First of all, don't use the plural. There is only "the mission that serves the south of France." Or as I call it, "southern France." Anyway, specifically targeting immigrants, yeah, because that's all they got. That's in. Basta. Immigrants or no baptisms at all. The greater question would be, Why the hell do immigrants join Mormonism, anyway?
I think that immigrants join Mormonism or any other religion because they are hoping for a magic fix to all of their problems. They want a place where they can fit in. They want to be accepted. They want to be seen as members of a local group. They think that Mormonism or whatever will give them a better position in the community. More legitimacy. They will be something better than strange people who don't speak the language well. And their families will have the wonderful safety net that the Mormon church provides for its members.
The fact that it's all an illusion isn't readily apparent to them. They are grasping at straws and the Mormon missionaries are trained to hand those straws out to anyone who is desperate enough to want one. It's a totally cynical ploy on the part of the jerks who train missionaries, but they need to get a certain set of statistics in to corporate headquarters periodically, and they will do anything at all to make the paperwork look good.
Myron Donnerbalken Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > First of all, don't use the plural. There is only > "the mission that serves the south of France."
In my time, it was the Switzerland - Geneva mission that served the South of France. My brother was in that mission (I got sent to France - Paris) and spent most of his time in Cannes, Nice, and Marseilles. Anyway, when he was there, they didn't especially target immigrants -- and were essentially told to NOT teach "African immigrants," even though this was right as the "priesthood ban" was being lifted (he was there 78-80).
And what is it with them using the country first anyway? Normal people say Geneva, Switzerland. Or Paris, France. Sheesh.