How do you, a RM, feel about your Mission?

[_Dr. Shades]

I thanked God that I could be uncumbered by the administrative aspects of the mission - most of which had little to do with preaching of Christ or even finding and teaching prospective members.

That's exactly the reason why I asked my mission president, point-blank, to never make me anything "higher" than a senior companion.

[_Roger Morrison]

First: "Welcome Eye Patch. I didn't realize you are new to the board. I like your straight, sound candor. Hope ya hang around."

Second: I agree with DP that his MP enjoyed his life of service as he chose to live it. There are those types in all institutions who seem naturally to respond selflessly to responsibility. They will be made use of by any observent superior--IF they don't threaten their insecure boss... I can see Dan shining in his Mission. Just look at his picture. Who wouldn't want to have such a well groomed handsome man represent them. Face it, some folks are naturally endowed with "it-all". Others are not. That's why Jesus said those great-ones are to serve/help the lessor-ones. (That's been swept under the rug to be replaced with rescue from sin.)

Whether eternal reward is a factor in one's behaviour is irrelevant. Simply by the fact of doing good whatevers that benefits others, enriches the community. The supposition of another life plays no part in worthwhile contributions of nontheists in every walk of life. IMSCO their numbers will increase as honest education replaces traditional religious indoctrination, and will so improve the quality of future life as our present Trump's our past--generally speaking. Could be we are at the beginning of that clean-up stage now??

There is no reason--while there as yet might be purpose--to believe in a Heavenly existance, (which does not essentially equate with an Eternal existance). Ya know, "...do what's right, you have no need to fear... You are an amazing intelligent being learning by experience..."
Roger
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[Guest]

I was a district leader, zone leader, and then, although Switzerland in those days had only one AP, effectively the second AP in the mission home -- but I didn't lick any boots. Far from it. My mission president wasn't the type to be susceptible to that, anyway.

Not to mention the fact that there are many missionaries who do not want to get 'promoted to AP. I just spoke to one missionary that was acting AP for two weeks and he hated it. Couldn't wait to get back in the field. I see no bootlicking going on. But I am also sure that some missionaries want the AP prize or to be zone leader etc. It is all a part of human nature.

[_why me]

But it does suggest a correlation with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Notice how your examples decrease as they creep closer toward the equator and/or have a sunnier climate:

Yes, I noticed that. And I'm quite confident that SAD is a factor in some of those northern climes.

It can be a factor. But there is also a socialization factor that takes place. In the lutheren countries of the north, there seems to be a reluctance for small talk and male communication. Silence is at times considered golden and this causes men to implode especially when alcohol is used. Alcohol is a major issue. Also, the use of alcohol is a major contributor to suicide and other social issues. Without alcohol abuse, the suicide rate and other social problems would decrease substantially.

Furthermore, medication for depression is also improving and suicide rates heading downward are a reflection of it.

[_Pokatator]

I was a district leader, zone leader, and then, although Switzerland in those days had only one AP, effectively the second AP in the mission home -- but I didn't lick any boots. Far from it. My mission president wasn't the type to be susceptible to that, anyway.

Upon entering the mission field I fully expected to make my way right to the top in no time. One of my best friends was AP in France (Switzerland) at the time I served. My patriarchal blessing promised many positions of leadership and gave me talents including gifts of administration, knowledge and healing among others. My father and grandfather both served in prestigious positions on their missions. My grandfather was equivelent to the AP and hosted his prophet and the apostles when they visited. There was no doubt that God would place me in a position to lead my brethren to do great things - things they could not otherwise accomplish without the talents I displayed before God in the counsels of heaven before the foundations of the earth were laid.

Oddly, I never rose above the rank of Senior companion. At first, I felt humiliated and tested. But 3/4 through the mission I changed my mind. I thanked God that I could be uncumbered by the administrative aspects of the mission - most of which had little to do with preaching of Christ or even finding and teaching prospective members. Toward the end, I would have preferred to skip the weekly/monthly meetings, pass on the hype and just find Jesus' sheep for Him. I avoided shmoozing with old companions now ranking in leadership. My time was precious. I just wanted to get to work.

