Rain Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 My son is a junior. Every Monday night he is being invited to someone opening up their mission calls. None are family. Is this happening in your area as well?
Duncan Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 Nope! This kid in my folks ward waited 3 weeks to open it at the ward potluck, Mumsie said he opened it like he lost a lottery, like, allright that's cool I guess, always tomorrow. 1
Jeanne Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 13 minutes ago, Duncan said: Nope! This kid in my folks ward waited 3 weeks to open it at the ward potluck, Mumsie said he opened it like he lost a lottery, like, allright that's cool I guess, always tomorrow. I just don't know what to say... 1
Popular Post rongo Posted April 24, 2018 Popular Post Posted April 24, 2018 I don't like it. I started a thread on this several months ago. I think it leads, for this generation, to the opening and reveal being the highlight of the mission, after which all else is anti-clamactic. The actual work of missionary work isn't as fun and stimulating as being the big-deal showcase of the mission reveal (youtube hijinks, going for production values with soundtracks, slow motion, etc.). In some cases, it is part of the reason for an early return. Missionaries want to continue to be social media stars on their missions, and it doesn't work that way. 12
Rain Posted April 24, 2018 Author Posted April 24, 2018 (edited) 13 hours ago, rongo said: I don't like it. I started a thread on this several months ago. I think it leads, for this generation, to the opening and reveal being the highlight of the mission, after which all else is anti-clamactic. The actual work of missionary work isn't as fun and stimulating as being the big-deal showcase of the mission reveal (youtube hijinks, going for production values with soundtracks, slow motion, etc.). In some cases, it is part of the reason for an early return. Missionaries want to continue to be social media stars on their missions, and it doesn't work that way. Yes, I remember that thread. It is the Monday night that I am thinking about here though. He has been invited the last 3 or 4 Mondays. Last Monday he actually had 4 he was invited to. Edited April 24, 2018 by Rain
Popular Post The Nehor Posted April 24, 2018 Popular Post Posted April 24, 2018 I am trying to imagine being so bored as a Junior in High School that going to watch someone I barely know open an envelope and read off a mission name would beat out other more stimulating things I could be doing like watching paint dry or grass grow. 7
CV75 Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 12 hours ago, Rain said: My son is a junior. Every Monday night he is being invited to someone opening up their mission calls. None are family. Is this happening in your area as well? Now that I think of it last year I was invited to a small gathering to do this, but at the time I thought it was because I was special...
The Mean Farmer Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 Mission calls are sliding toward being the "reception" part of a wedding. The single day event you prep and plan for instead of the relationship and its future. Once the party celebrating YOU is over the couple are often left wiped out and with bills to pay that sometimes last FAR longer than the marriage. 4
Popular Post JAHS Posted April 24, 2018 Popular Post Posted April 24, 2018 My mission call 1972: Brought the mail in and saw the letter. Opened it. Said I was going to Austria. Gave it to my mom who read it and she shouted Australia? I said No, Austria. Oh, she said. Where's that? That was it. 5
rpn Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 Sorry sweetie,. Mondays are for family night. You spend them with us. 2
Rain Posted April 24, 2018 Author Posted April 24, 2018 1 minute ago, rpn said: Sorry sweetie,. Mondays are for family night. You spend them with us. See, that's part of our problem. Right now we have FHE on Sunday because my college aged daughter who lives with us and goes to a singles ward has her own singles ward FHE on Monday. We really feel that is important for her, but also feel FHE as a family is important so we have moved it to Sunday. We have done this occasionally through our lives when my husband was traveling a lot. For example, for 9 months he spent 2 weeks away and a weekend home. When he was away we had FHE on Monday and when home on Sunday. Always though we followed our same family rules on Monday of no answering the phone after 6 etc because we didn't want people interupting us on Monday, thinking we had it on Sunday. So now when we almost always do it on Sunday (with a few Mondays here and there) then it complicates things, especially in my son's understanding. At some point we do want to get back to every Monday and we also really don't want to make things harder for families who have it on Monday now by showing we are ok with attending things like this so that more people are ok with the idea of hosting on Monday. I know it sounds kind of rule-ish, but when we can have regular Monday FHE we have found it to be highly beneficial for our family. 1
Guest Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 (edited) 16 hours ago, Rain said: My son is a junior. Every Monday night he is being invited to someone opening up their mission calls. None are family. Is this happening in your area as well? We had one Sunday after Church meetings, for the entire Ward. It would seem that after Ward farewells were done away with, many have found ways to find do workarounds. Edited April 24, 2018 by Bill "Papa" Lee 2
