I went to Arizona on my mission. I had about 24 baptisms, but most of them were children from inactive families, etc. I spent a lot of time eating with Church members, and since I don't talk much, I let my companions do most of the talking. I don't remember convincing any investigator that the Church is true. The most remarkable baptism I remember was a man who joined because he thought the Church "promotes excellence". I didn't convert him; he converted through his association with other Mormons. He was very intelligent, and the father of intelligent children, one of whom was also baptized.

The only other adult I remember who converted was somebody I didn't have much rapport with. He claimed that my companion did most of the converting, and I don't know exactly what it was that convinced him to join the Church.

I didn't really have any deep religious discussions with my companions, either.

Did many other people have missions where they really felt they converted people?

Mostly we talked people out of getting us to leave them alone until they finally figured out that letting us baptize them was one easy way to get us out of their lives.

You know what they say, don't you? Only the spirit converts people! :-)

I convinced a lot of people that their roofs wouldn't leak so much if they used decent materials. As far as converting anyone, hell, no.

There were a handful of actual "converted" from my mission in Italy and Switzerland in 1969-1971.

My comp and I found and taught a family in Lugano, Switzerland, that 30 years later was still going to church. The father died of cancer and I don't know what happened after that.

Baptised a young lady who was the older sister of an active teenage girl in Sardinia. The teenage girl is now over 60 and still mega-TBM. The sister we baptised is still, at 65+, on again/off again active. She told me recently she still believes. Both have moved to the states and become professional women. (Interesting to note, too, that both these women have aged extremely well.)

I guess I got "lucky" at tapping out some real believers. All the other "baptisees" are long since dead.

Looking at missionary blogs most claim that their greatest convert was themselves.
I have read that this is one of the aims of the mission many a time. Do the RMs believe it or is it just something they feel obliged to say as part of "playing the game"

I was much more affective in unintentionally promoting the church as a wacky cult.

Nope.
I had 4 baptisms (a HUGE number in catholic/irreligious France).
Not a one of them are still active, two have officially resigned.

I'm so proud of them :)

no

Yeah. I converted an insurance salesman in california who LOVED the idea of priesthood and having dominion over his wife and kids. He took it very seriously.

He was one of these dudes who could find out it's all false and still stay because he wants to be a bishop someday.

The rest of them.. i'd be surprised if they still attended.

I converted several people to the church. However, they are hopefully all in-active.

A few years back I got feeling guilty and called up my best convert to tell her it was all bogus. Her response: "I know that, I was just trying to be nice to you."

Very heartwarming and we are still great friends. :)

To my horror, after 38 years, one man I baptized is on "I AM A Mormon".

I was hoping that the only permanent damage from those two years was to myself.

Yeah, out of the 30 or so baptisms I presided over on my mission, I wouldn't call hardly any of them true converts. Most of them got baptized because they were kids or had a significant other who was Mormon, liked us missionaries, etc.

Few of them really understood what they were getting into and/or understood the doctrine or history of Mormonism.

I prefer to italicize the word "converts" when I speak of people who get baptized into the LDS church. Because they aren't REALLY converts. The might get dunked and put on the membership records but they aren't converts in the true sense of the word. They might become converted later, but that's because they become brainwashed.

I baptised over 100. I keep in contact with none of them, I imagine many of them are still active.

New Zealand. 1991. Not even a 6th discussion never mind a commitment to baptism.

Not even close.

No one was interested even then

I'm top of my field in my country in sales (mutual funds). Can't say I can't sell. I think it was a dud product really


But they always made us think it was out fault. Disobedient, lack of effort, etc

Impossible to say. I have lost contact with all of them. Colombia 1992-1994. I had about 30-35 baptisms during that time. Most were teenagers or non-members living in part-member families.

Of all of them, there is really only one that stands out. She read the entire Book of Mormon in one night and was baptized in two weeks from the time we tracted her out. I don't know what became of her. I have asked about her but never heard anything.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out that none of them stuck around. I hope not.