55 years for me. Argentina. The church had changed the age for women to go to 21 from 23 a few months earlier. Shocked when the bishop asked me to go.

One day on the pampas, outside of Pergamino, walking down a dirt road I asked myself: "What are you, Sister Phantom Shadow, doing walking down a dirt road in Argentina when you should be at home registering for fall quarter of your senior year? And going on fun dates and wearing cute clothes?

Too late, I was trapped.

One thing the mission did--it got me away from SLC. I was afraid I'd end up married to some Mormon guy, pretending to be dumb and secretly reading books, in a brick bungalow somewhere in the suburbs.

Didn't happen. Married a CA guy I'd met in mission, a convert with a different outlook, and finished my schooling and did a lot of interesting things. Had to wait a few years for him to be ready to leave the church, but he did, we did. Lots of adventures along the way.

LM

I miss that abbreviation...

I have a question...
In the earlier thread of "How Many Years Since Your Mission," (the thread that is now closed), one of the commenters, I think it was the 2nd to the last comment, said "and didn't have to keep our location secret, as they do now."

What? Are current missionaries now told to keep their location secret? And, what is that referring to? Keep their address secret?
Or, is it referring to something like keeping their location in a particular part of the world secret from people back home?

Although I'm loathe to intrude with an uninformed opinion (HAHAHA!), I think it has to do not with keeping their locations secret, but to control the missionaries' communications.

Back in the day, we wrote letters. I exchanged letters with guys from my LTM District and with guys from my ward. I mailed mine to their physical addresses and they mailed me at wherever I happened to be. If a transfer occurred, the APs brought the letters to us. We all knew there was no urgency to them, since mailing anything of value in a 2nd/3rd world country was the same as gifting the cartero (the mailman).

Now with the advent of the internet, and the establishment of mormon missionary email, sending letters is impractical and probably discouraged. The word is that ghawd's home office monitors the missionaries' emails, hoping to keep them out of trouble.

When a grandson was serving in Argentina, I sent a couple of little packages to his mission home, at the instruction of my daughter, his mother. She didn't say that sending packages to them at their apartments was forbidden, but that it was 'safer' sending them to the mission home.

Were letters and packages opened by mission leadership? I can't say, but I don't doubt that there are shit-head MPs who think it's not only their right, but a duty...

So that's my take on it. It's not forbidden, it's just that's there's a 'better', more spiritual way.

That is a great post. It's wonderful that you married well, to a man who respected your intellect.

Congratulations.

Argentina Bs As South, 1975-1977. I came home three weeks early to attend winter block at the Y. Met my fiancée at a ward service project and we were married five months later. Things would have been so much easier if I’d stayed home and attended CSULB, where I eventually studied for my clear teaching credential.

It’s been a ride. I was an Army linguist for 4 1/2 years between the Y and Cal State. In 1986, it dawned on my that my language classes were just as good if not better in California. All good things come with patience, a little introspection, and using ones innate intuition.

I’m retired now. I’m sure glad I took early retirement before COVID.

I was in Argentina a little ahead of you 1958
I enjoyed my vacation there
The worst posting Was Coronel Suarez
The best was Quilmes

Phantom Shadow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 55 years for me. Argentina. The church had changed
> the age for women to go to 21 from 23 a few months
> earlier. Shocked when the bishop asked me to go.
>
> One day on the pampas, outside of Pergamino,
> walking down a dirt road I asked myself: "What are
> you, Sister Phantom Shadow, doing walking down a
> dirt road in Argentina when you should be at home
> registering for fall quarter of your senior year?
> And going on fun dates and wearing cute clothes?
>
> Too late, I was trapped.
>
> One thing the mission did--it got me away from
> SLC. I was afraid I'd end up married to some
> Mormon guy, pretending to be dumb and secretly
> reading books, in a brick bungalow somewhere in
> the suburbs.
>
> Didn't happen. Married a CA guy I'd met in
> mission, a convert with a different outlook, and
> finished my schooling and did a lot of interesting
> things. Had to wait a few years for him to be
> ready to leave the church, but he did, we did.
> Lots of adventures along the way.

A lovely post, Phantom Shadow - and it's lovely to see you drive by here ;-)

Your post is actually a rather fine poem :-)

I suspect that, although you would have difficulty pretending to be dumb, you have nevertheless read (secretly or otherwise;-) quite a lot of books (and absorbed their lessons;-)

Nice to see you here.

Tom in Paris

I arrived shortly after the mission was divided between Argentine and North Argentine. I remember that Quilmes seemed like an outpost.

I do drive by here now and then just to find out how people are doing. I found rfm in 2002 looking for information about Tom Murphy. A few months later we resigned. Didn’t know we could do that.

DH is writing a memoir of his mission—he took a class on this and is going to take another one on writing a memoir. He has quite a story to tell. He came from a different background where rules were just suggestions.

49 yrs.
I called home from a bus staton after 3 months out and told my mom I'm coming home!!!
I'll never forget her words ..
"You can't...
what will the neighbors say"
I stayed and came home to a giant..huge welcoming family group in SLC larger than any group for the Vietnam vets on my plane.
Im still ashamed

42
I cheated and got really sick and came home a few months early.
I was told by my MP and Stake President I should have had enough faith to come home in a box instead.
My Bishop was shocked at what I was told by MP and SP
My parents supported me 100%
So did my girlfriend.
It took about a year to get back to normal, so I figure if the Lord cares I put in extra time.
Been out for several years now, married to that same girl friend for a very long time. My kids are also out, and we got my wife out completely a few years ago.

I love happy endings!

43 Years