"Hold my root beer" - the Russell M. Nelson thread

[Moliere]

On balance I like the change. I realize I'm old, but when I was on my mission we couldn't call home period - not on Christmas or Mother's Day. The only exception I remember is when my companion was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer. The mission pres told him to call his parents after we had seen the doctors and he did.

I don't know if the "No Call" rule had changed by the time JL got to Japan. I understand he served in Osaka a couple of yrs after me.

No I could not call home either.

Holy crap. How old are you guys?

[PaloAltoCougar]

Holy crap. How old are you guys?

1971-73. I was an exception, but I had one call, a month before the end to coordinate my parents’ pick-up visit and trip home. Otherwise, only communications were week-old letters.

[happyone]

Oct 76-Oct 78

Christ was a corporal

[Jeff Lebowski]

Holy crap. How old are you guys?

Older than dirt. Younger than PAC.

[Pelado]

On balance I like the change. I realize I'm old, but when I was on my mission we couldn't call home period - not on Christmas or Mother's Day. The only exception I remember is when my companion was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer. The mission pres told him to call his parents after we had seen the doctors and he did.

I don't know if the "No Call" rule had changed by the time JL got to Japan. I understand he served in Osaka a couple of yrs after me.

No I could not call home either.

1971-73. I was an exception, but I had one call, a month before the end to coordinate my parents’ pick-up visit and trip home. Otherwise, only communications were week-old letters.

Wow.

[KillerDog]

I’m happy about the change but I’m more happy about a trend that looks like we have moved the church forward in time from the early ‘80s where it had apparently become stuck. I’m still waiting for my tank top garments though.

[creekster]

Holy crap. How old are you guys?

I am pretty much the same age as Lebowski and was allowed to call home at Christmas and Mothers Day.

[Jeff Lebowski]

FTR, at the time it cost about five bucks a minute for a phone call from Japan to the states.

[creekster]

FTR, at the time it cost about five bucks a minute for a phone call from Japan to the states.

I had an uncle who was a welder so money was no object.

That, and I was in Quebec so it cost a lot less.

[myboynoah]

I am pretty much the same age as Lebowski and was allowed to call home at Christmas and Mothers Day.

#wimp

[Paperback Writer]

While I think this is a positive change, I do have some concerns. My sons were a little older than most when they left on their missions (19.5 & 21.5) so the cord had been cut. With both of them I had to "encourage" them to email every P-Day because their mother would get upset when they wouldn't email every week or when they did, would not say much in their emails. Having served a mission, I had a better understanding of missionary life, but my wife seemed to be living missionary life vicariously through her sons. With the change, a lot of Moms are going to expect that weekly video chat that their sons may not be all that enthused to participate in.

[BigPiney]

While I think this is a positive change, I do have some concerns. My sons were a little older than most when they left on their missions (19.5 & 21.5) so the cord had been cut. With both of them I had to "encourage" them to email every P-Day because their mother would get upset when they wouldn't email every week or when they did, would not say much in their emails. Having served a mission, I had a better understanding of missionary life, but my wife seemed to be living missionary life vicariously through her sons. With the change, a lot of Moms are going to expect that weekly video chat that their sons may not be all that enthused to participate in.

I have already tried to temper my wife's expectations. I told her once a month video chat would be the most I would have been willing to accept.

[LVAllen]

While I think this is a positive change, I do have some concerns. My sons were a little older than most when they left on their missions (19.5 & 21.5) so the cord had been cut. With both of them I had to "encourage" them to email every P-Day because their mother would get upset when they wouldn't email every week or when they did, would not say much in their emails. Having served a mission, I had a better understanding of missionary life, but my wife seemed to be living missionary life vicariously through her sons. With the change, a lot of Moms are going to expect that weekly video chat that their sons may not be all that enthused to participate in.

I hadn't written home in about 3 weeks. There was a transfer, and other stuff happened, and I just hadn't got a letter out.

My dad called the mission office, who provided him with my apartment phone number. We spoke just long enough for him to tell me to write my mother.

[ByronMarchant]

What's most amazing is that it's viewed as progressive when the Mormon Church decides to allow a missionary to do something so basic as call his/her parents.

I called my parents all the time on my mission. But I had to do it while my companion was in the shower in order to stay out of trouble. Just think for a moment about how remarkable that statement is. I had to hide the fact I was talking to my parents so that I wouldn't be reported to superiors for talking to my parents. I called my parents because I understood that the ban on speaking to family (save twice yearly) was fundamentally evil and an immoral abuse of Church power--intended to psychologically isolate missionaries.

If a kid doesn't call home, that's his/her choice. You don't prohibit people from calling their family on any basis whatsoever. Even people in federal penitentiaries get to call their parents.

If the Church were really about family, then talking to family would be a priority. Instead, family is such a big priority that you only get to call them with permission.

Once they grant permission to call once a week intead of twice yearly, most members of the Church respond by saying: "Look how great the Church is! Look how great our prophet is! We are allowed to call family now!" It's almost like the king being admired for giving food to people that were previously on a king-imposed starvation diet.

[Bo Diddley]

What's most amazing is that it's viewed as progressive when the Mormon Church decides to allow a missionary to do something so basic as call his/her parents.

I called my parents all the time on my mission. But I had to do it while my companion was in the shower in order to stay out of trouble. Just think for a moment about how remarkable that statement is. I had to hide the fact I was talking to my parents so that I wouldn't be reported to superiors for talking to my parents. I called my parents because I understood that the ban on speaking to family (save twice yearly) was fundamentally evil and an immoral abuse of Church power--intended to psychologically isolate missionaries.

If a kid doesn't call home, that's his/her choice. You don't prohibit people from calling their family on any basis whatsoever. Even people in federal penitentiaries get to call their parents.

If the Church were really about family, then talking to family would be a priority. Instead, family is such a big priority that you only get to call them with permission.

Once they grant permission to call once a week intead of twice yearly, most members of the Church respond by saying: "Look how great the Church is! Look how great our prophet is! We are allowed to call family now!" It's almost like the king being admired for giving food to people that were previously on a king-imposed starvation diet.

Man you got saddled with some uptight companions.