I was thinking about when I got ambushed by some Mormon “missionaries” a few weeks ago, and I started wondering. I understand they are required to do mission work (that does not mean I’ll be civil to them when they try - understanding and accepting are two different things), but what are the rules in general for where they go to do mission work? Do they pick a place or is the place picked for them?
What got me thinking was the fact that a couple of American Mormons told me that they were up from the US to do mission work. Huh? We do have a Mormon presence in Canada. The discussion was conducted at most 5 blocks from a Mormon church.
So, given the Mormon presence already in my area, why would American Mormons come up here to do mission work? We aren’t savages living in tee-pees and igloos; really we aren’t.
I cannot answer your question, but I’d suggest that Mormons are well aware that we don’t live that way. Here in southern Alberta (which could well be the Mormon capital of Canada, given that Lethbridge has more Mormon churches than any other denomination, and the first Mormon temple outside the US was established at Cardston), the Mormons themselves don’t live that way. And, given the close-knit ties all the international arms of the LDS seem to have, I’m sure American Mormons know that.
I’d guess that it’s an opportunity for young Mormon men to get out of their own community and see a different part of the world; but I’m not sure, and would welcome an answer from a Mormon SDMB member. Or, if none is forthcoming, I’ll ask a local friend who is Mormon.
Young Man at the minimum age of 19* (or Woman at minimum 21) wants to go on a Mission [it isn’t technically required but it is stressed though mostly for the men as a priesthood responsibility] and fills out paperwork and meets with local leaders.
The paperwork, with local leadership approval and endorsement of ability (such as health, fiscal [ generally the missionary or friend or family pay the cost of the mission], and spiritual worthiness), goes to the Church’s HQ in SLC.
Apostles (and I think other higher ranking authorities in tandem with an Apostle) receive the paperwork complete with included picture and receive revelation about where the missionary should go [I realize the board isn’t inclined to believe such actually happens but that is the process as believed by LDS].
The missionary actually receives the official call (delivered in a letter actually, think a minister being called to the ministry) to serve for the duration in the location decided upon in step 3. Some time later he travels to a Missionary Training Center (there are several the most famous is probably in Provo, UT). Which is a whole lot less impressive than it sounds as if they aren’t learning a language they are only there for a couple weeks and it consists of studying the scriptures and studying the guide they use called Preach My Gospel and practicing teaching.
The idea as explained to me at least for not serving close to home is that as they are supposed to be away from family and friends and focus for the duration of the mission that being away from home helps that focus. Of course that explains why Mr. Orem Utah may go to Washington but not so much why he may go to Canada or Germany. The idea is that as each missionary is unique with regard to their strengths, weaknesses, understanding and experience they can reach some people more effectively than others. From the LDS perspective who better to know whom any individual missionary might best reach (or where they may experience things that will help him become a better person) than God and thus step #3 given above. You’ll find the idea that a missionary was called to a specific area, sometimes for one specific person or persons, to be fairly common, likewise with experiences to be.
So you are correct, the idea isn’t that Canada doesn’t have any Mormons who could do the job. Consider that missionaries from outside the US get called to Salt Lake City Utah which has no shortage of local LDS who could do the job. In fact ‘regular’ members are taught to be ‘member missionaries’ and proselyte (though not to the same extent and techniques as the full time missionaries) to those around them.
Whenever I get ambushed, I ask them to talk about the Mountain Meadows Massacre and how they could belong to an organization that slaughtered 120, unarmed, non-Mormons.
Yes the end result is the church sends them where they think the churches needs would be best served based on the individual.
It is not so rigorous a process the incoming missionary gets no say in the matter. In the application process the local Bishop can make endorsements or hint as to where that place may be. I know some missionaries that have been sent exactly where they wanted and some that have been sent places they didn’t want to go.
Overall it’s a political process within the church, the place you end up may reflect your own political skill within the church for good or bad.
I live right near a Mormon temple and we get them here but I always assume they are not local. I work with a Mormon guy who was from New Jersey and he was sent to the Montreal area for his stint.
When they are away for the 2 years they are supposed to have very limited contact with their family back home, I think they are only allowed 1 short phone call home per week. Not sure if they can write letters or use email.
