I am not even kidding with this. I asked my (future) bro-in-law if he had heard back after putting his mission papers in, and he confirmed that everything had been delayed as he had 'slight' stubble in the photo he submitted. They called him from salt lake and made him get another picture taken and he had to send it over to them again. He only has very thin stubble whenever he has any at all. Do you think it would affect the 'revelation' of where to send him? Or do you think they will now mark him down as a trouble-maker and send him to the suckiest mission possible? To me it seems like they just want him to be another cloned morgbot to lie for the lord!

Well they do ask you to include a photo of yourself as if you were already a missionary.

This gets scanned and then passed along the missionary committee and eventually ends up with his mission president who reviews the photo and the application when considering missionary companionships/leadership.

Frankly, I'm surprised this wasn't caught at the local level.

Oh well, maybe this might be a push for him to save 2 years of indentured servitude from his life. If he still wants to do good, then take the money he'd spend for an LDS mission along with the suits, etc and go on a charity mission. Plenty of organizations could use a good young men to help them build homes, hospitals, teach English, etc.

My photo didn't have conforming hair, and they sent most of us off to get haircuts the first day.

some facial hair doesn't make you appear as a hitman or something. It may have looked very nice. They need to quit being so strict w/the dress code. Casual down just as the rest of USA is doing w/dress codes.

Sheesh!

what WON'T THEY Control???


answer: Nothing; Everything is 'Within their Power'...

Because of my beard? It's best to know now.

Depends on whether you are a man or a woman. ;-)

I don't understand why the dress code for the missionaries hasn't relaxed a little. Everywhere you go nowadays people dress more casual. Executives w/companies get to dress down. I know over the 17 yrs i was in mgmt. it became more casual. Why the dress shirts/pants and ties whenever here the heat index can climb to 112 degrees sometimes. Doesn't make sense.

Because the ossified GAs have shit for brains.

Going to the other extreme, I remember tracting in -40c in Canada, and not wearing any form of a hat, so that I could 'look professional'! I also used to only wear very thin dollar store gloves so that it would be easier for people to hear when I was knocking on their door! Looking back now it's no wonder every part of my face used to freeze! I feel like a right fool for willingly doing that, but I used to think it would bring me more blessings the more adversity I could overcome! ha! lol

yes, that is the extreme opposite. I just don't understand why they can't dress down. You know if they were told to only wear this, or only that being so obedient, they would do just as they were told.

It all stems from the notion brain-washed into you from a very early age that the 'leadership' of the church is everything and to be respected above everything and everyone else. My MP was like a God in my eyes, and I would never have dared dis-obey him.
I actually remember one time when i badly sprained my ankle on p-day playing soccer, and my first thought was to get to the hospital as i thought it was broken. I ended up on crutches, and forgot to tell the MP about it, so when he came for interviews a few days later and saw what had happened, he was seriously pissed that I hadn't told him first before doing anything else! I felt so bad about that for ages! As if!

The LDS church doesn't have to be so very strict. They should appreciate someone "giving" 2 yrs. of their young adult life as well as their own money. They definitely should be grateful, along w/mp's, etc

My former seminary teacher told me my mission photo would be rejected because it was too sexy. The red silk dress was modest enough but combined with the look on my face, I guess it came across as too sexy. What was really ironic though is that the photographer told me to think happy thoughts and I was actually thinking about my seminary teacher's med student son, who had told me the day of the picture he was hoping to date me when I got back from my mission. When she said that, I thought she would probably die if she knew WHY I had that look on my face.

I guess the boys in Salt Lake disagreed with her though because that photo went through fine. And med student son got married while I was on my mission, of course.

...Two and a half years ago she was walking our son through the paper submission process. She had a photo of him she absolutely loved. He was in a tux and looked really sharp.

Of course the application was rejected because he was wearing a bow tie with his tux and that isn't mission attire! They weren't nice about the rejection either. It was basically "Hey idiot, you suck! Do it over and do it right this time! If my wife was pissed she didn't show it. She just meekly submitted another photo.

My son on the other hand, he has experienced the control and now he's chaffing a bit. He starts classes at YBU this week and I hope they push him just hard enough that he'll transfer to UVU.


Stunted

I am more surprised that it was even looked at. I assumed they had so many applications go through, that a computer assigned missions based on needs. I guess I was wrong, they do actually look the files.

Never could understand the Morg dress code . . . seeing as how Jesus was dark haired, dark eyed and mocha skinned with a beard and, of course, never in his lifetime wore a white dress shirt . . .

The white shirts, ties, badges and clean-cut appearance are all a part of the missionary uniform. It's less about portraying purity and professionalism and more about BRANDING. The public knows they're Mormon without having to speak to them, and thus the church remains in the minds of the public. In other words, LDS missionaries are walking, talking billboards.

I know that some male BYU students are permitted to wear beards for medical reasons. I wonder if COJCOLDS would make the same exception to the rule for missionaries who suffer from such conditions.