I received a newsletter email from our local mission and a few things jumped out to me:

1) Target number of baptisms for the year was nearly 800. So far they baptised just 20 people in January 2013.

2) The newsletter outlined all the various wards in the mission and the annual missionary baptism goals that were set for last year versus what was achieved. There was such an obvious disconnect between the frankly laughably high goals set and what was achieved. My home ward was apparently one of only two in the mission that apparently met its goal - 15 baptisms. I only recall about half of these, all immigrants, no jobs and no transport and only 1 or 2 still show up regularly.

3) What is it with this TBM love affair for 'Preach my Gospel'? Back in the early days of the church you had barking mad people like Orson Pratt writing about spirit vegetables and other metaphysical curiosities.... Now it's just a diet of boring correlated primary level fluff. But the TBMs love this book like nothing else. Even as a TBM I never got it.

And now to the purpose of my post -

4) There was a section at the end of the newsletter where they have missionaries write in with a miraculous faith promoting story. I've heard a few good ones in my time and even personally witnessed one or two 25 years ago that are still quite tough to explain.

So I scrolled down the email in anticipation of a story that would appear fantastical and might even be tough to debunk. The opening preamble even referred to the following account in gushing terms and used the words 'miracle', 'amazing', 'Lord's mercy' etc.....

Wow, no need to worry at all. The scenario was a member referral (possibly boyfriend) of a female young adult member. It detailed how he was so enamoured with her example and got on well with other YSAs he met at activities, so eventually he decided to get baptised.

I waited for some sort of miraculous punch line but that was it. A typical flirt to convert scenario. Hardly awe inspiring, but in this mission, that was the most miraculous encounter that they chose to relate and distribute across the entire mission and to all the stakes/members therein.

It seems the bar has really lowered in terms of what now counts as miraculous.

Just curious, Sherlock. Are you in the UK or in another mission area? Asking only because it doesn't sound like the US.

As to your point, yes, it does seem the bar for numbers and the bar for miracles has been dramatically lowered.

Yeah UK. I think it must be very difficult trying to peddle religion door to door right now.

Truly

Hahaha! It's hardly a story, let alone an "amazing" or "miraculous" one. I wonder what the TBMs in your ward made of it - anyone inspired to top it in 2013?

My favourite conversion story came from a dear elderly brother in our last ward: As a boy, he had used the pages of the BoM as toilet paper but luckily he started to read the pages and feel the spirit before they were all used up... I've often wondered if that actually happened to him or whether he read it in the Ensign some time. His mother fled with him and his siblings from a third-world country into the west in the aftermath of a war so it might actually have been him (if he's still alive, he must be in his nineties by now). Still, at least it's a good story. :D

It would be interesting to ask your local missionaries "which ward did this baptism take place and who was it?"

I think it would be miserable being a mission president. I know they get everything paid for, but imagine being in charge of selling a faulty product, and the only people who want to buy it are desperate or mentally ill. It must make them long for their orthodontics practice back in Utah.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2013 09:24AM by ladell.

Sherlock, which mission in the UK?

In the Birmingham mission, the mission goal was "Every Companionship Baptize Every Transfer" and that was beat into our brains every interview, every transfer day, every zone conference, every district meeting. That would mean a mission goal of ~600 baptisms/year. I can't remember how close we got, but I do know that it got up pretty high.