Monthly Missionary Cost Moved Back to $400 in July?

[rongo]

My sister (a RS president) told me that bishops were sent a letter stating that the anticipated increase from $400 to $500 for young missionaries in July has been moved back down to $400. I trust my source on this (  ), but wondered if anyone else had heard this. 

It's not surprising, given how many costs are currently not being incurred, for the indefinite future. Even in our mission, our missionaries reported yesterday that they are down from 230 to 170 missionaries, because of missionaries going home but none incoming (we took them dinner, and they had moved into a house with other elders by way of consolidation. Two blocks south, or two stakes south, instead of nearby). I can't even imagine how many apartments have been closed, even in the U.S. 

I'm sure this is welcome news for many!

[JamesBYoung]

Hope so.

[Calm]

They might not be changing it just to not add financial stress for some families now that are either having to cut back or worrying they will have to soon and for some time.  There are probably less ward mission funds available to help as well. 
 

Less international travel must be cutting way down on expenses, I am guessing. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Calm

[rongo]

How short-lived do you think it will be? 

For that matter, how long do you (y'all) think it will take before the missions get back to full strength? Years? 

I wonder if it's going to be hard to rent the needed apartments. Or, if there are going to be massive visa and permit issues, maybe even in countries where there haven't historically been any. 

[Calm]

23 minutes ago, rongo said:

wonder if it's going to be hard to rent the needed apartments.

With less international travel in general (tourism and possibly business), it may be easier to rent apartments as demand may be much lower and there is a good chance people will be looking for additional ways for income.  There may be greater fear about foreigners spreading of diseases now, but needing money is a strong motivator to move past fears. 
 

Visa and permit issues...hard to tell. Lot of countries out there highly dependent on tourism and international business. 
 

As far as “full strength”, if you mean where demand is met by the supply, I have no clue. I don’t think we have come close yet to the full effect worldwide of the virus, so I don’t think we can tell how much of an impact it will have on global mentality and how countries interact with each other. 
 

I think there may be significant changes in the proselyting process given the apparent success in many areas from what I am hearing reported of online contacts. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Calm

[rongo]

Just saw the letter. It is short:

"Due to costs from the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase in monthly charges to the ward missionary fund to $500 USD (or the local equivalent), scheduled to begin July 2020, will be delayed until further notice. Ward missionary funds will not be charged for the time a missionary is at home, including for online pre-field training. Charges will be adjusted retroactive to January 2020."

I'm confused about the last sentence. Does that mean that people will be refunded if they paid for March/April if their children were sent home to quarantine, await reassignment, etc.? Just curious. 

[bluebell]

37 minutes ago, rongo said:

How short-lived do you think it will be? 

For that matter, how long do you (y'all) think it will take before the missions get back to full strength? Years? 

I wonder if it's going to be hard to rent the needed apartments. Or, if there are going to be massive visa and permit issues, maybe even in countries where there haven't historically been any. 

My son was going to put in his papers in March but now he's planning on waiting to put them in until sometime in the fall.  Maybe October.  He wants to wait until the back log of missionaries is taken care of and things are back to normal.  His friend had his call to leave at the end of July and he chose to defer for a year.  

I don't know how long it will take to get back to full strength; a lot will depend on what the coronavirus continues to do in the fall and winter before the vaccine shows up, but I think it'll be a while before things settle down.

[bluebell]

Considering the cost of getting all the missionaries home (which i've heard was astronomical), the church could probably easily justify keeping the new cost.  I think it's a kindness that they are rolling it back. 

[rongo]

1 minute ago, bluebell said:

My son was going to put in his papers in March but now he's planning on waiting to put them in until sometime in the fall.  Maybe October.  He wants to wait until the back log of missionaries is taken care of and things are back to normal.  His friend had his call to leave at the end of July and he chose to defer for a year.  

I think that's a very wise decision. Not because of the risk of the virus, but because of the uncertainty about mission assignment, mission length, etc. Plus, if one would like a chance of going foreign, this might not be the time to put your papers in.  

Our sons are all going at 19, anyway, but that's so they get a year of school in beforehand. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a surge in these. 

Does his friend get to keep his call (just deferred), or does he get another spin at the wheel in a year? 

