DL, ZL and AP - where are they now?

[_Mayan Elephant]

I was a dl, zl and office guy for most of my mission. I am out obviously.

I was comps with 7 Aps. 2 are out.

I also baptized a guy who went on a mission and was ap for over a year. His MP is now an apostle. My friend left the church about a week or so after his mission. That ap thing did him in.

I think this is an interesting connection but not nearly as relevant as the inactivity former bishops.

[_Gadianton]

I was a zone leader for most of my mission, but I'm much more proud of having been a trainer for most of my mission. That is much more important than "glamour" positions, I think. A lot of people don't think like that, though, and we all knew missionaries who would have regarded their mission as a failure if they didn't "make AP."

If I was a mission president, I would want my best missionaries out in the field working and leading by example, not in the office or in meetings.

I'm actually only in contact with my companions, not former mission leadership. But, I'm not very active on social media at all.

I'm pretty sure the "legacy of a trainer" meme has been around a while moin, and is widely accepted. In my experience, the guys who got hit with training while not advancing in leadership were deemed less capable for some reason, often laziness. Well, you need a great trainer right? Depends. They tended to put a strong greenie with a weak trainer. Sounds like you were a ZL for a long time so no doubt one of the more capable ones. The exception that comes to mind was my trainer. He trained more than anyone else, but, he was a trainer after being out for only a month. I think he ended up going DL and ZL slightly later than others, but he also had an odd knack for languages and so was able to handle certain areas where that was needed better than others so kind of a unique case. Sadly, I learned he killed himself a few years ago due to depression that set in near the end of his mission and I guess never went away.

[_Sanctorian]

DL, ZL and AP - where are they now?

I'm right here. I also brought one of my buddy AP's with me. My brother was an AP - out. At least another half dozen DL's and ZL's I know are also out. I never really cared to be in leadership on my mission and never thought it meant much. It did make my mom happy though.

[_moksha]

I was totally inactive during those mission years, but I have alway wondered what it would be like to successfully fulfill a mission to Des Moines.

[_SteelHead]

My brother did the Des Moines thing. Perhaps he will comment. ;)

[_Fence Sitter]

I was a zone leader for most of my mission, but I'm much more proud of having been a trainer for most of my mission. That is much more important than "glamour" positions, I think. A lot of people don't think like that, though, and we all knew missionaries who would have regarded their mission as a failure if they didn't "make AP."

If I was a mission president, I would want my best missionaries out in the field working and leading by example, not in the office or in meetings.

I'm actually only in contact with my companions, not former mission leadership. But, I'm not very active on social media at all.

I'm pretty sure the "legacy of a trainer" meme has been around a while moin, and is widely accepted. In my experience, the guys who got hit with training while not advancing in leadership were deemed less capable for some reason, often laziness. Well, you need a great trainer right? Depends. They tended to put a strong greenie with a weak trainer. Sounds like you were a ZL for a long time so no doubt one of the more capable ones. The exception that comes to mind was my trainer. He trained more than anyone else, but, he was a trainer after being out for only a month. I think he ended up going DL and ZL slightly later than others, but he also had an odd knack for languages and so was able to handle certain areas where that was needed better than others so kind of a unique case. Sadly, I learned he killed himself a few years ago due to depression that set in near the end of his mission and I guess never went away.

In my mission there was no such thing as a "trainer" . One was either a junior or senior companion. If your junior companion was new, it was your responsibility to train him but you were still just called a senior companion. Everyone, at one time or another was assigned a new junior companion.

Since I was in the office as an AP, I sat in many change meetings with the mission president, time that really deflated my view of an "inspired" mission president assigning companionships. The reality was that logistics drove who was assigned whom and where. Changes were made about every 3-5 months and it was basically just a matter of swapping photos around on a big board until everyone had a companion, with very little discussion of who was assigned to whom, unless it was a problem missionary.
It was about then I started to consider that leadership inspiration" was more a matter of blind luck than some still small voice leading the way. I knew when we reassigned companionships, some were going to work out and some weren't.

[_moinmoin]

I'm pretty sure the "legacy of a trainer" meme has been around a while moin, and is widely accepted. In my experience, the guys who got hit with training while not advancing in leadership were deemed less capable for some reason, often laziness. Well, you need a great trainer right? Depends. They tended to put a strong greenie with a weak trainer. Sounds like you were a ZL for a long time so no doubt one of the more capable ones. The exception that comes to mind was my trainer. He trained more than anyone else, but, he was a trainer after being out for only a month. I think he ended up going DL and ZL slightly later than others, but he also had an odd knack for languages and so was able to handle certain areas where that was needed better than others so kind of a unique case. Sadly, I learned he killed himself a few years ago due to depression that set in near the end of his mission and I guess never went away.

It no doubt has a lot to do with the particular mission president's philosophy and approach, and the culture and climate of a particular mission. As you say, there are multiple reasons why trainers are chosen, only one of which is the ability of the trainer (i.e., sometimes it's more for the sake of the trainer than for the greenie).

One of my best companions was my hardest in a lot of ways. I was his last companion (he was my first, after my trainer), and it was the first time he was a senior companion. He was plagued with testimony issues, was 26, had a degree in economics, and had served jail time for skinhead violence prior to getting his life in order to go on a mission. He was also very good with people, was a native German, and was an extremely hard worker.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk24 ... e4ad92.jpg

Although very good with English, he refused to speak it with me, and this really helped my language. It also was very helpful (but hard at the time) because he made me defend my testimony. Not by way of tearing it down, but trying to understand, and he asked good follow-up questions like an attorney and wouldn't stand for pablum or weakness. He really wanted to know what I meant, exactly, when I said I knew or believed this or that, and how I could claim it. We became very good friends, and he respected more than the other American companions he had. I was thrilled to run into him a year later at General Conference in Hamburg (a very big deal for German Saints and missionaries --- it's a gathering and reunion), and he was doing very well.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk24 ... 97b79a.jpg

He flew to the U.S. for a big mission reunion a few years ago, still active.

[_Dr. Shades]

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk243/moinmoin5/ElderSchneider1_zps58e4ad92.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk24 ... 97b79a.jpg

Which one is him?

[_moinmoin]

I'm a redhead (or, I was when I had hair) He is the bigger guy. He was also quite an athlete.

[_Starbuck]

I was totally inactive during those mission years, but I have alway wondered what it would be like to successfully fulfill a mission to Des Moines.

Iowa Des Moines mission July 93 - 95. It was hot, humid, flat, green, and cold. Lots of good food and some good times, and some times boring. Try Perry Iowa for 4 months. Tracted the place out in about three weeks. Good thing we found some old farmer that would take us to the pub to get a bite to eat after farm work. Place stunk once a week as they had a hog slaughter house in town and would clean out the tanks.

Also spent one of the coldest winters in a walking area. Try tracting when it gets 10 below and see how many people don't let you in. The only reason we were out was because we were bored to death and nobody was around to hang with. Freezing rain is also very fun to try to bike on.