Read and interesting facebook post defending 18 year old missionaries. I personally think its to get them indoctrinated nice and early before they start that learning thing in College. But here's what the post said:

Eighteen Year old missionaries, very good idea. Now there is not that awkward year between graduation and mission. Love it.


Now who wrote that post? I did, 8 years ago, it just popped up in my memories tab. What was I thinking!

Thanks for sharing.
Funny how the passage of time can change our perspectives.
I’ve had a few regrettable “memories” pop up in FB too...

Easy to find the plus side to anything at all. Right?

That is what apologetics is all about.

Your point is actually a good one even if the down side is that no one should be wasting their own time and other people's patience with a mission.

The year between high school and the mission was truly being in limbo, life on hold. Didn't really do me any good as I was still living at home while going to Weber State---it wasn't much different than high school. Like being out on bail while you wait for your trial.

I get it. Unfortunately I am separated from my wife and we agreed not to let religion tear them apart. So I let her do her thing and she said they are free reign after 18 and she won't try to interfere. So I don't have that one year to potentially talk some sense into my children.

My reason for that is I am a lawyer that clerked in Family Court, and know that I really have no say in matters like this. That is the reality of atheists in America court system.

And I get THAT. Man, that is rough. That gap year could have given you a great opportunity and your kids a chance to see clearly.

I have watched many of my co-workers go through the family court system and fair is word I would be very hesitant to use.

Good luck.

The Forever Families disclaimer is in very small print.

Wow. I'm sorry to hear that guy34 and I completely understand your modus vivendi with your (ex-)wife.

Best of luck. . .

Thanks, and it is hard for me to ever think of her as an ex wife. Even after 3 years of separation while still being married I have not even considered kissing any other women. Still wearing my ring. She really is a wonderful, perfect mother. She just believes very differently then me.

But she will be my one and only love. I will love her until the day I die.

Like so many, the awkward gap caused problems. I completed a year of college and then went on the mission at the end of summer. A friend of my family (who was a professor at said college) told me to write a letter and state my intention. I knew exactly where to go and turned it in.

When I returned, I was in for a shock. I had lost my catalog rights so I started on a new degree/graduation plan. What the school had expected me to do was to register each fall/spring and then drop the courses to receive a full refund. Now this was during dinosaur days when you stood several hours in line to receive a confirmation number then you had to return several days later to use the "phone room" to dial in course numbers. I would have needed my parents to endure that and I'm not so sure my parents would have been able to figure it out. It used to be very complicated doing stuff on an automated phone system.

***If there was a positive for jumping into school, I took some of my heaviest science and lab courses. It really put my HS skills to use! Post-mission left me feeling very rusty with critical thinking and analytical skills.

I've never heard of this before. Its bizarre. Its not uncommon for people to go to school for some time and stop and work to get money to go back. I've seen many people do this.

This policy sounds like utter bullshit to me.