[The Nehor]

Here is the letter stripped of the headers:

Due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic:
• The increase in monthly charges to the ward missionary fund to $500 USD (or
the local equivalent), scheduled to begin July 2020, will be delayed until further
notice.
• Ward missionary funds will not be charged for the time a missionary is at home,
including for online pre-field training. Charges will be adjusted retroactive to
January 2020.

[Calm]

10 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Here is the letter stripped of the headers:

Due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic:
• The increase in monthly charges to the ward missionary fund to $500 USD (or
the local equivalent), scheduled to begin July 2020, will be delayed until further
notice.
• Ward missionary funds will not be charged for the time a missionary is at home,
including for online pre-field training. Charges will be adjusted retroactive to
January 2020.

Are missionary payments from the missionaries or their families assigned to the ward mission fund?  Been too long, can't remember the process.  IOW, is this just talking about donations given by other ward members or self and family as well?

[The Nehor]

31 minutes ago, Calm said:

Are missionary payments from the missionaries or their families assigned to the ward mission fund?  Been too long, can't remember the process.  IOW, is this just talking about donations given by other ward members or self and family as well?

Each missionary in the field has their own fund that can be contributed to. There is also usually a ward missionary fund the ward uses to subsidize some missionaries. To do so the clerk or bishop just moves the money from the general fund to the specific missionary fund. 

[Calm]

10 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Each missionary in the field has their own fund that can be contributed to. There is also usually a ward missionary fund the ward uses to subsidize some missionaries. To do so the clerk or bishop just moves the money from the general fund to the specific missionary fund. 

So does this refund or whatever it is have to do with specific funds at all or just the ward funds?  I assume the ward funds wouldn't have any tax implications.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Calm

[rongo]

19 minutes ago, Calm said:

So does this refund or whatever it is have to do with specific funds at all or just the ward funds?  I assume the ward funds wouldn't have any tax implications.

I don't know that there is going to be a refund, per se; that's why I asked about that last sentence. I don't see why anyone would have to be "refunded." I would never pre-pay anything, because there is no refund on unused mission funds. It's better to just pay each month, since you never know what might happen. I've seen people pre-pay $10,000, and have a missionary come home from the MTC. That money is simply gone. 

From experience, the account stays with the ward that sent the missionary, even when he/she moves. It's a nightmare trying to move it, so it's just best to continue paying to the original ward. With online payment, it's easy (you just need the unit number), but formerly, people would send checks to the bishop of that ward with a donation slip. 

ETA: Under the ward mission fund, there are sub-funds in each missionary's name. Donations have to be specified to a recipient. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by rongo

[rongo]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

Considering the cost of getting all the missionaries home (which i've heard was astronomical), the church could probably easily justify keeping the new cost.  I think it's a kindness that they are rolling it back. 

I agree that it is a kindness that they are rolling it back, but I don't think the cost of getting them all home was that bad, overall. Granted that the chartered flights were certainly more expensive than the market rate, each missionary was going to be flown home at some point, so that is largely a wash (with a bit of a deficit for the chartered flights). The savings on apartments, mission fleet, and scores of other costs probably offset whatever deficit there was from bringing them all home at once.*

The toll was much more psychological/emotional, in my view. Both for the missionaries/families and for the areas/missions. In spades for the unlucky missionaries who effectively won't get to serve a mission because of when their call/service fell (i.e., called spring 2020). Some will try again in 12-18 months, but many won't; they just drew the short straw with this. 

*What is the cost of a chartered flight full of missionaries, vs. the cost of a commercial ticket for each of those missionaries combined? Does anyone know?

Edited April 20, 2020 by rongo

[Scott Lloyd]

3 hours ago, rongo said:

My sister (a RS president) told me that bishops were sent a letter stating that the anticipated increase from $400 to $500 for young missionaries in July has been moved back down to $400. I trust my source on this (  ), but wondered if anyone else had heard this. 

It's not surprising, given how many costs are currently not being incurred, for the indefinite future. Even in our mission, our missionaries reported yesterday that they are down from 230 to 170 missionaries, because of missionaries going home but none incoming (we took them dinner, and they had moved into a house with other elders by way of consolidation. Two blocks south, or two stakes south, instead of nearby). I can't even imagine how many apartments have been closed, even in the U.S. 

