Hamba Tuhan Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 2 hours ago, bluebell said: Most probably wouldn't if they knew beforehand, especially if the person who was doing the inviting was already friends with them. Yeah, friendship is always a good place from which to start. Quote Maybe it's a saturation thing. My entire ward (600+ members) lives in a 10 block area that you could probably walk across in less than 20 minutes. All the non-members and less active members are surrounded by members and they tend to get a lot of people inviting them to church things. Most have as much contact with the church as they want, and many don't want any (and are wary when a member approaches). Yuck. I think I'd be looking to move, but first I'd try to make some of those people my friends.
Navidad Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 10 hours ago, Freedom said: They are in an arear for just 6 to 12 weeks Is this a typical process? Is it a church policy that the missionaries are regularly transferred? What is the thought process behind that? It seems that just when you get to know someone they are gone. Where I live, it seems we have a rule that an Anglo is paired with a mestizo in every case. The Anglo struggles with Spanish and the mestizo is lost with English. The Anglo constantly corrects the mestizo's English, even in public, on the stand. The mestizo never corrects the Anglo's Spanish. There are miles of distance between towns, yet no transportation is provided. It seems like every day on Whatsapp, someone is requesting a ride for the missionaries to go somewhere. Is there someone in a ward who is responsible for the missionaries who take up residence in that ward? By responsible, I mean mentors and coaches them - like "Don't correct the elder's English in public, especially from the stand?" I inevitably feel badly for the mestizo missionary. It is part of the challenging relationship between the Anglo Mormon and the mestizo Mormon and the Anglo and mestizo Mennonites in our area. The very first Mestizos were "converted" to the LDS church here around 1892 and the first organized missionary effort began in the 1930s, especially with female Anglo missionaries. Mestizos did not convert to Mennonitism until the 1990s or so. We recently had an academic in our area living, studying, and writing about the stresses between the mestizo and Mormon and between mestizo and Mennonite in our area. It is a fascinating sociological study (not so much religiously-related), but far more culturally. She says both Mennonites and Mormons in northern Mexico hold a liminal position in the culture. They are inside outsiders. I was not familiar with that term (liminal). I am learning a lot. Watching the missionary pairings is really and interesting aspect of this. I have talked with her (the academic) about expanding her work to include the stress that in general exists between Mormons and Mennonites and the mestizo communities. Agrarian, economic, and ideological (cultural) disparities are deep and wide. Sorry, I digress - that happens a lot with me! My mind never stops trying to understand, especially when it comes to conflicts. I am certain (yes, you heard it here from my own keyboard) that these relational challenges impact the work of elders living here. I think they need a couple of classes in the cultural realities in our area.
bluebell Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 11 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said: Yeah, friendship is always a good place from which to start. Yuck. I think I'd be looking to move, but first I'd try to make some of those people my friends. Most of the ones in my neighborhood are friends. It's the best way to live in a neighborhood, in my opinion. 1
Tacenda Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 22 minutes ago, bluebell said: Most of the ones in my neighborhood are friends. It's the best way to live in a neighborhood, in my opinion. Welcome to Utah!
rongo Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 32 minutes ago, Navidad said: Is this a typical process? Is it a church policy that the missionaries are regularly transferred? What is the thought process behind that? It seems that just when you get to know someone they are gone. I didn't know that you didn't know that. Missionaries are regularly transferred --- I'll bet, most missionaries average around six areas or so during their 18-24 month missions.
Navidad Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 24 minutes ago, rongo said: I didn't know that you didn't know that. Missionaries are regularly transferred --- I'll bet, most missionaries average around six areas or so during their 18-24 month missions. When I study the missions of the older missionaries here in Mexico - let's say 1930s and 1940s it seems that during their two years they served in perhaps two or three places at most, with the change most often being at someone's request. Is the regular transfer of missionaries something new, or am I wrong about the earlier periods? Thanks.
mfbukowski Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Navidad said: Is this a typical process? Is it a church policy that the missionaries are regularly transferred? What is the thought process behind that? It seems that just when you get to know someone they are gone. That is part of the intent, one must be converted to the gospel, not to one or two missionaries. Some are rude, rough stones. That's life. Take them aside if you see rude behavior, and teach them as if they were your sons. Teach them the social issues, that's what I would do, with kindness and humor, as Christ would. They are still children with a huge huge task on their weak little intellectual shoulders Also missionaries have hormones. There have been Chastity problems. Thirdly, imo the policy is fine as it is and has been tested world wide. When a bishop, I have personally dealt with a missionary produced pregnancy. It wasn't fun. I have also seen "conversions" to individual elders, that ultimately do not go well for either the elder or the convert 1
mfbukowski Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Navidad said: When I study the missions of the older missionaries here in Mexico - let's say 1930s and 1940s it seems that during their two years they served in perhaps two or three places at most, with the change most often being at someone's request. Is the regular transfer of missionaries something new, or am I wrong about the earlier periods? Thanks. I have added bolding. You are not wrong. It's because the longer stays did not work, as you yourself suggest. The problems don't make it into history Edited December 28, 2021 by mfbukowski
Navidad Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 36 minutes ago, mfbukowski said: I have added bolding. You are not wrong. It's because the longer stays did not work, as you yourself suggest. The problems don't make it into history Thanks. Take care.
Calm Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 Do senior missionaries get transferred? I am under the impression they don’t, but it has been ages since I talked to anyone about it. I just remember certain couples’ descriptions and it seemed like what they did was all from one location. Plus many of the needs seem to require no transfers. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/ldsorg/callings/missionary/senior-missionary/webSMOB_20130125 (1).pdf?lang=eng
Hamba Tuhan Posted December 29, 2021 Posted December 29, 2021 1 hour ago, Calm said: Do senior missionaries get transferred? They often don’t but can. Our last senior couple was from America but allowed to remain during the pandemic. They served most of their mission in a remote branch but got transferred to us when no longer needed there after a new family moved in. 1
Calm Posted December 29, 2021 Posted December 29, 2021 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said: They often don’t but can. Our last senior couple was from America but allowed to remain during the pandemic. They served most of their mission in a remote branch but got transferred to us when no longer needed there after a new family moved in. I figure there are some cases where it happens such as if they are serving as a branch president and RS president for a small branch and it is dissolved or absorbed into another or someone in the area can serve (which I am assuming is the case you are describing and is one mission calling I know of several couples have served at least part of their mission), but one assumes it is automatic for the vast majority of full time regular missionaries (under the age of 26 or whatever it is). Edited December 29, 2021 by Calm
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