New mission rules

[RC Vikings]

My son sends me an e-mail yesterday on his p-day and said he got to go golfing that morning and he sent a picture. I was a little shocked when I saw they had to wear their white shirts, ties and name tags while playing golf on a p-day. I really use to look forward to p-day and being free from that tie and name tag for a day. I'm glad the bar wasn't as high when I went.

[creekster]

You an me both. I would never have been allowed to serve and while there I would have not been able to deal with the rules. I marvel that our kids manage to stick with it. Different times and better young men, I suppose. No offense intended, of course.

[byu71]

My son sends me an e-mail yesterday on his p-day and said he got to go golfing that morning and he sent a picture. I was a little shocked when I saw they had to wear their white shirts, ties and name tags while playing golf on a p-day. I really use to look forward to p-day and being free from that tie and name tag for a day. I'm glad the bar wasn't as high when I went.

I wonder if that is a rule in his mission or church wide. I remember various rules that came along while I was on my mission. One guy got a serious facial playing flag football. Rule came out, no more flag football. One guy got hurt on a motorcycle, no more motorcycle. Those are the only two I can remember that were instituted in our mission.

[RC Vikings]

I marvel that our kids manage to stick with it. Different times and better young men, I suppose. No offense intended, of course.

None taken. You always want your kids to be better then you and this one passed his dad a long time ago.

[I.J. Reilly]

I think that the obsession with every little rule on missions can go a little far. There was a guy in a ward I lived in that served his mission in Cambodia, I believe. The guy literally refused to wear the white shirt and tie and instead went about in jeans and whatever else. Said it made him more relatable to the people. He had great success and when he returned home continued with the jean and tennis shoes look at church. Eventually he was intsalled as a branch president over a Cambodian branch that was being started up. There was a lot of controversy over putting a man with a pony tail and jeans as a branch president. The better parts of his character were overlooked, as was the fact that he was probably among the very few in the area that both spoke the language of the people and had significant church experience. He was eventually installed as the branch president but only becuase we had a really good stake president that understood that his genuine love of the people, ability to communicate with them, and intangible spiritual strengths were better than what a few traditionalist thought of the way he dressed.

I'm not advocating that all of our missionaries go out in jeans and t-shirt. Rather, that there be more flexibility, especially when it comes to matters that are not of eternal significance.

[byu71]

I think that the obsession with every little rule on missions can go a little far. There was a guy in a ward I lived in that served his mission in Cambodia, I believe. The guy literally refused to wear the white shirt and tie and instead went about in jeans and whatever else. Said it made him more relatable to the people. He had great success and when he returned home continued with the jean and tennis shoes look at church. Eventually he was intsalled as a branch president over a Cambodian branch that was being started up. There was a lot of controversy over putting a man with a pony tail and jeans as a branch president. The better parts of his character were overlooked, as was the fact that he was probably among the very few in the area that both spoke the language of the people and had significant church experience. He was eventually installed as the branch president but only becuase we had a really good stake president that understood that his genuine love of the people, ability to communicate with them, and intangible spiritual strengths were better than what a few traditionalist thought of the way he dressed.

I'm not advocating that all of our missionaries go out in jeans and t-shirt. Rather, that there be more flexibility, especially when it comes to matters that are not of eternal significance.

My nephew was in the Fresno area, but was on a foreign speaking mission. I really can't remember whether it was Vietnamese, Chinese or might have been some other culture. Anyway he told me about several things done because of the culture that wouldn't fly in a regular ward.

[Jeff Lebowski]

My nephew was in the Fresno area, but was on a foreign speaking mission. I really can't remember whether it was Vietnamese, Chinese or might have been some other culture. Anyway he told me about several things done because of the culture that wouldn't fly in a regular ward.

If it was Fresno, it was probably Hmong.

[byu71]

If it was Fresno, it was probably Hmong.

That was it. What language is in that culture. I know it was a foreign language he had to learn.

