overlap ( as we speak, are some just starting, some almost done, some in the middle )??
Yes people are leaving on missions every month so the times overlap.

Can it be dangerous ( depending on what Country your sent ) to go on a mission?? say, China for example??
Well we only have missionaries in Hong Kong in China but there have been plenty of missionaries that have died on their missions going all the way back to Parley P. Pratt who was killed in the South while on a mission.

For those who have served a mission, have you found that you were welcomed by the majority, or not so much??
I guess it depends on where you go. I went to Texas and found most people were welcoming but didn't much care for the message I brought.

I am sure this depends on several things but for those who have served, did you find the experience humbling, hard, exciting, lonely,etc???
All of the above. There were days when I just wanted to go home. There were days when I was simply amazed at the Lord's hand. There were days when I literally fell asleep whenever I got a chance to sit down. There were days I wanted to kill my companion.

Would you encourage your kids to also serve a mission??
Very much so.

Thanks again and God bless,
Ceeboo

Originally Posted by Misshalfway

I am not really sure on the stats......I think it depends on the part of the world we are talking about. In Utah and Idaho....I would say most.

Missions do overlap. The Missionary Training Centers get new missionaries every month. So do the individual missions and they also send missionaries home on a regular rotation when their service time is complete.

I think it can be dangerous, yes. We have had reports of missionaries being kidnapped or as a victim of a crime. I am thinking of one instance that happened in South America where two Elder's were kept in a shack in some jungle. Sometimes missionaries have died. Not all these safety issues are because of religious reasons. Some are political, some are simply accidents or crime or stupidity of the missionaries. Missionaries are given very specific rules to follow for their safety and sometimes missionaries fail to keep themselves safe.

From my own personal mission experience, I met all kinds of people. Some welcomed us with open arms and loved the missionaries even if they weren't interested in the message. Some were very closed but kind. Some were hostile. It just depended on the day. The whole experience makes for some fun story telling and some wonderful friendships.

I found my mission to be all those things you listed and more. Missionaries aren't allowed to phone home. (only in emergency or on Christmas and Mother's day) You can't chat with friends or girls or anyone familiar and you can't call your Dad when you have a hard day. You may write but that is all. So, it can be lonely especially for young 19 yr old kids who have never been away from home. My mission was the hardest thing I had done in my life up that point. It took me out of all my comfort zones and tested me in a way nothing else could. But it was also the best experience. I got to teach people from so many different countries. Some of my most cherished friends were from China. And the spiritual growth and experiences were wonderful. It was an irreplaceable experience and I cherish both my trials and my blessings.

I would and will absolutely encourage my kids to go on a mission. We spend a great deal of time preparing our youth to go. It takes commitment and dedication and sacrifice to go on a mission. And not everyone that applies is accepted. You must be worthy.....meaning that you have lived a clean life and that you have a strong testimony of the truth of this gospel. You don't go on a mission to play around or to seek your own interests. Every moment of everyday is assigned to you. You don't go to school or have a job. Your clothing must fit the standards, as does any haircut. You have one day off, but only for laundry and grocery shopping and a little R&R. You, for two years, live to serve the Lord and to serve the people of your mission boundaries ONLY. I want my children to know how to sacrifice and work hard. I want them to learn to love and understand other cultures and viewpoints. And I want them to learn to rely on the Lord above even me. Missions are great experiences. I think that is why parents are sometimes saddened when their children choose against such a choice and why mother's want their daughters to marry a returned missionary. It isn't the only good experience, but it is something most LDS families want as part of their children's experience.

Misshalfway,

Thanks SO VERY MUCH for that

A VERY VERY VERY interesting offering you have shared ( Thanks )

Again, to me a Non LDS, AMAZING, truly AMAZING experiences and personal journeys.

I would love to sit and hear you all tell your stories.

God bless,
Carl

[jimuk]

Hi Carl, i myself have not been on a mission, but i have met lots of missionaries both Male and Female.
In my view these young people are among the loveliest, kindest, Self humbling, folk i have ever met in my entire life (57yrs) and in my own view are the backbone of the wards to which they belong.

They are hard working, when i first encountered the two young men that introduced myself and then wife to the church, we were just about to start a major redecoration of our house, these guys fell in just like they were part of the family, and indeed we treated them as such.

They were such good guys, and we loved them so very much, When they came calling they did bring with them the Holy Ghost, there was no doubt that these two young men were on a very difficult mission, but they glowed with confidence and commitment.

One of my sons are named after them, his name is Dane Christopher, Dane is the guy that baptized my wife and Christopher the guy that baptized myself, i wish i could make contact with them, i have searched the net but to no avail, if anyone recognizes the names, of these ex missionaries please let me know.

Sorry to go on so about them so, but i owe these guys so so much.

The Missionaries truly do the work of our Heavenly father and Jesus.

[Misshalfway]

I would love to sit and hear you all tell your stories.

Woooo.....are you sure?

That might mean that I lock you in my house and force you to watch my extraordinarily long slide show set to music from the 80's.

[jimuk]

Originally Posted by Misshalfway

Woooo.....are you sure?

That might mean that I lock you in my house and force you to watch my extraordinarily long slide show set to music from the 80's.

I love your posts Misshalfway, you can be so serious at times, but you can also be so funny.

Thank you.

[deseretgov]

Originally Posted by ceeboo

When are you suppose to go on your mission ( age range ??)

Male= 19-26 I think
Female= 21 and up

Are the missions encouraged by the Church??

Yes.

Are they paid for by the Church ??

No. Member of teh church contribute to the missionary fund. The fund then is distributed to according to the needs of missionaries in a particular area. Example: The cost of living in teh Philippines is much less than the cost of living in England.

