You who were rebels on your mission:

[ute4ever]

My MP frustrated me because I lost faith in the concept of our file leaders carrying the spirit of discernment. I saw how easy it was for the missionaries to lie to him, and either he believed them, or he just didn't care, because they were getting away with just about anything you can imagine, by virtue of simple dishonesty.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Did you use informal or formal you with your companion in Italy?

How about France or Spain?

When I visited the missionaries in France, my memory tells me they were offended when I spoke using tu, instead of vous.

We used the informal "tu" with companions, all males close to our age and all young children. With everyone else, we used the formal "lei". There were a few times I used tu when speaking with my MP just because I knew it irritated the other AP to no end. My MP would just give me a "you know better than that" look, but then he'd use tu as well.

[SteelBlue]

Originally Posted by Archaea

According to the rebels here, I was a total nerd, complying with rules.

I don't remember anybody making that claim.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

I don't remember anybody making that claim.

Okay, I feel like a nerd because I don't have any rebellious activity to report.

I was lucky to be ordinary, and was happy I was permitted to serve. I didn't believe it was my duty to critique somebody else who might not be obeying the rules, as I was focused upon the work.

Now when I read all the wild counter-culture efforts, I wonder what it was like to be a rebel.

For example, we had a pinhead week, where worked 100 hours in one week, hoping for success. During that week, nobody would let us even in the door. I believe we spoke to over one thousand persons without teaching a single lesson to anybody. However, at the end of the week, a boy from a part member family asked his father again if he could be baptized and we believed, it was at least in small part an answer to our prayers.

I actually experienced conversions in Germany during my time. One elder from our MTC group, Elder Morrell, never got to enjoy witnessing one conversion. I remember several months where our entire mission experienced only six conversions per month. The average baptismal experience during my time was about 1.2 per companionship. Fortunately I saw a bit more than that.

I imagine I was average, but my day started at 4:00 for language and scripture study, departing by about 7 and returning by 10:00 PM. I suppose if I'd been more artistic and imaginative, I'd have better stories. My first law partner pointed out that sometimes I should stop being so passive aggressive and speak up. He told me, he had no doubt, if he asked me to run through a wall, I'd knock myself out until I did it or until I found the dynamite.

Now I read creekster and padrino and all you APs and ZLs to read you guys focused a lot on fun. Hmmm. I was trying to run through the wall.

[SeattleUte]

Originally Posted by Faith

My first MP was super cool former FBI guy who cleaned up the mission. He was very by-the-book and I was afraid that I would clash with him, but we got along beautifully.

I had many problems with my second MP. He belileved in "following the Spirit", and I thought that I would adore him (because I am very much like that), but instead ended up with some pretty scarring experiences.

He told my companion that she wasn't spiritual because she didn't cry when bearing her testimony.

He also would often go into long discourses about how blessed women were to have their periods to remind them of Christ's sacrifice.

He also made my personal information about having been arrested as an act of civil disobedience ( I had to list it on my mission papers) available to the boy missionaries who worked in the office. That info. about me spread like wildfire in my mission.

Probably one of the worst experiences was when I had been sick for at least 3 months with a fever and he told me that I was sick because I needed to repent of something. Let me tell you, I was in constant prayer to find out what he knew about me that I didn't know about me.

I don't detest him anymore. I learned a valuable lesson about the humanity and imperfection of even "the Lord's Annointed". I even ended up inviting him to my Wedding.

Terrific post. LOL!

[creekster]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Okay, I feel like a nerd because I don't have any rebellious activity to report.

I was lucky to be ordinary, and was happy I was permitted to serve. I didn't believe it was my duty to critique somebody else who might not be obeying the rules, as I was focused upon the work.

Now when I read all the wild counter-culture efforts, I wonder what it was like to be a rebel.

I don't really think there is much point in wondering about that. I look back and sometimes think I wish I woudl not have been a 'rebel' but I was and there is nothing I can do about it now. It was a good experience and it changed me a lot and it gave and continues to give me the wisodm of experience, both good and bad. I beleive now that in general one is always better off by being obedient. But at 19 I was a diffrernt person. I'm not trying to crow about any of that, just respodnign to the inquiry in this thread (and maybe I shouldn't have, eh?).

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by Faith

I don't detest him anymore. I learned a valuable lesson about the humanity and imperfection of even "the Lord's Annointed". I even ended up inviting him to my Wedding.

I can relate.

My MP was a CES employee from Idaho that had apparently been mistreated by Elders from Utah when he was missionary. He must have promised himself then to rain down hell on missionaries from Utah if ever given the chance. I also believe he was bucking for promotion to GA and saw his MP service as the best chance to reach his goal; hence he wanted to show results.

Coming into my mission I was a straight-laced Mormon boy: pioneer stock, eldest son, president of all my Priesthood Quorums, Duty to God recipient, ever obedient to the WoW and LoC, the whole shebang. I was fairly shy, pretty insecure about life and my capabilities, and not very expressive. I suspect my MP interpreted this seemly aloofness as arrogance. It didn’t help that I was blonde, blue-eyed, and from Utah.