Over the years, some leaders were the real deal, others (including some of my own family members) were pompass asses that wore their positions like medals to envy - as if the positions were a representation of their righteousness and closeness to God, being careful to name each and every position in order to quantify their value (including their CEMS). This particular relative would always ask me what I was doing in the church after reminding me how great his God thought he was. I would tell him I was enjoying being a Home Teacher.

Regardless of my church and even professional positions, I have enjoyed serving as a quiet participant. I'd prefer to never to let you know me by my callings. It's not the calling that makes a person, it's what you do with it.

The last act of service Jesus demonstrated to His disciples before He was taken, was to clean their God awful filthy feet with His own two hands. No delegation there. I don't hear much of leaders doing much of that nowdays - let alone brag about it.

I'll once again refer to Pokatator's sig line.

And a great quote it is!!

[_why me]

I'm guessing that Eyepatch must have been passed over for DL, ZL, and/or AP.

Well, I can see why you might make that assumption, due to my mini-rant against the leadership. But to be honest, I was given leadership positions due to my straight-arrow behavior. Again, that's why I'm mad about the whole thing. I now despise the behavior that I myself engaged in...boot-licking for the purpose of gaining advancement. I blame it on my youth, and a corrupting system put in place by men who claim to be God's management team.

Personal responsibility also plays apart in your rant. It is quite easy to lay blame elsewhere but really no one forced you to behave the way you did. Your post is a contradiction. You did not gain advancement by boot licking but rather because you had TBM straight arrow behavior. You were dedicated. And now you are bitter.

[_ajax18]

Actually, if Viktor Frankl (Man's Search for Meaning, etc.) is right (and I think he is), a meaningless life, however richly endowed with boats, beaches, margaritas, and señoritas, probably doesn't beat worn out suits, Doc Martens, ties, and sweat if the latter are part of a life felt to be saturated with deep significance.

If Christ hadn't risen from the dead, as far as I'm concerned his gospel loses its significance.

My mission had me so depressed I wanted to kill myself at times just to make it all end. Yet than I realized that I'd be in eternal trouble. So I loosened up a bit and after some boats, beaches, margaritas, and senoritas, I was happy to be alive again. And my eternal state was actually better than it would have been from the path I was on.

I liked worn out suits and ties that kids wiped their nose on too, but not as an ends, but a means to something better. That's where we disagree.

In prosperous Finland, 38.7 men and 10.7 women commit suicide every year per 100,000 population. In prosperous France, it's 30.4 and 10.8, respectively. In poor Catholic Mexico, the suicide rate is only 5.4 men and 1.0 women per 100,000 people, while in poor Muslim Jordan, the suicide rate appears to be so low that my source gives it as 0.0 and 0.0 per 100,000.

But would you not call Muslim suicide bombers a tragedy? Yes their beliefs provided their lives with meaning, but doesn't the fact that they were wrong tend to destroy that meaning, at least from an eternal perspective.

I loved Viktor Frankl's book as well. Though I never really found what he thought the meaning of life to be. I remember him saying that perhaps the test and struggle of life was the fact that we don't have a clear meaning that we can know for sure. Did you understand something else? Perhaps I missed it.

[_Eyepatch]

Personal responsibility also plays apart in your rant. It is quite easy to lay blame elsewhere but really no one forced you to behave the way you did. Your post is a contradiction. You did not gain advancement by boot licking but rather because you had TBM straight arrow behavior. You were dedicated. And now you are bitter.

I am a touch bitter about my mission experience because it changed the person I was...for the worse. The only time in my life that I have been concerned about "advancement" was during my mission. The system in place during my mission (and I assume is still in place throughout the world) was one that encouraged competition for leadership assignments. This system is purposely cultured by mission presidents, and the leaders above them.

I am bitter because it WASN'T about gathering lost sheep for Christ. It was primarily a sales program, thinly-veiled as a religious org. We did things like aggressive street contacting, phony street surveys, sign displays, pamphleteering, etc. The thing that makes me cringe is the mere existence of a monster called "The Commitment Pattern." Christ didn't go around trying to mind-fuck everybody into a binding commitment. His approach was pretty simple, "Come follow me." It didn't involve a high-pressure system of escalating commitments designed to get a person baptized ASAP. Not to mention all of the things we couldn't be honest about. In fact, we were extremely dishonest in the things we kept hidden from the prospective member. We never discussed racism, polygamy, Gods-in-embryo, etc.