Are you going on your mission as a group of LDS?? ( or solo )

Missionaries always work in pairs occasionlly there will be a set of three. But as far as going to the mission. A missionary will arrive at the MTC(Missionary Training Center). There he/she will be assigned to a district and branch(usually made up of other missionaries going to the same or nearby missions). He/she will also get a companion. After training the missionaries will travel to their area. Sometimes they will be with other missionaries or sometimes alone. I was going to the same mission as a sister missionary so it was just us two for a while.

Who picks your destination ?? ( do you have any say in where you might like to go )

The prophet. Nope you don't get any say.

What exactly, are you suppose to do on your mission??

teach people about the Restored Gospel of Jesus CHrist.

Where do you live?? Do you try and get a job on mission ??

A missionary will live in an apartment. The mission is incharge of finding and renting apartments. A missionary is not allowed to have a job on a mission.

Do you report to anyone while on mission??

Yes. A companionship will report to their District leader. A District leader will report to the Zone leader. The Zone leader will report to the Assistants to teh President and to the President. Every Missionary will also send a weekly letter to the Mission President. There are also various meetings and interviews.

Where does your " money to live on " come from??

Already explained above.

Can you say " NO " to a mission??

Yep. We are encouraged to go on missions but it is up to the individual.

Is a completed mission one of the criteria to be Temple worthy??

Nope.

Man, answering these questions is starting to make me homesick for my mission. Dang......

[tubaloth]

Originally Posted by Maureen

Doesn't the LDS church pay for the plane fares to and from?

I guess that’s how you can look at it. The missionary or mostly the missionary’s family pays the church (local ward) money each month.
The mission expenses are paid from the church to the missionary. A plane ticket is given to the missionary when he reports to MTC. I think if you have to fly to an MTC the parents have to pay for that (But I’m not sure).

When you fill out the papers to apply for a mission, can the potential missionary suggest places he would like to go to? (My nephew desperately wanted to go to Scotland and he got his wish)

I don’t remember if there is a place for suggestions. I think the only thing that kind of comes up is if you want to go on a foreign mission (I can’t remember for sure). You do put down if you know any other languages. Most of the information on missionary papers actually comes from the bishop and or Stake President. During my mission (To Spokane Washington) I was called to be the Mission President Secretary. I guess because my bishop had written I knew a lot about computers.

How does the missionary get his/her monthly allowance, when he/she is in the mission field? (that he has saved up prior to going on a mission)

Like I said on the first one. Money is paid to the Church. In the early days each family was responsible for the amount for the mission area they are sent to. But now the church has evened things out. It’s a flat rate for every missionary/family.

When I got into my mission in Spokane Washington, they had a member in the area already set up a bank account for me. They gave me all the info for the bank account, and each month money would be deposited in that account.

What percentage of LDS have served a mission ( half, most, few ?? )

I would say now days, most Guys serve a mission (I would guess its more then 70%) Even though from what I hear, a lot of these Returne missionaries end up falling away. I'm not sure how many, but it seems higher then it should.

Do missions overlap ( as we speak, are some just starting, some almost done, some in the middle )??

Yes, every Weds in the MTC in Provo Utah there are missionaries reporting. MTC stands for Missionary Training Center. (they are all over the world) If you are going to a mission that requires learning a foreign language then you learn that at the MTC (and you are there longer) if you don’t need to learn a language then you just learn the basics of how to teach people the gospel.
So missionaries are always coming and going. Every month in our mission we got new missionaries and others left.

Can it be dangerous ( depending on what Country your sent ) to go on a mission?? say, China for example??

Yes, but not every country has missionaries. There aren’t any in China, there was some in Hong Kong where my brother in Law went, but I don’t know if they still have some there (at least not official called ones)

But just today we learned about missionaries in Australia that got stabbed by somebody. I guess one got stabbed in the back, the companion had more defensive cuts.

That doesn’t happen that often, I would say its probably more likely for the missionary to get sick for a time because of the different countries.

For those who have served a mission, have you found that you were welcomed by the majority, or not so much??

It depends on many different things. People that had heard some strange ideas about the LDS church, would care less about learning anything, they had already made up there mind. Others never heard a thing, and the whole idea of Christ coming to the America’s wowed them enough! Each area is different, each person is different.

did you find the experience humbling, hard, exciting, lonely,etc???

All of the above. You go through so many different things on a mission and sense most of us guys are only 19 or 20 years old its kind of a growing experience. From becoming Senior Companion, or some Leadership calling, to having companions you thought you were going to kill it all happens on a mission!

Would you encourage your kids to also serve a mission??

Yes! For an LDS guy there really isn’t anything better for them to do. You jump leaps and bounds in just growing your testimony, learning the Gospel and so forth. I think the same thing can happen to those that don’t go on a mission, it just takes a lot longer.
But the encourage for kids is more sharing the stories that I had on my mission. We all have our missionary journals. We all had those days that you well always remember, from fighting with your companion to redo a baptismal program, to getting your bike stolen, to having a baptism all in the same day.

Its wonderful!

[bmy-]

I was an outsider.. about half a year ago. [and] People still expect me to go and then look at me like I have horns when they found out I didn't go on a mission.

If you choose not to go you'll be treated differently. Plain and simple. If I miss a week of church I hear things like 'I wonder if he even believes the gospel anymore? You know.. he probably doesn't. He chose not to go on a mission'

I understand why people who choose not to go are treated differently. It's because the 'mission experience' does make you a better person. You learn all sorts of things you wouldn't have learned otherwise. But people -please- take into account there are other useful things in life outside of a mission. Like going to college, working full time, service projects, etc. Try not to judge people for 'what' they are but rather for 'who' they are.

[slightly disgruntled ]

That being said -- that's the only negative i've seen come out of this system. (Outside of most RMs getting married before they're academically or finanically stable.) The missionaries that got me baptized were awesome guys.