I have posted a few letters from a missionary who is having a difficult time. Confronting doubts, lack of investigators, few baptisms, etc

I have seen a few other similar letters posted as well.

So, is our bias showing?

Are there missionaries out there who are having great success? Eager investigators, numerous baptisms, etc.

Are those letters and blogs out there, but just being ignored by the good folks of RfM?\

I'm not talking about one good month, but a succession of good months? You know, really helping the church roll forth...

Anybody seeing this in any communication from any missionary anywhere?

Maybe in prehistoric (before the internet) - mid-1800s - times but not today.

Only in the advertisements!

Actually, yes, unfortunately. I have one friend who is a missionary in Utah, and she says that they are baptizing weekly. Also, she hardly sees her companion because she splits with members all day, so they can go to all the lessons.

To be honest, I'm really not into the idea of suggesting that the church is bad/not true because it isn't growing. That has nothing to do with it. There are gullible, vulnerable people out there (probably more so now than in the past), and I was one of them until recently. People will continue to join the church, in not small numbers, especially in third-world countries. That doesn't make it more true, but implying that the church is false/dangerous *because* it is shrinking is no different from suggesting that it is true/amazing *because* it is growing.

I'm not saying I've noticed that tendency in this specific thread, but I've heard it often, and in my humble opinion, it's a fallacy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2016 12:26AM by friendlyeconomist.

Having success in Utah?

Where? Isn't Utah about fully saturated?

I am curious about this.

Most of the Utah activity is trying to get part member families children baptized. There is also a big push to get Mexicans living in Utah baptized, they are less likely to have good access to internet.

It's not a pretty picture, I've notice very few converts in the blogs. Most of the converts are immigrants from middle east and africa trying to fit in, or get a passage to US through US church.

Words we older RMs never had to deal with:

"I was looking on the internet, and..."

By Utah State, Utah Logan Mission. I think she was actually serving on campus last time I checked, so no 9-year-olds there I assume.

Go to PrepareToServe(dot)com and click on the 'missions' link, and then scroll down the list of missions and pick just about any African mission.

Some of those elders are having great times, especially the ones doing a lot of service.

The thing about the mishies who link their blogs to this site, they are for the most part, 'goodie-two-shoes' types, and they are having success, which is why they write nice blogs.

But the percentage of mishies who write the kind of inspirational blogs that their loved ones want to present to the world is very small, in my estimation. I sure never wrote home about tender mercies, mini-miracles and full blown miracles... I wrote home about what a bitch tracting for 10 hours was, but there was also mention of seeing movies and going on outings and seeing tourist things.

I want to believe that 60%, at least, of today's missionaries are just time servers.

Missionary success in Utah is also propelled by Mo fiancées getting their significant others into the church as a condition for temple marriage. I know several converts who joined just so they could get married to a MO in the temple.

On the flip side Utah Catholics have their RCIC classes filled with inactive MOs learning to become Catholics so they can have a Catholic Church wedding (one of the 7 sacraments).

My stateside missionary son has been out for more than a year and just experienced a convert baptism (he didn't get to do the dunking, that went to another set of missionaries.) the Boner.