It's my humble opinion that a mission could be a wonderful thing...if it was about true service, not phony service. Phony service is more about the missionary (look at me, I had 30 baptisms!!). True service is about helping people (hospice care, digging wells, etc.). I would have a completely different feeling about my mission had it been about helping people. I look back at my time and see myself for what I was, a pamphleteer for a quasi-religious org.

[_Inconceivable]

I am bitter because it WASN'T about gathering lost sheep for Christ. It was primarily a sales program, thinly-veiled as a religious org..

..The thing that makes me cringe is the mere existence of a monster called "The Commitment Pattern." Christ didn't go around trying to mind-f*** everybody into a binding commitment. His approach was pretty simple, "Come follow me." It didn't involve a high-pressure system of escalating commitments designed to get a person baptized ASAP. Not to mention all of the things we couldn't be honest about..

It's my humble opinion that a mission could be a wonderful thing...if it was about true service, ..True service is about helping people (hospice care, digging wells, etc.). I would have a completely different feeling about my mission had it been about helping people.

Welcome Eyepatch,

Honest to God, the mission's motto was "Commit Their Face Off".

In role playing, we were taught how to get a commitment. To "hammer" them until they broke down and accepted what the spirit was telling them. Yeah, the people knew deep down inside that the church was true. They just needed us to help them to make that first step.

The mission also sported a 7 day conversion program (from first contact to baptism). The leadership concluded this was much more effective than the Baptismal Discussion - a single night smackdown approach that was "abused" by the previous administration.

The AP's and Zone Leaders were particularly good at all of this Blowfly Mentallity. So much so that it was unnerving to tract with some of them. Some were relentless and pissed off people at nearly every door - planting seeds of animosity and emnity, not love. Leaders were idolized because of their great "success". Baptisms were what it was all about. Baptisms were what got the leadership off of your back and lessened the guilt we were driven by, so following their example (for most missionaries) seemed so natural.

[_William Schryver]

I loved every moment of my mission. It was a challenging mission in many ways (Italy Catania, '79 - '81) and yet I entirely immersed myself in the culture and learned to absolutely love the people. I became extremely fluent in Italian, and for the entire last year of my mission I served as translator for visiting GAs, patriarchs, and various church administrative personnel. During the final six months of my time there, I was routinely able to pass as a native Italian when speaking with strangers on the street.

My favorite missionary activities were going "casa in casa" [tracting] and setting up a street board in a public park and attempting to gather small crowds to hear our message about the restoration of the gospel. The one complete family I found and baptized was via a street board preaching episode in Taranto. I baptized one other couple, the husband of which is now the branch president in Monreale (a suburb of Palermo.) I was able, strangely enough, to teach several wealthy "aristocratic" types whom I contacted blindly via conversations on the streets. None were baptized, but all of them ended up gaining a very favorable impression of the young LDS missionaries.

The greatest blessing of my mission was that it was there I first met my eventual wife, who was also serving a mission.

Another great blessing was seeing the self-sacrificing example of our mission president, Lino Pablo Gambarotto of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Presidente Gambarotto was a very well-to-do businessman (with a string of pharmacies) prior to his tenure as mission president. While on his mission, his eldest son left the church and ruined the business. Presidente Gambarotto and his wife have lived in virtual poverty since their return from their mission in 1981. Now well into their 80s, they have been almost entirely supported for several years by a fund established by a group of their former missionaries. We have considered it an honor and a blessing to us to assist this great man and his wife in their sunset years.

The bottom line is that my mission set me on the path for the remainder of my life; it was there that I learned that personal revelation is the only way to "know" anything about life and its purpose and meaning. It was there that I came to fully recognize the voice of God, and I have never lost the capacity to discern that voice -- as well as its opposite. I know of many of my former mission cohorts who have since fallen away from the church, lost in a morass of doubts, fears, and incoherent anger towards the Lord and His kingdom on the earth. But as for me and my house, we continue to patiently hold our places in the steadily advancing caravan, oblivious to the sniping of its opponents on either side of the road.