My inlaws have decided to serve a mission... didn't waste any time and they are leaving for another country about two months after my FIL retired. I was surprised that my MIL talked about potentially going on additional missions down the road. I'm not sure how they could afford it through. My MIL is the kind that gets stars in her eyes when she thinks about missionary service. She's never been on a proselytizing mission and experienced what it's like to get doors slammed in your face hour after hour, month after month. They are going on a temple mission so they will be in their own comfort zone.

My heart sunk a little. Her grandkids are all very young right now. Its not going to be a big deal in the long run for them to be gone on a single mission. But if they go on multiple missions you just can't get that time back.

Curious to hear others experiences with parents or inlaws that have served missions multiple times? Are anyones children close with their grandparents despite this?

I haven't had the experience, but that is the reason missions bother me. How can they be so family oriented when they go away for all that time, not to mentione the money it costs? I cherish the years I had with my grandparents. I am so glad they never went on a mission.

My parents are on a mission right now, and my young daughters miss my Dad a lot. They loved being able to hang on him and be with him. At first it was really hard on them, and every time we Facetime with my parents, my youngest has to control the conversation and talk with Grandpa. Now its not as hard on them, but I know it could be worse, if they weren't coming home in a few weeks. I think that the Mission did do irreparable damage to extremely close relationship my Dad had with my daughters. We will see in the months to come what happens.

Is father in law a mission president? They get paid to go, not the other way around. At least that is my understanding.

No they are definately paying their way. Frankly I'm not sure how they can afford it- the church basically "encouraged" him to retire early and they have spent their life living on little. They must have some savings stashed somewhere. It just makes me feel bad through. They've needed to do some repairs on their house for years but it never happens because their extra income has always gone towards tithing and saving for a mission(s).

My parents went on 8 (thats my count it could be off but not by much)

They know the grandkids that lived next door to them. Other than that, I don't think they know the rest of them. My own children wouldn't know who they were if they were in the same room.

I think it's best that they did that. They don't want to know their family. They've spent their entire lives kissing butt at church.

Now they're in their 80's and the church doesn't want them anymore. There's no money left. My brother and his new bride live with them, and they live in the basement of their own house. They have bad knees and hips so they installed a lift that they hate.

Other than that, I don't know anything about them. i'm fine with that. I feel zero connection or responsibility for them. They put their time, energy, money, and love into the church. The church can take care of them. If the church doesn't take care of them, I don't know what to tell them, other than don't knock on my door.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2013 07:34PM by Mia.

Wowza.... 8! I can't begin to wrap my head around that.

glittertoots Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wowza.... 8! I can't begin to wrap my head around
> that.


There's a male customer at my job
who says that he's been on 12 missions for the morg . I wonder how he afforded so many?

So much time wasted.

My Dad & Mom never indicated to me they ever had an interest in doing that...thankfully...and then they were taken to the cleaners by a Mormon business partner and they couldn't have afforded it...

Ron Burr

just so they could go from one US mission to another!

They seemed like very nice people - they treated the mishies like their own grandkids, and were definitely liked by most of the people in the Stake.

Imagine - at the end of each mission, they simply drove on to the next one. No other life. I thought it was absolutely splendid then (I was a brand-new convert at the time) but now that I see what a terrible toll it takes on their families, it really makes me wonder.

One of my grandmothers spent most of her golden years on missions. My grandfather had been called to serve as a mission president (of his old mission) but was diagnosed with cancer and died before they could go. After his death, Grandmother immediately went on a mission by herself as a temple worker. She then married again, and her second husband was called as a mission president. They served for a few years, then went to his home country for a year before he was called as a temple president in another land. They served until he became terminally ill. After he died, she went on three more missions by herself, all office missions, bringing her total to six missions served and seven calls.

She never responded to any cards or letters from her grandchildren, and was not available for phone calls at any time. She would send a Xeroxed form letter to each of her children once a year; this was the extent of her content with her family. After she was finally too old to go on missions, she expected her family to cater to her every whim and is furious that most of us don't have much to do with her.

That is incredibly sad. Form letters for her children once a year? Just, wow!

stbleaving Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> She never responded to any cards or letters from her grandchildren, and was not available for phone calls at any time. She would send a Xeroxed form letter to each of her children once a year; this was the extent of her content with her family. After she was finally too old to go on missions, she expected her family to cater to her every whim and is furious that most of us don't have much to do with her.

Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm gathering that no one ever told her why they (the children, the grandchildren) "dont have much to do with her?" Or has someone told her why? Just curious, that's all.

Perhaps it's better that the fanatical g-parents aren't around the g-kids that much.