I'm sure this is welcome news for many!

Welcome indeed, if true. Can you pin this down any further? 
 

If that’s the case, our stimulus check would pay for nearly nine months of our son’s mission next year. 

[Scott Lloyd]

2 hours ago, Calm said:

Are missionary payments from the missionaries or their families assigned to the ward mission fund?  Been too long, can't remember the process.  IOW, is this just talking about donations given by other ward members or self and family as well?

I assume things haven’t changed, but when our son was out (he returned three years ago) we made our payments online to the ward mission fund specifically under his name. Anyone can donate to a specific missionary in that manner. 
 

In fact, there is still money left in his ward missionary fund account because someone donated for him without our knowing about it. We can’t cash it out, but we can transfer It for use by another missionary. We’re hoping and intending to use it for the next one of our children when he goes out. 

[Scott Lloyd]

1 hour ago, rongo said:

I agree that it is a kindness that they are rolling it back, but I don't think the cost of getting them all home was that bad, overall. Granted that the chartered flights were certainly more expensive than the market rate, each missionary was going to be flown home at some point, so that is largely a wash (with a bit of a deficit for the chartered flights). The savings on apartments, mission fleet, and scores of other costs probably offset whatever deficit there was from bringing them all home at once.*

The toll was much more psychological/emotional, in my view. Both for the missionaries/families and for the areas/missions. In spades for the unlucky missionaries who effectively won't get to serve a mission because of when their call/service fell (i.e., called spring 2020). Some will try again in 12-18 months, but many won't; they just drew the short straw with this. 

*What is the cost of a chartered flight full of missionaries, vs. the cost of a commercial ticket for each of those missionaries combined? Does anyone know?

I think we and the Church can rest assured that it’s money well spent under the circumstances. At times like this, it’s nice to know the Church has funds in reserve, even though the haters resent it. 

[Danzo]

4 hours ago, rongo said:

Just saw the letter. It is short:

"Due to costs from the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase in monthly charges to the ward missionary fund to $500 USD (or the local equivalent), scheduled to begin July 2020, will be delayed until further notice. Ward missionary funds will not be charged for the time a missionary is at home, including for online pre-field training. Charges will be adjusted retroactive to January 2020."

I'm confused about the last sentence. Does that mean that people will be refunded if they paid for March/April if their children were sent home to quarantine, await reassignment, etc.? Just curious. 

If they are refunded, then It would eliminate the tax deduction for paying into the church missionary fund.

[Duncan]

5 hours ago, bluebell said:

My son was going to put in his papers in March but now he's planning on waiting to put them in until sometime in the fall.  Maybe October.  He wants to wait until the back log of missionaries is taken care of and things are back to normal.  His friend had his call to leave at the end of July and he chose to defer for a year.  

I don't know how long it will take to get back to full strength; a lot will depend on what the coronavirus continues to do in the fall and winter before the vaccine shows up, but I think it'll be a while before things settle down.

I hope he comes here!!!!!!!

[bluebell]

4 hours ago, rongo said:

I agree that it is a kindness that they are rolling it back, but I don't think the cost of getting them all home was that bad, overall. Granted that the chartered flights were certainly more expensive than the market rate, each missionary was going to be flown home at some point, so that is largely a wash (with a bit of a deficit for the chartered flights). The savings on apartments, mission fleet, and scores of other costs probably offset whatever deficit there was from bringing them all home at once.*

The toll was much more psychological/emotional, in my view. Both for the missionaries/families and for the areas/missions. In spades for the unlucky missionaries who effectively won't get to serve a mission because of when their call/service fell (i.e., called spring 2020). Some will try again in 12-18 months, but many won't; they just drew the short straw with this. 

*What is the cost of a chartered flight full of missionaries, vs. the cost of a commercial ticket for each of those missionaries combined? Does anyone know?