I wasn’t a week in Japan when I was asked to give the spiritual thought at a morning mission office meeting. The MP’s immediate response to my contribution was to reprimand me in front of the group for using “guys” in referring to my fellow missionaries. Such became the pattern of our interaction; his public digs at “blonde haired, blue-eyed Elders from Utah” in zone conferences, his immediate castigation of us for focusing too much on sports after I’d been discussing MLB with other missionaries, my laboring as a junior and senior as my fellow LTM mates made DL and ZL. All this culminated in his telling me to “tell Joe Cool to go to hell” in front of my companion and the mission office staff one day.

The odd thing is, I wasn’t much of a rebel, though I felt pushed into the part. I worked my butt off, I obeyed the mission rules, we led the mission in cottage meetings and BoMs placed, I responded when asked to challenge investigators during the “push for numbers” at the end of every month, I even remember tracting Christmas night rather than going to the church Christmas party because we didn’t have investigators attending (mission rule). Early on, I fully bought into his “inspired” MLM approach to missionary work that would have had us baptizing half of Asia by the 10th month. I think the only things that kept me grounded were a few companions and good housemates, as well as the occasional visit from a GA that would bring some reality to the whole experience (then-Elder Howard Hunter stands out in particular).

I suppose I went into full rebel mode the last six months of my mission when I decided to ignore the Mission Home. I submitted false numbers, not by intent, but because I quit keeping track. We had a lot of investigators, taught a lot of meetings, and baptized a lot of people. Aside from baptisms, the numbers didn’t seem to matter, so I guessed in order to fill out the form. I still obeyed the rules, seeing that as an important aspect of our success. I worked my companions to the bone because I wasn’t going to go home regretting anything (I do regret not going to that Christmas party). It was a wonderful time in my life. I just didn’t pay much attention to anything coming out of the Mission Home, except of course, when they made arrangements for me to go home when my two years were up.

Not being as forgiving as Faith, I still don’t hold much affection for my MP, although he did give me excellent advice in my exit interview when he told me to marry a girl more spiritual than me (who’d of thought she’d be Catholic when I met her?). I give him that, and whenever we discuss the matter, Mrs. myboynoah reminds that we are commanded to forgive.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my mission and see it as providing a great foundation for my life. It also gave me valuable perspective and experiences that I plan to pass onto my children should they decide to serve.

[tooblue]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Okay, I feel like a nerd because I don't have any rebellious activity to report.

I was lucky to be ordinary, and was happy I was permitted to serve. I didn't believe it was my duty to critique somebody else who might not be obeying the rules, as I was focused upon the work.

Now when I read all the wild counter-culture efforts, I wonder what it was like to be a rebel.

For example, we had a pinhead week, where worked 100 hours in one week, hoping for success. During that week, nobody would let us even in the door. I believe we spoke to over one thousand persons without teaching a single lesson to anybody. However, at the end of the week, a boy from a part member family asked his father again if he could be baptized and we believed, it was at least in small part an answer to our prayers.

I actually experienced conversions in Germany during my time. One elder from our MTC group, Elder Morrell, never got to enjoy witnessing one conversion. I remember several months where our entire mission experienced only six conversions per month. The average baptismal experience during my time was about 1.2 per companionship. Fortunately I saw a bit more than that.

I imagine I was average, but my day started at 4:00 for language and scripture study, departing by about 7 and returning by 10:00 PM. I suppose if I'd been more artistic and imaginative, I'd have better stories. My first law partner pointed out that sometimes I should stop being so passive aggressive and speak up. He told me, he had no doubt, if he asked me to run through a wall, I'd knock myself out until I did it or until I found the dynamite.

Now I read creekster and padrino and all you APs and ZLs to read you guys focused a lot on fun. Hmmm. I was trying to run through the wall.

You're not a nerd ... I suppose you could say we were one and the same while missionaries. I never got in anybody's face because they broke rules, I simply made it clear that I did not have time for it, and that was not why I was there.

I got a long well with the many rebel comps I had, I just simply didn't put up with any crap -though I did make one of my comps cry.

As far as fun is concerned I had an absolute blast on my mission -I was in France for heavens sake, what more could I ask for!

[Hazzard]

Originally Posted by Robin

IMO there should be NO 'happy endings' with missionary presidents.

That gave me a good laugh. Thanks, Robin.

P.S. Why are you back on here? I thought you left for good.

P.P.S. Please don't misunderstand my P.S. You have never offended me.

[Robin]

Originally Posted by Hazzard

That gave me a good laugh. Thanks, Robin.

P.S. Why are you back on here? I thought you left for good.

P.P.S. Please don't misunderstand my P.S. You have never offended me.

Life is too short to burn bridges. I repented.