Senior Mission Pressure

[Hagoth]

I'm sure this is a church-wide thing, but senior missions are really being pushed in my stake. It's relentless, and returned senior missionaries are constantly being paraded in front of us as the returned heroes. Those who serve multiple missions are the elite of the elite.

Lately I have noticed a pattern in the insistent message that by missing the important events in your childrens' and grandchildrens' lives you are actually making their lives better and safer. One of the senior couples who spoke in stake conference today stressed this element of serving senior missions (they have served twice so far but really look up to their friends who have served six times). The message was that BECAUSE they were on their mission none of their family left the church or got divorced. BECAUSE they were on their mission, two of their grandchildren were just missed by a car that certainly would have hit and killed them without the added blessing of grandparents on a mission. BECAUSE of their mission none of their children have fallen into financial ruin. I mean, if you think about it, who can afford NOT to serve a senior mission? If you choose the selfish route, anything bad that happens to your family will be your fault because you failed to protect them by serving a mission.

It is starting to take on a chain-letter kind of voodoo.

[deacon blues]

One of my wife's good friends divorced her husband of @40 years shortly after they returned from their mission. A friend of mine had a shaky shelf break on his senior mission. Just a couple of anecdotes. I could share more, but you get the idea. One thing I have heard bad things about. Old single guys who get married so they can immediately go serve a mission. The mission field is a terrible place for a honeymoon.

[Palerider]

The Spirit has impressed strongly upon my mind (to use Russell's phrase) that I am currently serving the church in my best capacity here in my home community.

The blessings keep rolling in as proof. My Chesapeake Bay retriever is recovering well from her ACL surgery. My horse just had a skin cancer successfully removed with no sign of reccurence. Elk season is fast approaching and I am prepared and in good condition.

However my TBM MIL just fell last week and broke her leg in three places in the middle of a bout with shingles....very painful. They have ignored the calls for senior missions.

Maybe there's something to this....

[NOMinally Mormon]

Senior missions are quite expensive. I know many older couples who can't afford a mission, though they want to go. So pushing senior missions sounds elitist. Also a way to shame people who don't have a very comfortable retirement lined up.

[Corsair]

I still have many years before the pressure mounts on my wife and I to do a mission. But I will not be doing that short of a miraculous manifestation that fixes far too many problem with the church. The challenge will be to turn them down without traumatizing my wife. Luckily, as a priesthood holder, I can hope that any local leader will check with me before bringing in my wife for the inevitable let down.

[Thoughtful]

My aunt and uncle just changed their minds about a mission, in order to help a sick DIL. It was shocking, but a relief that they chose to do this.

My ILs went when I was pregnant with my oldest. Even if you believe in eternity, you do NOT get time with a newborn back, so they chose what's most important to them, as usual.

[moksha]

There is a senior missionary couple from my ward who are fully exercising the sightseeing opportunities which being on a foreign mission provides. Good for them. Let the young elders perform the mindless repetitive drone work if they are so inclined.

[hiding in plain sight]

The message was that BECAUSE they were on their mission none of their family left the church or got divorced. BECAUSE they were on their mission, two of their grandchildren were just missed by a car that certainly would have hit and killed them without the added blessing of grandparents on a mission. BECAUSE of their mission none of their children have fallen into financial ruin. I mean, if you think about it, who can afford NOT to serve a senior mission? If you choose the selfish route, anything bad that happens to your family will be your fault because you failed to protect them by serving a mission.

This is truly a sick message, especially for those who are trying their hardest to be faithful and bad stuff happens. What does that mean about them? What did they do wrong?

I know a member of Stake presidency that his daughter daughter fell down dead on her mission while jogging. Then his wife was diagnosed with cancer and died a year later. Then a grand child died before the age of 2.

What was he doing in the dark of night that caused God to punish him so bad??????

Clearly life is just life.

But I am so, so, so, so, happy that I have escaped this total mind f**k.

[deacon blues]

I know that LDS leaders still play the "sacrifice brings the blessings of heaven" card. I remember how confused my brother sounded when he asked me why his crops failed and his wife got cancer after he sent his oldest son on a mission.

[1smartdodog]

I am almost there age wise but two awful years when I was 19 is enough. I can not imagine putting on a suit and tie again. Glad my wife has no interest in this.

[No Tof]

I told DW I'd be happy to serve a mission with her. I could drive her around and visit with the inactive members as much as they would want me to.

Of course I told her morning coffee and the occasional beer would also be a part of my mission life.

It might be fun.

[Emower]

My dad always told me that just going to church where we did was mission enough for him. He did it once and said he wouldn't do it again.

[Culper Jr.]

