Wife of MP blogs about the missionaries.....

[_Jonah]

The last time the missionaries stopped by my place we discussed the new 18 year old Elders coming out on missions. They mentioned that it seemed like there was a lot more babysitting in the mission then there had in the past. They also mentioned that there was a surprising rate of new, younger, sister missionaries who were going home due to illness ("Stress", they said...as they rolled their eyes).

In a conversation with my daughter the other night, she mentioned how my son would be calling home (for the last time on his mission) on Sunday, Mother's Day. She too mentioned that she knew of a few girls from a sorority she works with that had come home from their missions after having been out only a few months. She told me that in talking to these girls she discovered that the main reasons were homesickness, being caught up in the fervor of the reduced missionary age, and once getting out in the field, it not being all that it was built up to be...thus leading to their "stress".

Having a son on a mission for the past two years, and "speaking as a man", I believe that the church should consider changing it's archaic "no contact" rule. Having lived through it, I see NO BENEFIT to missionary or parents by having contact (beyond emails) only twice a year. In reading the things above by the Mission Prez wife, how many of the things she reports (stress, depression, homesickness, abandoning the mission, etc.) could be alleviated by the missionary having some sort of regular contact with their supportive family back home? For the life of me, I can't figure out what the harm or downside could be. I mean, if one were a missionary in another religion are they not allowed to call home to family whenever? Are members of service organizations or say, the Peace Corps less effective because they can call home and check in every now and then?

If I were "the Church" and had any concern about missionary retention, I think I would start by considering getting a revelation concerning changes to the "no contact" rule.

Just sayin'

***One week from today. ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!! I get to pick my boy up from the airport!! Happy dance.***

[_Runtu]

While I can tell the writer cares about the missionaries, and I am glad to see that she recognizes that missions are not for everyone, there is something unsettling about this to me.

For one, the public nature of it is insensitive. Missionaries have access to the internet and are probably aware of this blog and it seems to me that sharing this type of information could lead to gossip among the missionaries.

Also, while she says that missions are not for everyone, she talks about the great pains to keep the people on a mission even when it is clear they don't want to be there. Perhaps she came to the realization that missions are not for everyone after these experiences, but it just seemed like the mission experience was causing these missionaries a lot of distress and yet great effort was put in keeping them on the mission.

I think it is over broad to label anyone who struggles on a mission as mentally ill. This places all the blame on the missionary, when I think there are aspects of mission life that can greatly influence the negative experience some missionaries have. The missionaries are isolated from their families and have virtually very little meaningful communication with them. They are isolated geographically. They have a very small living allowance that barely covers necessary expenses. They are given virtually no choice in dress and grooming standards. They are given no choice in who the live with. And this goes on for 2 years! It's not just that missionaries who struggle are mentally ill (though some certainly are). The mission environment plays a huge role in the experience the missionaries have. It would have been nice to see her acknowledge that there were changes in the environment that could be made to help people who struggle being there.

This.

The most troubling aspect to me is the need to keep these kids on missions no matter what. I do not understand why it's preferable for a kid who is clearing not doing well to stay in a stressful mission environment instead of going home. Maybe it's just knowing that someone who goes home early faces a lot of social stigma.

[_Ceeboo]

Having a son on a mission for the past two years

***One week from today. ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!! I get to pick my boy up from the airport!! Happy dance.***

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_Doctor Steuss]

Did they change the rules on people with mental illness serving? When I submitted papers in 1999, I was denied because of my mental health history.



Also...

Elder Nelson said that as soon as sin is universally legalized, it will become illegal to preach the word of God.

Lawdy.

[_Tim the Enchanter]

Another thing. The bolded part below...

We also talked a lot about some of the issues we face as a society today like same sex marriage. Elder [Russel M.] Nelson said that as soon as sin is universally legalized, it will become illegal to preach the word of God. That is why we fight so hard against it.

...is such nonsense. We live in a society where the Westboro Baptist Church enjoys broad freedom to preach their despicable brand of religion. They protest funerals, openly celebrate tragedy as God's wrath, and even have a Twitter feed. They are one of the most offensive and least popular churches in the country and yet they are protected by laws that allow them the freedom to do what they do. And yet, church leaders manage to convince the members that preaching Mormonism to people will be illegal if the law allows same sex couples to marry.