Thinking Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 I think that some members have taken it too far, especially with the wedding like invitations to come to a missionary farewell. 3
Scott Lloyd Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 (edited) 18 hours ago, Rain said: My son is a junior. Every Monday night he is being invited to someone opening up their mission calls. None are family. Is this happening in your area as well? Gatherings of family and close friends to be on hand when the missionary opens his/her call have become fairly standard in my neck of the woods. I think they are quite benign, and I have not personally observed the harms or ills (real or imagined) that rongo is fussing about on this thread. As for these events happening regularly on Mondays, no, I haven't seen that, and I suspect it might be a practice or even a coincidence that is unique to where you live. Customarily, we throughout the Church are expected to hold Monday nights open for family home evening and to try to not let other things interfere. On the other hand, it may be that the families in question want to make the opening of the mission call letter the centerpiece of their own home evening (what a memorable event for younger brothers and sisters), even as they welcome other interested persons (Grandma and Grandpa, married siblings, close friends from the ward or high school, etc.,) to be present. Edited April 24, 2018 by Scott Lloyd
rongo Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 1 minute ago, Scott Lloyd said: Gatherings of family and close friends to be on hand when the missionary opens his/her call have become fairly standard in my neck of the woods. I think they are quite benign, and I have not personally observed the harms or ills (real or imagined) that rongo is fussing about on this thread. That's probably because you're talking about "gatherings of family and close friends," not entire wards or extremely large groups of people, massive Youtube reveals choreographed, fancy announcements being sent out, and the like.
Jeanne Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 Now...I did not have a son that went on a mission or anything. But if it were me on a personal level with consideration for my son (or daughter)..I would love the opening up of an envelope to be the very family thing for FHE!! Everyone else can find out later for heaven's sakes. In a mormon world, this woud be the family prayer and desire that have come true! I would be embarrassed to have it any other way...besides..it is like the anticipation of Christmas Eve..to a very boring Christmas Day. 1
Scott Lloyd Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Thinking said: I think that some members have taken it too far, especially with the wedding like invitations to come to a missionary farewell. I very rarely never see that sort of thing anymore, not since President Hinckley very directly instructed against it years ago. The very name "missionary farewell" has been dropped from Church parlance (though some people might still use it informally).
Scott Lloyd Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 7 minutes ago, rongo said: That's probably because you're talking about "gatherings of family and close friends," not entire wards or extremely large groups of people, massive Youtube reveals choreographed, fancy announcements being sent out, and the like. Yes, intimate "gatherings of family and close friends" are indeed what I'm talking about. Though I must admit that my son did post an advance notice on Facebook. But that did not result in anything even approaching what you describe here.
Thinking Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 21 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said: I very rarely never see that sort of thing anymore, not since President Hinckley very directly instructed against it years ago. The very name "missionary farewell" has been dropped from Church parlance (though some people might still use it informally). Note that I wrote some. I receive 2 to 3 per year.
Scott Lloyd Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 21 minutes ago, Thinking said: Note that I wrote some. I receive 2 to 3 per year. Even that surprises me -- though it doesn't strike me as frequent enough to be remarkable.
will227457 Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 I went on my mission in 1996, I remember getting a letter in the mail, like on a tuesday, I went to my moms room and opened it. It said where I was going and that was it. No big todo. Not necessary.
Thinking Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Scott Lloyd said: Even that surprises me -- though it doesn't strike me as frequent enough to be remarkable. I think it's remarkable for the reasons you stated in your earlier post.
cinepro Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 8 hours ago, JAHS said: My mission call 1972: Brought the mail in and saw the letter. Opened it. Said I was going to Austria. Gave it to my mom who read it and she shouted Australia? I said No, Austria. Oh, she said. Where's that? That was it. "Well g'day mate. Let's put another shrimp on the barbie....!" 1
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