Wikipedia says they can use church email to contact relatives but not friends. Friends can only get letters. And if they use email it must be in a public place like a library or internet cafe.
The phone calls are limited to just a few times per year such as Christmas.
You get two phone calls a year: one on Mother’s Day and the other on Christmas. You are supposed to write (or email) your parents once a week but many missionaries do much less. There’s not a lot of free time to be writing–you only get part of one day for free time and you have to do your laundry and apartment cleaning and sight-seeing and sports activities and social events with the other missionaries during these 10 or 12 hours.
As for deciding where you go, I’ve never seen any evidence the men in charge spend more than a few minutes thinking about it. They have so many slots open, they just fill them up as they go along. I was fluent in a foreign language spoken by only one country and they sent me to the other side of the world.
In the 1990s, everyone called to the Tahiti mission knew just a little bit of French. And there were about 5 missionaries from the tiny town of Raymon, Alberta.
Back then, email was forbidden. And phone calls were for immediate family only, on Christmas and Mothers Day.
Pretty much everyone with a clean bill of health gets called somewhere far from home.
I told a coworker something similar a few days ago. He asked how to respond to the missionaries, and I told him to ask them about Blood Atonement. Now, it’s certain that the missionaries at your door have never heard of Blood Atonement or Mountain Meadows. They won’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll look it up (although I suspect Google and Wikipedia are still forbidden for missionaries). But if they come back the next day for an informed discussion, it will definitely be entertaining.
How can you live in a state that killed 3,000 Indians in King Philip’s War? Missionaries are annoying, but they aren’t responsible for something that happened over 150 years ago. If you need to be critical in that way, bring up current things like their pro-Proposition 8 heavyhandedness. And if they come to your door, LDS tend to respond well to “no thank you.” Jehovah’s Witnesses on the other hand…
Another perhaps important point is that from what I understand from Mormon (well, mostly ex-Mormon) friends, the conversion rates for missions are pretty dismally low. Among missionaries sent to industrialized countries, getting no converts at all is fairly common and getting more than 2 or 3 is a spectacular success. And supposedly even once they’re signed up, the retention rate of people converted by youth on mission is likewise pretty low. At least in the case of the missionaries working in the countries most of us live in, the mission is definitely more of an experience for the missionary than necessarily a serious recruiting tool.
Except that living in a state is not analogous to accepting a religion’s leaders to be inspired by God. Dozens of Mormons cooperated in executing 120 innocent men, women, and children. Their only motive was that they believed that the Stake President was receiving direct orders from an apostle, who was receiving direct orders from Brigham Young, who was receiving direct orders from God. And now, Mormons still heavily play the victim card for 19th century persecutions. They need to learn more about their church’s history, and they need to understand what can happen when you fervently believe a person to be the mouthpiece of God. Any sane person who learns about Blood Atonement and sees how the doctrine contributed to such a massacre cannot continue to call Brigham a prophet. And one cannot remain a believing Mormon without believing that Brigham is the prophet that God chose to continue the work of Joseph Smith.
ETA: But no, I don’t hold the missionaries responsible for the actions of their ancestors. I only hope they educate temselves before proclaiming their ancestors to be holy men.
Things were a little easier in my mission. I had about 5 new convert families, plus about 10 9-year-old converts who were children of inactive Mormons, plus more re-activations of lapsed Mormons than I can count. And that was pretty typical for that corner of the world.
I live by a Moman church and I see them all the time. I get stopped to talk a lot. One time I was sick of it and I said, “Look I can’t possibly have an intelligent discussion with anyone so young they don’t know who Sheena Easton is.” Well neither one of them could tell me so they went away.
About a week later, some kid runs up to me, “Mister, mister, I found out who Sheena Easton is, will you talk to me now.” Boy did he know a lot about Sheena Easton. I figured if anyone is gonna go to all that trouble, the least I could do is listen to him.
I was impressed, I am a huge fan and he must’ve studied hard to get all that info about her
I’ve heard this, too. And yet the LDS church is the fastest-growing Christian denomination, according to Jon Krakauer in Under the Banner of Heaven (a chilling but excellent book). So go figure. How are they converting people if not through the missionaries?