[_Madison54]

Winter scares me because I know that it is only going to get worse as the days get darker. We are keeping the LDS Family services busy and we are so grateful that we have their services here.

By this time, it was 9 o'clock. I called one more Sister to give her the MOQ. That was the 4th one that day. The darker and colder it gets, the more our missionaries struggle with depression.

I find it interesting that she blames the weather for their depression. I know that it's a factor, but I have to believe that is not what is causing their depression.

[_zeezrom]

Seems like a typical mission.

[_Jesse Pinkman]

While I can tell the writer cares about the missionaries, and I am glad to see that she recognizes that missions are not for everyone, there is something unsettling about this to me.

For one, the public nature of it is insensitive. Missionaries have access to the internet and are probably aware of this blog and it seems to me that sharing this type of information could lead to gossip among the missionaries.

Also, while she says that missions are not for everyone, she talks about the great pains to keep the people on a mission even when it is clear they don't want to be there. Perhaps she came to the realization that missions are not for everyone after these experiences, but it just seemed like the mission experience was causing these missionaries a lot of distress and yet great effort was put in keeping them on the mission.

I think it is over broad to label anyone who struggles on a mission as mentally ill. This places all the blame on the missionary, when I think there are aspects of mission life that can greatly influence the negative experience some missionaries have. The missionaries are isolated from their families and have virtually very little meaningful communication with them. They are isolated geographically. They have a very small living allowance that barely covers necessary expenses. They are given virtually no choice in dress and grooming standards. They are given no choice in who the live with. And this goes on for 2 years! It's not just that missionaries who struggle are mentally ill (though some certainly are). The mission environment plays a huge role in the experience the missionaries have. It would have been nice to see her acknowledge that there were changes in the environment that could be made to help people who struggle being there.

This.

The most troubling aspect to me is the need to keep these kids on missions no matter what. I do not understand why it's preferable for a kid who is clearing not doing well to stay in a stressful mission environment instead of going home. Maybe it's just knowing that someone who goes home early faces a lot of social stigma.

That seemed to be a primary concern for the blogger, clearly.

While I agree that missionaries shouldn't just be sent home at the drop of a hat, if they are having medical issues (and mental health issues fall into that category), then they need to be treated by their own doctor who knows their history. And shame on any parent who feels that their child has "failed" in the mission field if they come home early due to health problems!

Having a son on a mission for the past two years, and "speaking as a man", I believe that the church should consider changing it's archaic "no contact" rule. Having lived through it, I see NO BENEFIT to missionary or parents by having contact (beyond emails) only twice a year. In reading the things above by the Mission Prez wife, how many of the things she reports (stress, depression, homesickness, abandoning the mission, etc.) could be alleviated by the missionary having some sort of regular contact with their supportive family back home? For the life of me, I can't figure out what the harm or downside could be. I mean, if one were a missionary in another religion are they not allowed to call home to family whenever? Are members of service organizations or say, the Peace Corps less effective because they can call home and check in every now and then?

If I were "the Church" and had any concern about missionary retention, I think I would start by considering getting a revelation concerning changes to the "no contact" rule.

Just sayin'

***One week from today. ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!! I get to pick my boy up from the airport!! Happy dance.***

I completely agree with you. In many cases, an encouraging word from a parent or a sibling may be all that missionary needs to give him/her the confidence to stay. It certainly works with kids who are away at college! How would this be any different?

Congrats on your son coming home! I'm sure that you and your family are very excited!

[_Runtu]

Because the stress is good for them. Encouraging them to be weenies and run home back to mamma is not good advice. How has our culture, which has such a stalwart history, been utterly sissified?

I was thinking more along the lines of kids who are genuinely depressed or worse, who are nevertheless pushed hard to stay in the mission. I had in mind a companion I had who was suicidal and who had clearly had a psychological breakdown but was not allowed to go home. And I was thinking about a friend who was so depressed and nonfunctioning he spent his days hiding under his desk in the mission office, and yet he wasn't allowed to go home. I recently posted his story on my blog:

http://runtu.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/the-great-escape/

Homesickness is one thing, but when a missionary makes a run for it, there's something more to it than that.

[_Tim the Enchanter]

...is such nonsense.

Donald Sterling might have something to say about this.

Are you suggesting that Donald Sterling is being punished for what he said about black people because it was illegal rather than just offensive to those who he engaged in business with?