My blood is boiling - stranded church member with health issues

[jfro18]

So last night I see a post from a facebook friend who is not LDS. They were asking friends to share a post about his cousin who is in Russia and was trying to get home, but they went on lockdown and he is stranded. He has asthma and is low on medication, and with the lockdown they are scared he will not get what he needs.

I shared it along with others, and then today I messaged him to ask if they had made any progress, and then I asked if he was there for work, school, or travel.

My friend messaged back to thank me for sharing the story and mentioned that his cousin's family is Mormon and he's there on a mission. (edit to add: Not sure if he's a missionary based on the posts or if he's there for the church for another reason, but he's there b/c of the church)

Unbelievable.

So the church couldn't foresee Russia shutting down and didn't want to send him early, and then once Russia made the move they were caught off guard...

What's funny is I told my wife the story this morning and she asked why he was there, and I had been wondering that myself but didn't want to ask.

Once I found out I told her... she didn't say a word... just silence.

I don't know why, but this has my blood boiling. The church is so empty and wrong, and yet instead of actually seeing it or what it is, they retrofit revelation and prophecy to the more generic statements.

I hope my friend's cousin gets home safely... maybe this experience will at least teach him that the leaders can't see anything unless it's already being covered by every news outlet.

[Rob4Hope]

There DOES seem to be a serious lack of prophecy, doesn't there.

[RubinHighlander]

TBMs and their leaders will simply brush this off that it was "A test" for that individual. They always have a cop out that it was God's will for him. Or there's the guilt that maybe he wasn't worthy and didn't listen to the spirit. It's incredibly frustrating that they can have it both ways. A blessing or miracle if it works out or a test if it's a tragic situation. It's like when a missionary dies in the field and they say "God must have needed him on a mission in heaven, so he'll finish his work there." The mental gymnastics are incredible and incredibly maddening!

[FiveFingerMnemonic]

My in laws are south of the border and were given the option to stay and they have. I suppose some 3rd world countries are possibly safer regarding the rate of infections than the US right now. But if it does get bad there, they are up a creek without a paddle. I am convinced they totally buy into divine protection for missionaries.

[Red Ryder]

Do you really think the church had a leg up on the rest of the world?

Nope. They are reacting just like everyone else. I talked to a friend last week whose son was in another country with similar asthma and intimately low health risk. I emphasized the window was open now and if you really want him home now you have to voice your concern. He did and the son was home within the week.

I’m guessing here that many missionaries or parents of didn’t take the open window while they had the chance. Unfortunately the young missionaries don’t really understand the seriousness of the pandemic and think it’s no big deal to stay.

Hope your friend can stay safe and come home soon.

[Red Ryder]

My in laws are south of the border and were given the option to stay and they have. I suppose some 3rd world countries are possibly safer regarding the rate of infections than the US right now. But if it does get bad there, they are up a creek without a paddle. I am convinced they totally buy into divine protection for missionaries.

My parents did the same thing before their mission country locked down its borders. They just assumed it was safe and no big deal. Once the church realized they started to formulate extractions but it was too late. Once they realized it was, they couldn’t leave without the US state department intervention and flights back. The senior missionaries are all out now but the young youth missionaries are left behind until the church can charter planes.

[moksha]

While the Church has the power to disrupt a quarantine inside the Jell-O belt, it cannot do the same thing outside of the Church's sphere of influence.