I haven't been on this board for awhile, so I had to get a new screen name, but my previous handle was "nevermoinca".
Anyway, a brief background - I'm not Mormon, but my partner is - his entire family is active TBM and he's the only one who has become "inactive". I found this site when I had questions that he wouldn't answer - he's really angry at TSCC and I have about a five-minute window to ask questions before he cuts me off.
In light of that, my current question is what the costs of going on a mission are. We were talking with some friends last night, and I thought I remembered that in addition to handing over thousands of dollars, the missionaries also had to buy their bikes, backpacks, etc., from TSCC. That led me to wonder what the total cost is of going on a mission - not to mention the physical and emotional toll I know it takes on many.
Thanks in advance, and thanks for all the information you provide!
current cost to Mish around $400 - $420. I'm going on what one family and one Mish that worked and saved just enough to pay his way. Maybe it's different from country to country? I'm in Texas...
You have to buy bikes and clothing from TSCC? I've never heard that one before. They do give you a list of what you need and you need to get it all, but not necessarily from the TSCC.
Also don't forget physicals and dental work in your total, those are required too.
Well, I'm grateful I can save $40,000 by never sending my kids on missions. Bet my sister is thinking how she could use the money she'll be saving.hmmm???
It was $400/month a couple of years ago. The parents pay $400/month to their bishop, then the church gives part of it to the missionary to pay for their expenses. For my husband who "served" in S. America, he lived off of less then $50/month. So TSCC pocketed over 87% of what his financially struggling family was manipulated into paying every month. They claim this is part of a new program to help balance out the costs of missions for all members. Also, if he didn't spend the full $50 that he was allotted per month, they took back all of the leftovers at the end of the month. I'm convinced that the Morg actually makes a ton of money off of missions, aside from the free sales labor they get.
Missions used to have different price tags according to where you were sent. That was changed several years ago so that everyone pays the same. It had something to do with the IRS disallowing the cost as a charitible deduction.
Parents used to send money directly to their missionary to support them on their mission. The amount could vary greatly depending on where the missionary was sent. Japan was horribly expensive in the 1980's.
In the late 1980's or early 1990's there was a court case where a family sued the IRS and lost over deducting the money they sent to their missionary son as a "charitable" expense. After that happened, the church received a "revelation" that from then on all missionaries would pay the same amount regardless of where they went AND the money would be paid directly to the church. This change conformed with the IRS codes so that now missionary expenses became tax deductible.
At the time my wife was working for the law firm which was involved in the case and subsequent negotiations with the IRS. She worked on a lot of the legal documents. When the announcement came out about the "revelation" it made it sound like it was the church's idea to make the change. Nothing could be further from the truth. Spin baby spin.
This was actually one of the things that started our journey out of the church. Revelations are kind of like sausage ... after you've seen how they're made they kind of lose their appeal.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2011 10:57AM by Mnemonic.
2 years of sex 2 years of music 2 years of education 2 years of income 2 years of partying
Let's also add the annoyances: Meetings Conferences Companions Run-ins with anti-Mormons Wearing the uniform
I'm so glad I was out by that time, even if I did go back as an adult. At least I was chasing girls and drinking beer at 19. I even got a little of both during that time.
No regrets for me!
T-Bone (edited for spelling)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2011 10:44AM by T-Bone.
Also this happens during one's college career. So you get rusty on certain subjects, etc, it can really put you behind. Things like math might be hard to pick-up again after being out of practice. Not to mention athletes ... unless you are a football lineman, its not at all good to lose two years of conditioning in the prime of your athletic development. So the TSCC and TBMs look the other way when key BYU athletes like Steve Young, and most recently, Jake Heaps, decide not to go on missions.
He has essentially been a paid employee of the Church for his entire adult life...but couldn't find the time to serve on an unpaid mission like the other suckers...er, I mean, the other young men who did.
But career success in the Church is about who you know, not what you do. (It may have a "what you do" component to it, but what they do do to get ahead are not the to-do's that ordinary Mormon would think are important.)
I was chatting with my brother in law who is leaving for the MTC this Wednesday (going to Argentina) and is required to bring his own bedding, in the form of a washable sleeping bag. Weird. Why a sleeping bag? The church doesn't even provide sheets for the missionaries anymore or something?