Based on my 3 month experience in the Utah Provo Mission, all missionaries should be aspiring to go to a place like Utah or Idaho. Many missionaries would be disappointed to see such a place on their call letter. One of my companions was like "Yeah, I know the MTC's in Provo, but where am I going on my mission?" when he read Utah Provo Mission on his call.

And yet it was an incredible mission. Since we covered multiple STAKES and not just a single wards, we had member dinners almost every day from Tuesday to Sunday, plus we could usually get an investigator or less active dinner on Monday. As if that wasn't enough, certain restaurants gave the missionaries FREE LUNCHES once or twice a week. Some missionaries complained about too many member dinners, but it CERTAINLY beats eating Mac N Cheese, Top Ramen and PB&J(or the foreign equivalent of such) every day.

The bulk of my mission consisted of me getting in the car and my companion driving me to appointments. Especially so in my first area when we covered the majority of Duchesne County, Utah. This definitely beat walking or biking everywhere. While the Utah Provo Mission does have some bike only areas, I'm pretty sure they're smaller than the bike areas of other missions(particularly foreign missions).

The Utah Provo Mission is also one of the highest baptizing missions in the world. Many people(myself before the mission included) think there's no one to teach in Utah. But my call letter specifically stated "It is a misconception that there is no one in the Utah Provo Mission to teach." It went on to say that in 2009 alone, the mission saw something like 2000 or 3000 convert baptisms. I saw 7 baptisms in my 3 months out. Compare that to a European mission where you'd be considered LUCKY to see 7 in 2 YEARS.

For all that baptizing, we hardly ever tracted. Most of the people we taught started out as member referrals or Church HQ referrals. My trainer assured me that him and the guy before me tracted a lot to build the area, but the Utah Provo Mission still stands in stark contrast to most missions, where you tract 10+ hours a day and most doors are slammed at you.

Perhaps I have a skewed view of things since I didn't grow up in Utah like many missionaries. But I think due to what I wrote above, any prospective missionary should be BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS in excitement over a Utah/Idaho mission call.

I didn't want to go at all but social pressure forced me. so once I decided to go I was hoping for something exotic.

I thought the new trend was for US mishies to serve in the US?

At least that's what a recent RM coworker who spent the best years of his life tracting in the new immigrant areas in a Midwest city told me.

I'm guessing that if that's true, it only means that more US missionaries serve stateside, since I still see people go foreign. And quite a few stateside missions would be considered far away from Utah. Maryland(where I grew up) is a 3 day drive from Orem Utah(where I am now). I cited high amounts of free food, lots of car areas, high baptisms, and not very much tracting as 4 perks of the Utah Provo Mission. While I'm sure quite a few missions have 1, 2, or even maybe 3 of those, you'll probably be hard pressed to find very many missions that have all 4 together.

My brother, Brother-in-law, and I all served stateside, 7 years apart from each other. Only my brother in law is still active.

Personally I wanted to go overseas just to get away from everything.

I'd never gone outside the southwestern US, and I was tired of putting up with family problems and crappy friends.

I actually got to go where I wanted to go the most, Japan. I'm just glad that my 2 years as a missionary wasn't a complete waste, at least I learned a language that I still speak fluently in.

I wanted to go overseas because I love to travel and had spent a summer backpacking around Europe, another summer living in London and another summer living in Mexico. I didn't really think of it in terms of how hard the mission would be - I just hoped to go back to Europe because I wanted to go somewhere I loved.

That being said, my second choice was Salt Lake City, Temple Square. For all the reasons mentioned above.

Ah, the mission that only spans a few city blocks, yet it's at the very center of the Church. Too bad it's Sisters only.

Had I gone state side I think I would feel very regretful of my entire mission.

I don't want to diminish the experience of people who went in the states, but I think my only growth from the mission came from my living outside of the US and in a 3rd world country.