Giving Missionaries Rides by Assignment

[Art Vandelay]

WML=ward mission leader? does that actually take that much time or investment? Im just asking because in my mission the WML didnt do anything.

I think to do it right, it does. Though there is no set formula.

What I tried to do:
*Go on Splits/Exchanges with the Elders once a week
*Take anywhere from 1-20 calls from Elders, asking dumb 19YO things daily
*Attend PEC or Ward Council weekly
*A weekly correlation meeting with other ward missionaries and auxillary leaders. I tried to keep this meeting to 30 minutes and only talk about necessary business.
* Quarterly stake training meetings. Not something I enjoyed, but I was asked to be there, so I went
* Teaching new member lessons
* Teaching or making sure Gospel Essentials is taught weekly

The hard part for me was:
* at least once every other week one of the other ward missionaries couldn't' go on splits. If the elders had appointments I would go with them, in addition to my regularly scheduled night.
* The aforementioned meetings
* Had some slacker elders for a few months, that would waste my time by not ever having anything set up

The rewarding part:
* Having 2 of the best missionaries I've ever seen, completely energize our ward about missionary work
* baptizing 4 separate families within a couple months who all went to the temple and are still active.

I realize I'm likely out of the running for a few callings, but being recycled as a WML is always a possibility. That would be a really, really hard one for me to accept, the second time around.

[clackamascoug]

As a former WML, I would say that only 1 out of 5 missionaries is effective in the actual work of being a missionary. 20% shouldn't be in the field, and the other 60% should be more adept at supporting/helping the effective 20%. If the 60% beat the bushes, and turned over the teaching to "teaching missionaries" the teaching missionaries would get really good at teaching, and the everyone would benefit. At the current rate, no one is teaching enough to really get good at it.

[Joe Public]

C'mon, Tone Loc, seize the opportunity!

[Viking]

I invited the missionaries to dinner on Sunday.

Last time they came over, clueless told them she had no interest in the church (I was out of country). Should be a fun dinner.

[falafel]

I invited the missionaries to dinner on Sunday.

Last time they came over, clueless told them she had no interest in the church (I was out of country). Should be a fun dinner.

Cool, now you can be the active one in the family.

[Viking]

As a former WML, I would say that only 1 out of 5 missionaries is effective in the actual work of being a missionary. 20% shouldn't be in the field, and the other 60% should be more adept at supporting/helping the effective 20%. If the 60% beat the bushes, and turned over the teaching to "teaching missionaries" the teaching missionaries would get really good at teaching, and the everyone would benefit. At the current rate, no one is teaching enough to really get good at it.

100% of kids who take the step to go on a mission, deserve to be on a mission.

[wuapinmon]

I love my bishop:

wuapinmon:

I have started this response many times – wanting to be eloquent and quite “PC” – but have found two problems. First, I get interrupted and cannot finish; and, second, I have no desire to be either eloquent or “PC” on the matter. Simply put – I agree with you! My own mission experience tells me it can be done differently. Can members help, and should they when they can? Yes, to both. But missionary self-sufficiency does have its blessings, too.

Learning to budget money is one skill; learning to budget time and other resources (miles, for example) is another that they would do well to learn. It can be done; it just requires discipline and cooperation with Zone and District Leaders to make sure that driving to training meetings is equitably done. (Why not rotate where the meeting is held, for example, to make sure that our missionaries are not always the ones driving?)

Anyway, that is a soapbox issue, with lots of directions to go and opinions to offer. The bottom line: I do believe that the principle is correct, as established by the Brethren; the application at the local level needs some tweaking.

There's hope for all among those loved the most.

[wuapinmon]

We have a new bishop, and we just got a threesome of elders to go with our two sisters. Both sets have cars, and both need rides to Cheraw. The WML is this 500-lbs guy who is 65 and is an hourly assistant manager at the Piggly Wiggly out in Bishopville, lives in a single-wide, has sleep apnea and refuses to wear a CPAP machine, and takes off work without vacation pay to go drive them because everyone else refuses to do it.

It ticks me off that the missionaires and the mission are taking advantage of him, and he's not very intelligent and thinks he's doing service while impoverishing himself. His health is awful and he needs to work to keep the insurance he has to get some medical help. He falls asleep constantly during Sunday School and Priesthood; it wouldn't shock me if he went to sleep driving them to Cheraw. I literally can't do it because of when my classes are, but if I could I might just so he didn't have to, but not because I wanted to serve the elders, but because I wanted to serve Brother Solomon.

[byu71]

We have a new bishop, and we just got a threesome of elders to go with our two sisters. Both sets have cars, and both need rides to Cheraw. The WML is this 500-lbs guy who is 65 and is an hourly assistant manager at the Piggly Wiggly out in Bishopville, lives in a single-wide, has sleep apnea and refuses to wear a CPAP machine, and takes off work without vacation pay to go drive them because everyone else refuses to do it.

