Article on not judging about missions

[Anonymous]

This was on the Deseret News site today. Usually when they reprint a blogger like this I link to the original blog but it was crowded with (very nice) pictures of the family Christmas.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865621027/Young-men-women-can-serve-LDS-missions-earlier-but-shouldnt-be-judged-if-they-dont.html” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865621027/Young-men-women-can-serve-LDS-missions-earlier-but-shouldnt-be-judged-if-they-dont.html

I like the perspective – that even though men and women can serve when they’re younger doesn’t mean they have to, and it’s really nobody else’s business. I especially like that she seems to be pretty orthodox but can espouse this point of view. She even quotes Pres. Monson making the announcement of the age change.

[Anonymous]

Great article, DJ. Thanks for posting it. I was talking to three Elders recently, and asked if most guys are going at 18, or if most are still waiting until 19. All three of them said that nearly everyone they knew was going at 18.

We have had sister missionaries in our ward for a long time. I am absolutely delighted that they can now enter the mission field at a younger age, so don’t misunderstand me… I believe it will be a major factor in the renewal of the Church; moving away from old gender norms. Yet, I must admit that when the 19-year-olds started coming out, there was a very distinct and noticeable drop in the maturity level of the sister missionaries. Before I get raked over the coals, I will point out that I am in no way saying that YW are less able weather any kind of storm; only that it was interesting to observe the difference that two years made at that phase of life.

They are still great people, and I’m glad they are willing. The respect I feel for the selflessness and commitment of these young people is one of the things that I cannot exorcise from myself, even post-faith-crisis. Many young people can make it work at the younger age, but generally speaking, I think that 18 and even 19 is a bit young. 20 or 21 would be more ideal to be able to bring some life-experience to the effort.

I know a young man who started his mission recently, and he either is or is very close to 21. One thing about his decision to go is that he is clearly not checking anyone else’s box. He went back and forth about serving, and finally decided that he needed to do it for reasons that only came to him because he was older and trying to figure out what kind of a person he wanted to be in life. So different from the young men who already have their call by the time they walk across the stage at their high school graduation.

[Anonymous]

On Own Now wrote:

I must admit that when the 19-year-olds started coming out, there was a very distinct and noticeable drop in the maturity level of the sister missionaries.

I agree. I worked a lot with the sister missionaries and I too have seen the change. They are GREAT and I love them to death, but they sometimes just make rash decisions when I think a few more years under their belt they may have made a “better” decision/reaction. But this is no difference than the elders. When you see an elder that waited until 20 or 21 quite often they are fast track to AP status.

I still have a bit of preference for the Sisters as they can get into some doors the Elder’s can’t, but on the practical side it is a pain in the backside with all the rules. It is funny because the sisters in my ward live with a couple in their early 60’s. The wife had to leave for about 3 months, so the sister missionaries were spending the night every night with only a 60 year old man (which I am shocked was even allowed), but then two 50 year old High Priests can’t pick them up in a car!

[Author]

Posts