Paying the same amount of money over 2 years as opposed to over the course of a month is a wash in terms of the dollar amount, but not really in terms of cost since budgets are often based on timelines and not just what is owed.  Besides that, flights are also more expensive the closer to the fly date they are purchased.  Some tickets were purchased only hours before they were used, which I'm sure is much less efficient than buying them weeks or even months out.  And I know sometimes the flights were incredibly inefficient in other ways, like with our family friend who's son had to be chartered out of the country (after a paid bus got stopped by the police and turned around), to get flown back into the country to the mission home, and then flown out again to a different country, and then flown to Utah, just to get around closed boarders and changing government restrictions in his mission country.  

The church might be saving money having missionaries home (I'm sure they are paying much less for gas and utilities, definitely) but I doubt the church is saving much money on apartments. Maybe in some cases but often you can't just end a lease.  You have to pay through the end of the contract whether you are there or not.  Plus, it probably makes sense to keep to keep most of the apartments so they are ready to go when missionaries are able to come back.  Not everywhere of course but in a lot of places that would be cheaper than starting a lease over again.  

It would be interesting to know more details on how it all went down.  

[Hamba Tuhan]

48 minutes ago, bluebell said:

Plus, it probably makes sense to keep to keep most of the apartments so they are ready to go when missionaries are able to come back.  Not everywhere of course but in a lot of places that would be cheaper than starting a lease over again.

Yep. We have five missionary flats in our city, and they're all still leased. One is for a senior couple, and in the past the mission has always just kept it leased even when there was no couple. (Sometimes an entire year or more.) Finding property here is a nightmarishly long, difficult and expensive process ... and virtually impossible if the tenants aren't present.

I just did the maths, and our median rent is currently sitting at US$1,511.28 per month. I'm not sure how that compares to where most of you live ...

Edited April 21, 2020 by Hamba Tuhan

[Calm]

50 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

Yep. We have five missionary flats in our city, and they're all still leased. One is for a senior couple, and in the past the mission has always just kept it leased even when there was no couple. (Sometimes an entire year or more.) Finding property here is a nightmarishly long, difficult and expensive process ... and virtually impossible if the tenants aren't present.

I just did the maths, and our median rent is currently sitting at US$1,511.28 per month. I'm not sure how that compares to where most of you live ...

For what size apt?  One bedroom?

[Hamba Tuhan]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

For what size apt?  One bedroom?

That is the median across all rentals.

I just did a quick search specifically on a two-bedroom flat using the most comprehensive website. The cheapest property in our city is currently listed for US$1,029.68 per month. It has no heating and no cupboards in the kitchen. The most expensive is US$3,032.42 per month.

These are, however, asking prices. No one in this city rents a flat at the listed price. Application forms all ask for how much tenants are willing to pay, essentially creating a silent bidding war. The same website lets me look at the historical rental prices over the past four weeks. The cheapest two-bedroom flat was leased at US$1,125.80 per month. It has a split-system AC but would cost a fortune to heat/cool because it also has an energy-efficiency rating of 0.0, which essentially means single-glazed windows, no insulation of any kind, and open ventilation. (We were 4.1C this morning, for context.)

The cheapest two-bedroom flat leased in the last four weeks that has both heat and insulation went for US$1,221.92 per month.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Hamba Tuhan

[The Nehor]

6 hours ago, Calm said:

So does this refund or whatever it is have to do with specific funds at all or just the ward funds?  I assume the ward funds wouldn't have any tax implications.

Basically any missionary that was not in the field or in in person training during the time period but whose account was debited will have the funds returned to their individual account. There is not a way for members to get those donations back. If they go into the field later the funds are there. If for any reason they cannot the money is usually moved to the ward missionary fund or to the fund of another missionary.

4 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I assume things haven’t changed, but when our son was out (he returned three years ago) we made our payments online to the ward mission fund specifically under his name. Anyone can donate to a specific missionary in that manner. 
 

In fact, there is still money left in his ward missionary fund account because someone donated for him without our knowing about it. We can’t cash it out, but we can transfer It for use by another missionary. We’re hoping and intending to use it for the next one of our children when he goes out. 

To clarify for others this is probably not still in an individual account. The Mission Office likes to close individual funds once the missionary goes home. To use it for another child I would move it into the Ward Mission fund and then move it to the new missionary's fund when they go out.

Other options for when funds are overpaid is to recharacterize the donation to tithing or fast offering instead if the bishop consents and I have never seen one refuse.