It ticks me off that the missionaires and the mission are taking advantage of him, and he's not very intelligent and thinks he's doing service while impoverishing himself. His health is awful and he needs to work to keep the insurance he has to get some medical help. He falls asleep constantly during Sunday School and Priesthood; it wouldn't shock me if he went to sleep driving them to Cheraw. I literally can't do it because of when my classes are, but if I could I might just so he didn't have to, but not because I wanted to serve the elders, but because I wanted to serve Brother Solomon.

There are plenty of members who believe no matter how hard things are, they would be a lot worse if they weren't doing what they feel the church or the Lord wants them to do.

I am not one who subscribes to that, but I would never question someone elses faith.

[Eddie]

We have a new bishop, and we just got a threesome of elders to go with our two sisters. Both sets have cars, and both need rides to Cheraw. The WML is this 500-lbs guy who is 65 and is an hourly assistant manager at the Piggly Wiggly out in Bishopville, lives in a single-wide, has sleep apnea and refuses to wear a CPAP machine, and takes off work without vacation pay to go drive them because everyone else refuses to do it.

It ticks me off that the missionaires and the mission are taking advantage of him, and he's not very intelligent and thinks he's doing service while impoverishing himself. His health is awful and he needs to work to keep the insurance he has to get some medical help. He falls asleep constantly during Sunday School and Priesthood; it wouldn't shock me if he went to sleep driving them to Cheraw. I literally can't do it because of when my classes are, but if I could I might just so he didn't have to, but not because I wanted to serve the elders, but because I wanted to serve Brother Solomon.

I don't get this.

In our area, I have no idea if the missionaries have a car or not. When they have dinner appointments with members, we are asked to pick them up before dinner and then drop them off at their next appointment after dinner. Of course, it is maybe a mile away. 2 at most.

When my son was in Alabama, the only time they didn't drive themselves places tended to be on p-day, when a member was taking them to some part or state park, or if they went with a member to visit the temple or something. The takeaway I got from him was that they really weren't supposed to drive people around, but could go places with them.

But they would have to drive an hour here and there for meetings, and aside from occasionally carpooling with other missionaries in their district or zone, they always drove themselves with the mission car. Of course, they did a lot of cycling when in their area to keep the miles down. Maybe that was the trade off.

[wuapinmon]

There are plenty of members who believe no matter how hard things are, they would be a lot worse if they weren't doing what they feel the church or the Lord wants them to do.

I am not one who subscribes to that, but I would never question someone elses faith.

I don't question his faith at all. There's no judgment of him whatsoever. I mention that he's not very intelligent only to point out that he is easily manipulated by others.

[Uncle Ted]

We have a new bishop, and we just got a threesome of elders to go with our two sisters. Both sets have cars, and both need rides to Cheraw. The WML is this 500-lbs guy who is 65 and is an hourly assistant manager at the Piggly Wiggly out in Bishopville, lives in a single-wide, has sleep apnea and refuses to wear a CPAP machine, and takes off work without vacation pay to go drive them because everyone else refuses to do it.

It ticks me off that the missionaires and the mission are taking advantage of him, and he's not very intelligent and thinks he's doing service while impoverishing himself. His health is awful and he needs to work to keep the insurance he has to get some medical help. He falls asleep constantly during Sunday School and Priesthood; it wouldn't shock me if he went to sleep driving them to Cheraw. I literally can't do it because of when my classes are, but if I could I might just so he didn't have to, but not because I wanted to serve the elders, but because I wanted to serve Brother Solomon.

I assume they need rides is they can put mileage of their cars... You should teach them how to disable the odometer. On some of these newer cars is it just a matter of removing a fuse.

[Bo Diddley]

A few months back the Bishop relayed a request from the missionaries serving in our area (NE Orem). There was a threesome of Elders, and they were without a car. They asked that we give them a list of Elders who would be willing to give them rides, and when they were available to do so.

When I presented that request to the quorum, I got nothing but push-back. Apparently returned missionaries who never had that luxury on their own mission, didn't see that it was truly a need. I more or less agreed with them, and didn't pursue it further.

Their area is about 4 blocks by 8 blocks.

[kccougar]

A few months back the Bishop relayed a request from the missionaries serving in our area (NE Orem). There was a threesome of Elders, and they were without a car. They asked that we give them a list of Elders who would be willing to give them rides, and when they were available to do so.

When I presented that request to the quorum, I got nothing but push-back. Apparently returned missionaries who never had that luxury on their own mission, didn't see that it was truly a need. I more or less agreed with them, and didn't pursue it further.

Their area is about 4 blocks by 8 blocks.

Yeah, that will be an unsympathetic audience. Maybe try the Relief Society and have them sign up their husbands.

[chrisrenrut]

I assume they need rides is they can put mileage of their cars... You should teach them how to disable the odometer. On some of these newer cars is it just a matter of removing a fuse.

Removing the fuse was the true way to everlasting kilometers in the 1991 Chevy Cavalier, but not of the 1988 to 1990 models.