Many of these senior missions are basically the church filling slots that were previously paid positions. So basically, they are getting people to pay for the privilege of working for the church. What a scam. I remember reading a while back about a couple that were on a "mission" to run a private for-profit hunting preserve that the church owns. Really?! Wow, the miracles they must have witnessed while on the Lord's for-profit errand...

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/770 ... flock.html

[profit_seizer]

Many of these senior missions are basically the church filling slots that were previously paid positions. So basically, they are getting people to pay for the privilege of working for the church. What a scam. I remember reading a while back about a couple that were on a "mission" to run a private for-profit hunting preserve that the church owns. Really?! Wow, the miracles they must have witnessed while on the Lord's for-profit errand...

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/770 ... flock.html

Sheesh, I told DW awhile ago that we could go on a senior mission, kinda regret saying it, but DEFINITELY not going on a mission to be a scab. (Yeah yeah not technically scabs but holy sh*t replacing paid labor with missionaries is shady as hell, makes me so mad).

[Anon70]

My aunt and uncle just changed their minds about a mission, in order to help a sick DIL. It was shocking, but a relief that they chose to do this.

My ILs went when I was pregnant with my oldest. Even if you believe in eternity, you do NOT get time with a newborn back, so they chose what's most important to them, as usual.

(I feel like I’m being less and less careful about my true identity on here but here goes...). My parents just got back from a 2 year senior mission. The church worked then to the bone. They both lost significant weight (which my mother could not spare) and their health deteriorated dramatically with long term impacts. They asked for a single day extra off a month to rest as they were exhausted and were told no that they were there to work. They lost two years with their family and it has negatively impacted their relationships with their children and grandchildren. Instead of being close as in the past they are now out of touch, old and ill. And the irony is? They paid through the nose for the “privilege”.

[Corsair]

(I feel like I’m being less and less careful about my true identity on here but here goes...). My parents just got back from a 2 year senior mission. The church worked then to the bone. They both lost significant weight (which my mother could not spare) and their health deteriorated dramatically with long term impacts. They asked for a single day extra off a month to rest as they were exhausted and were told no that they were there to work. They lost two years with their family and it has negatively impacted their relationships with their children and grandchildren. Instead of being close as in the past they are now out of touch, old and ill. And the irony is? They paid through the nose for the “privilege”.

My in-laws just went through the medical checkups before they put in their mission papers. I joked that they will be heading to Mongolia for their mission any day now. But I rather expect that they will instead be tour guides in a visitor center somewhere in the United States. They would prefer Nauvoo, but will go wherever they are sent. While they will probably love their experience, I kind of expect them to return in poorer health and in a poorer financial condition. They are likely to miss the births of their first two great-grandchildren and a statistically likely temple sealing of another grandchild.

I don't want to wish ill will upon them. It's their life and their money. I imagine that they would enjoy the experience overall and will gain the increased social standing afforded to senior missionaries. Their faithful children will be endlessly supportive. A number of their grandchildren will be oddly happy to have them gone for a year and a half for reasons that only this apostate father and uncle can comprehend. I simply hope that they are truly happy with how this turns out.

[Not Buying It]

The Church has no shame. It will think nothing of taking some of the last years a couple has on earth and making them spend that time away from family. Just like it thinks nothing of taking two years from the youth by guilting them into it.

It is an incredibly selfish organization, and missions are one of the best illustrations of that. What kind of an organization pressures and manipulates the elderly like that?

[Palerider]

The Church has no shame. It will think nothing of taking some of the last years a couple has on earth and making them spend that time away from family. Just like it thinks nothing of taking two years from the youth by guilting them into it.

It is an incredibly selfish organization, and missions are one of the best illustrations of that. What kind of an organization pressures and manipulates the elderly like that?

Mafia...?

[Hagoth]

The Church has no shame. It will think nothing of taking some of the last years a couple has on earth and making them spend that time away from family. Just like it thinks nothing of taking two years from the youth by guilting them into it.

It is an incredibly selfish organization, and missions are one of the best illustrations of that. What kind of an organization pressures and manipulates the elderly like that?

MLM supplement and essential oils marketers?

[Lloyd Christmas]

As far as taking over paid positions, my very tbm Uncle and Aunt just got back from Australia, doing microfilming genealogy for the Australian government. The LDS Church basically contracted out to do genealogy for the Australian government for access, and so my Uncle and Aunt we're paying to basically work a 40 he a week job, alongside many gentiles doing the same work for pay. I was pretty surprised that my Uncle seemed a little disappointed in their mission, and even irritated that he'd spent so much time and money in that way. Still TBM...but not very fulfilling mission for him.