I have always wondered about the boys whose parents were converts or if the father of the boy never went on a mission - are they given crappier assignments? Does it depend on what connections to other Mormon bigwigs they may have? Always curious about that.

My mom is a convert and my dad is a nevermo and I lived in CA when I put in my papers. We have no Mormon connections in SLC whatsoever. But I got an awesome mission call to Spain. I think it's because my dad was rich. DH, who has pioneer ancestors and grew up in Salt Lake, in a relatively low income family ended up in the south, back in the 80s when the south was not considered a plum area for the best missionaries.

So I think that certain people with connections get the best assignments, and the rest of the good assignments go to missionaries who come from families with more money. Most of the missionaries I served with in Spain either came from wealthy families or had "Mormon names". I could be wrong but I think it's a combo of money and connections, with some exceptions.

I served with Boyd KKK Packer's grandson in Detroit. I wouldn't consider that a plum assignment.

That one is surprising. And did he wish he had been assigned somewhere else? Or did he just accept it as "God's will?"

I served with another one of kkk's grandkids in Armenia. Nice kid, I really liked him. Kinda a robot, but a good heart. He resented his Mormon royalty status.

DH's parents were a Jack-Mo and a Nevermo.

DH, despite faithful church attendance and being an Eagle Scout, got sent to Parasite City in Central America.

He ended up with a gut-full of parasites that made him dreadfully ill, and if MIL hadn't threatened to rip to MP a new one if her son didn't get proper medical care, he might have died there.

The only medical treatment he had received, until that point, is some herbal tea made by a local witch doctor. He had to be hospitalized in the capitol city on IV's of very toxic drugs to take out all the parasites. He was very weak for months afterward.

That is just awful and not the first story I heard like that. So sorry he had to endure that.

I was just a standard legacy member. Decended from the Knights in Palmyra, no money, no power and a never-mo dad. I went to Houston southMission, served in Galveston, out on the country, in the suburbs and in the city. I loved most of my areas but wouldnt considder it a super good or crappy assignment. It was only one state over from where I lived (NM). I always figured assignments were pretty random. But some of the stories on here give me pause. on the matter.

I've heard a few stories plus there was a recent CES fireside from a Seventy talking about the process.

I was also a stake clerk who typed up the mission papers to be submitted to SLC while I was at BYU, so I saw hundreds of mission applications and being in the freshman dorms saw the resulting calls for many of them.

It does seem fairly random as it goes by the feeling of the apostle and the GA who are on rotation that day for doing the mission calls. There is some input from the mission app on the language and family heritage of the missionary. The recommendation from the Bishop and Stake Presidency isn't much beyond so and so is a good boy with a strong testimony who is an eagle scout and likes basketball. Some do make strong mention of language ability such as my application that noted my extensive French experience from being in an immersion program, so no surprise that I went to France.

From there in the SLC office the GA and apostle have a quota to fill for the week as each mission needs a fresh batch of missionaries every 6 weeks. So they look at the photo of the would be missionary projected on a big screen and reading over the application and making allowances for things that would keep the missionary state-side such as health concerns go with their gut feelings on where the missionary should go.

There are a few rules of thumb that I've come up with:
Outside of North America you typically serve in or next to your native country.
Visitor Center missions and temple square typically had the best looking sister missionaries.
Thicker letters do mean foreign assignments

Also of note your stake president can challenge your missionary assignment and MTC date and it has happened. Also the stake president is informed of your call before you are. I had a prying and controlling mother and she found out my call before I even received the letter. She also later got them to change my MTC date.

Also of note, living in Canada I've noted a lot of changed mission calls due to restriction on visas.
There's been many tears shed that they couldn't go to their assigned mission and instead had to remain in a mission in Canada (some don't even get to go to the MTC anymore), but it is all part of the Lord's plan.

My family was really good income, 3rd gen mormons.
I, eldest, stayed in Australia.
Brother went to Philippines.
Brother went to Canada.
I am now exmo, other two brothers married in temple and TBMs.

I can't wait for the day countries ban missionaries from gaining VISAs. Although.. isn't that in mormon prophecy somewhere?

