Rumors of 19 year old females going on missions

[byu71]

We had a missionary who came home very early recently, just a month or so in the mission field after 8 weeks in the MTC.

He was welcomed home over the pulpit in Sacrament Meeting and gave a talk about his experience (explaining that he came home due to anxiety and insomnia, etc.) -- everybody acted almost like he had done a complete mission. We have so many old people with dementia maybe a lot of them think he actually served the entire 2 years.

I wonder if it bugged some people (e.g. those with kids serving the entire two years) the way everybody kind of pretended like this kid did a full mission. Gotta say I didn't get the feeling like he was humiliated or ashamed about it much at all, obviously a good thing.

Acceptance is a good thing, but I guess it is bad for those kids that if they just gutted it out a bit more would have been OK.

We had to gut it out. Our only option if we wanted to go home was to enlist and head off to Viet Nam. That way the parents and Ward members would go a bit easier on you.

[Uncle Ted]

Six months. You can appeal, but appeals are rarely granted (unless you are an athlete).

The explanation is "If you are too sick to be on a mission, you are too sick to be at BYU" which is pure BS of course. It is a ridiculous rule. The objective of the rule is clearly to apply a form of punishment to help deter people from coming home early.

Thanks for the correction, JL. I didn't recall the exact length of the "punishment".

Edit: (Note the proper way of updating your post.) In my day it was "Come home honorably or come home in a coffin."

[imanihonjin]

Six months. You can appeal, but appeals are rarely granted (unless you are an athlete).

The explanation is "If you are too sick to be on a mission, you are too sick to be at BYU" which is pure BS of course. It is a ridiculous rule. The objective of the rule is clearly to apply a form of punishment to help deter people from coming home early.

If the rule stems from a desire to punish, then it is pure crap. However, if it simply a matter of being able to administratively make it happen and thus the answer is, we don't have a spot for your for six months then I don't have a problem with that.

[TripletDaddy]

If the rule stems from a desire to punish, then it is pure crap. However, if it simply a matter of being able to administratively make it happen and thus the answer is, we don't have a spot for your for six months then I don't have a problem with that.

It isnt meant to punish. it is meant to teach.

[Jeff Lebowski]

If the rule stems from a desire to punish, then it is pure crap. However, if it simply a matter of being able to administratively make it happen and thus the answer is, we don't have a spot for your for six months then I don't have a problem with that.

It is most definitely the former and not the latter.

[imanihonjin]

It is most definitely the former and not the latter.

May I ask how you know this?

[byu71]

If the rule stems from a desire to punish, then it is pure crap. However, if it simply a matter of being able to administratively make it happen and thus the answer is, we don't have a spot for your for six months then I don't have a problem with that.

You and I both know the reason. BYU attendance is a very desirable thing and therefor those in charge are able to control those who want to obtain that desirable thing. It not only sends a message to the individual, but to others as well.

[Jeff Lebowski]

May I ask how you know this?

First-hand experience with my son.

[Uncle Ted]

May I ask how you know this?

You shouldn't question the Dude.

[imanihonjin]

You and I both know the reason. BYU attendance is a very desirable thing and therefor those in charge are able to control those who want to obtain that desirable thing. It not only sends a message to the individual, but to others as well.

There are a lot of external pressures to serve a mission. I don't see having to wait 6 months to attend BYU being something that is going to motivate someone to stay out who otherwise would come home.

[byu71]

There are a lot of external pressures to serve a mission. I don't see having to wait 6 months to attend BYU being something that is going to motivate someone to stay out who otherwise would come home.

So you believe it is because BYU isn't efficient enough to get the kid right back in school? Do you think the U, UVU or USU would be able to get them right in?

You know, unlike progressive types, I still believe in the carrot and the stick. I still believe in coercion. I just don't believe in bull crapping people and act like I don't believe in it by making up some other reasons.

[Jacob]

I think I said before that I probably had mild clinical depression in the MTC but was fine for the next 22 months. The Spirit in the MTC was probably just too damn strong for me.

Totally agree that it seems like they should just let missionaries Skype a minimum of once a month and loosen things up to support good mental health.

I could get on board with that. The MTC was the worst 2 months of my life. Then I went and got a job as a MTC teacher after returning. Go figure.

[Jacob]

The article I quoted above seems to indicate that the percentage of missionaries returning is now in "the double digits". This is up significantly given it use to be something around 1.5% or something like that.

Of those returning home...


http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifesty...-says.html.csp

So it seems a significant percentage will develop some sort of a mental health issue after they return especially when they find out that the YW leaders have taught the all YW that they should only marry a RM and BYU is requiring them to sit out a year for returning early. I guess this is why UVU did the study given they have a good supply of former BYU students that have been abandoned by their church.

So we are in the double digits. Lets call it 10%. Of those, 36% are for mental health reasons, or 3.6% of all missionaries. Maybe the mission isn't causing a bunch of mental health issues after all.

I think its kinda of big deal when returned missionaries are treated poorly upon their return. I wish that didn't happen. But of course they will experience feelings of failure. As they will many other times throughout their lives. Hopefully there are some feeling of success as well.

[Pheidippides]

You shouldn't question the Dude.

Especially on BYU academic matters.

[HBCoug]

If the rule stems from a desire to punish, then it is pure crap. However, if it simply a matter of being able to administratively make it happen and thus the answer is, we don't have a spot for your for six months then I don't have a problem with that.

I prefer to look at it as a waiting period of love.