[cowboy]

I think that the obsession with every little rule on missions can go a little far. There was a guy in a ward I lived in that served his mission in Cambodia, I believe. The guy literally refused to wear the white shirt and tie and instead went about in jeans and whatever else. Said it made him more relatable to the people. He had great success and when he returned home continued with the jean and tennis shoes look at church. Eventually he was intsalled as a branch president over a Cambodian branch that was being started up. There was a lot of controversy over putting a man with a pony tail and jeans as a branch president. The better parts of his character were overlooked, as was the fact that he was probably among the very few in the area that both spoke the language of the people and had significant church experience. He was eventually installed as the branch president but only becuase we had a really good stake president that understood that his genuine love of the people, ability to communicate with them, and intangible spiritual strengths were better than what a few traditionalist thought of the way he dressed.

I'm not advocating that all of our missionaries go out in jeans and t-shirt. Rather, that there be more flexibility, especially when it comes to matters that are not of eternal significance.

That's why I dressed the way I did on my mission in South Carolina. Everyone related to me better when I wore my faded jeans and checkered shirt with snaps and the sleeves cut.

The whites on P-Day has been a rule for 20 years. Some mission presidents just choose to enforce it.

[Jeff Lebowski]

That was it. What language is in that culture. I know it was a foreign language he had to learn.

I think the language is called "Hmong" also.

[Donuthole]

This was absolutely, 100% the rule I hated the most in my mission. We were not allowed to leave the house in anything but white shirt and tie. If we were going to do service, we were supposed to take clothes to change into. If we were going to play sports, we were supposed to take clothes to change into. On P-Day, we were supposed to change into white shirts and tie to walk to our cook lady's house for breakfast (which was often as close as a few houses away).

This all came crumbling down when a local 'culebra' (who knew about the rule) ended up intentionally walking in on an Elder who was changing clothes in a bathroom. They ended up 'changing clothes' together, and he ended up on a plane back to the States. The rule was immediately changed, but unfortunately for me, I only had a month left.

[byu71]

This was absolutely, 100% the rule I hated the most in my mission. We were not allowed to leave the house in anything but white shirt and tie. If we were going to do service, we were supposed to take clothes to change into. If we were going to play sports, we were supposed to take clothes to change into. On P-Day, we were supposed to change into white shirts and tie to walk to our cook lady's house for breakfast (which was often as close as a few houses away).

This all came crumbling down when a local 'culebra' (who knew about the rule) ended up intentionally walking in on an Elder who was changing clothes in a bathroom. They ended up 'changing clothes' together, and he ended up on a plane back to the States. The rule was immediately changed, but unfortunately for me, I only had a month left.

To think you have to argue with some people that mission Presidents are inspired when they institute rules or do away with them. I am not saying some aren't, but a lot of them are a reaction to something.

[TripletDaddy]

wearing a white shirt and tie to go play sports on P-Day?

Lame.

Wearing a white shirt WHILE playing sports on P-Day?

Nonsensical.

We had no such requirement in our mission. We could wear our normal clothes on P-Day, no worries. We had little choice. We had no washing machines, so the only day we could wash all our white shirts and pants was P-day, anyway.

[wuapinmon]

We had these rules. I ignored them. I knew they weren't going to send me home for not wearing my white shirt and tie to go play basketball.

The rules are insane....it's like we're Pharisees. The missionaries here can't even use the bathroom at members' houses because, as one put it, "one guy fornicated while his comp was going to the bathroom."

If you're willing to get let someone fellate you, very quickly, while your comp defecates, this rule isn't going to prevent you from falling.

[Indy Coug]

We had these rules. I ignored them. I knew they weren't going to send me home for not wearing my white shirt and tie to go play basketball.

The rules are insane....it's like we're Pharisees. The missionaries here can't even use the bathroom at members' houses because, as one put it, "one guy fornicated while his comp was going to the bathroom."

If you're willing to get let someone fellate you, very quickly, while your comp defecates, this rule isn't going to prevent you from falling.

The insane missionary rules are designed such that when you re-enter civilian life, you will realize just how easy it is to follow the REAL rules that govern a disciple of Christ.

P.S. If it takes you long enough to take a dump that your comp thinks it a safe opportunity to shoot and score, either you have something seriously physically wrong or you're busy SoonerCoug'ing it in the john.