Well right now the prevailing belief is that before the 2nd coming the gospel must penetrate every country. So there was much back slapping when the iron curtain fell and there are many rallies to be prepared when the bamboo curtain of China falls and millions of Chinese join and clog the temples with their ancestors that they have kept record of for thousands of years.

And that's a prophecy of Joseph Smith and of Spencer W Kimball that in some missions the missionaries are forced to recite every morning.

the Standard of Truth, the mission statement for missionaries:
“Our missionaries are going forth to different nations . . . the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” (History of the Church 4:540)

Gawd I had to listen to that shit every district and zone conference in english and spanish and in english, spanish, mandarin and vietnamise inevery mission conference.

True Story: One my brothers wrote on his mission papers if he was not sent to xxx country (don't want to give too much info about myself) he would not go on a mission. I was surprised my mother didn't have a heart attck, but my brother said that the only way he would even send in the papers was if it had that in it and also that he really meant he would not go on a mission if he wasn't sent to this country. Well when he got his call, sure enough he was sent to the country of his choice so he went on a mission. My parents believe my brother was feeling the spirit of where the Lord need him.

Hey, everyone should do that.....now wouldn't that put the bigwigs in a bind? Glad it worked out for your brother. At least he knew it was a place he could tolerate.

Mine was an example of eldermalin's post.

Divorced parents.
Nevermo Dad from apostate legacy grandparents.
Jack Mo but active Mom from stock legacy.
Only mishie in family.
Typical utah family with no money or power.

Now this is where the fun begins. I guess they saw something and figured I would do good with a language and got Spain. Then I injured myself in the MTC which required surgery. I opted to go home and start over. After a few months and limited contact I get a phone call randomly from SP saying my visa expired I was going to the south in a week and a half, directly. Not enough time to weigh the choice just bow your head and say yes kind of deal. No MTC for me. I didn't even get to keep the Spanish assignment.

"Inspired" for sure.

Getting to the mission was another thing. MP was a corporate big wig, only cared about numbers. He handpicked his leadership within their first few transfers hedged in the wild ones and left the remaining peons to generate numbers. I was a peon and never got a good area. Dead areas with companions that I wanted to kill. Sure made for a great experience all while dealing with anxiety issues that developed because of all the crap.

Thankfully it has a happy ending. Got a new MP who never served his own mission, never had a high up church calling. Thank xenu he actually cared about the missionaries and helped me to get professional counseling for my anxiety.

I dont know that it makes a difference - except, maybe, if your parents are mormon royalty.
In the UK, I knew a lot of converts.
I knew a couple of convert missionaries who were given 'nice' mission assignments to the USA... one even to SLC

OTOH, I also knew some BIC's - son's of SP and bishop - who ended up at what I would call 'craphole' missions - Manchester and Glasgow for example

I got called to France for 2 simple reasons:

1) They had just split the Paris mission into the the Bordeaux Mission (which has since been recombined). They needed lots of missionaries to fill the gap.
2) I had taken 4 years of French in HS and was taking French 301-Intro to French Lit at BYU.

I knew I would get called to a foreign speaking mission based on 5 years of French, but was praying to avoid Latin America. I knew several guys back home who came back with exotic tropical diseases that haunted them for years. I was very excited to get called to France, and even though I hated the mission, I completely fell in love with France. I came back and got a minor in French and took several French history courses as part of my history major.

axeldc Wrote:
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> I got called to France for 2 simple reasons:
[cut]
> 2) I had taken 4 years of French in HS and was
> taking French 301-Intro to French Lit at BYU.

OTOH, I knew a fluent Italian speaker (He has an Italian father) who was 'called' to Greece

I also knew a guy who had taken Spanish courses to quite an advanced level (passed A Level with an A*) who was 'called' to Belgium.

so, either -
1) language skills make no difference
or
2) The people who decide this stuff did not know that they speak Greek in Greece, Italian in Italy, Spanish in Spain and French or Dutch in Belgium

If they didn't have a need for missionaries in those areas, having advanced language skills shows an aptitude to learn languages.

Greek isn't that far off from Italian, and Spanish is very close to French. Even still, if you had two missionaries, one who never took a language and one who took 5 years of Spanish, which one would you send to Japan?

I am a bit surprised that they didn't send the one guy to Latin America with his Spanish. That's why I never took Spanish.