I feel for the family of these missionaries. But I couldn't help but wonder, especially for the family of the one that extended his mission. He should have been home. Instead he was asked to extend, he then wrote his parents to see if they were ok with it, they agreed. So let me get this straight, the missionary did not receive any inclination from the spirit that he should not extend. The mission president did not. And his own parents did not. I understand the LDS way on this is to say that he was needed on the other side......but I think this is crap. None of us are needed more on the other side. It's what people say when they have no answer for death. The fact is, there were many people who missed this message of the spirit, or the spirit could care less about mormon missionaries, or there is no spirit, we are either lucky to live a long life, or unlucky to have it end short

I don't know how often people get some indication that they need to make a different decision/choice because they are going to die in an accident. I presume it's extremely rare.

I think it's best to just leave it at that. It was an accident. He died doing what he wanted to do. We don't know the future.
It's wise to remember: there are no wouldas, shouldas, couldas, what ifs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2011 02:49PM by SusieQ#1.

"He died doing what he wanted to do."

One element of the tragedy that many of us feel in situations like this is that many, many Mormon missionaries are decidedly _not_ doing what they "want to do". It is so much a part of the culture, such an expected rite of passage, for young Mormon males to embark on a mission that no real choice exists.

I have met and known quite a number of Mormon youth missionaries and many of them were fulfilling an obligation, only out because they didn't want to disappoint their families, there because parents bribed them with the promise of autos and/or other material goods upon their return, or because of the promised reward of a "hot" wife and other "blessings" upon their successful return from the mission field. Others just don't know how to say heck no I don't wanna go.

If we could see any value in the Mormon mission as it is done, and if it was truly a choice and not a cultural imperative, I could perhaps agree that accidents happen to anyone, anywhere, any time, and that the youth are out there doing what they want to do. As it is, I disagree that that is the case, sadly.

Many extend just to show those at home what a great missionary they are. It is a pride issue with many, and unfortunatly, it cost this young man his life.

Maybe the missionary was caught up in the spirit of his mission and was feeling fulfilled and happy to extend his mission. I don't know.

But I do know this...every 19 yr old young man is expected and pressured to go on a mission - no matter what. The bishop was dogging my son about turning in his mission papers, having personal talks with him every 3 months starting when he neared his 19th birthday. My son is a high functioning autistic. To his credit, he told the bish that he would think about it, but he didn't feel very comfortable with the idea of going on a mission. He was called to be a ward missionary, like that would get him all fired up to go. He dutifully provided transportation to the missionaries but never bore his testimony or participated much in the missionary discussions. Now that he's past the traditional missionary age, the bish has nothing to do with him. He's a good kid and has nothing against the church. He serves faithfully as a ward clerk but basically, he's a nobody to the ward because he didn't go on a mission.

on All Kinds of things.

Blacks/Priesthood: 'Policy' or Revelation-Commandment?

Polygamy: Mandatory or ... 'Not so much'


got it now?

>But these bikes are on the road with cars, trucks and SUVs. They're unnecessary accidents and unnecessary deaths.

As someone that has about 200k miles on his bikes and never had an accident with a car, I'd suggest that the primary problem is lack of instruction in safe cycling. If not for riding my bike when I was on a mormon mission I would have even more trouble with that tedious ordeal.

Most of us who went on missions can remember at least one missionary injured on a bike. In my mission an elder got hit by a car and had a compound leg fracture and a collapsed lung and almost died. It happens in every fucking mission.

Riding bicycles is dangerous for the missionaries but beneficial for the mission. That way the mission doesn't have to be responsible for cars, insurance and maintenance. If they ride bikes instead of taking public transportation, they can cover more miles faster, don't "waste" time waiting for the bus. It's all for the benefit of the missions goals rather than safety. For the unfortunate missionary, if you ride a bike every day for two years, the chances of getting hit by a car are pretty high. The whole bike thing should be discontinued.

It's not an accident when the church knows that missionaries get injured on their bikes every day. It would be different if they were riding bikes in the outback. But these bikes are on the road with cars, trucks and SUVs. They're unnecessary accidents and unnecessary deaths.

My personal opinion is that riding a bike in traffic is just nuts. I used to do it years ago, until a car pulled out directly in front of me as if I didn't exist.

I don't think that the Mormon church exercises enough care for its missionaries. It's not only the bike riding in traffic, it's the numerous reports of substandard housing, inadequate money for food, lack of medical attention in some cases, sending mishies to unsafe areas, and having missionaries come home with intestinal parasites that can linger for years.

That argument "needed on the other side" really pisses me off anytime I hear it. My parents made that claim after my older brother was killed in a car accident in 1990 leaving behind a wife and two very young children. I thought it was horrible to tell my sister-in-law, now a widow "God needed him for some special purpose" implying "you didn't need him enough". Supposing for the sake of argument there was someone waiting in the spirit world for my brother that only he can touch, why can't God just make him wait 40 or 50 years? After all, its not like he's going anywhere. What's worse is what happened to my nephew and neice. My nephew spent a few years in Juvenile Detention and my neice was later molested by her stepdad who is now in prison (sick son of a bitch!). This is God's master plan? I think not.

From my experience the guy's the willingly choose to stay longer are the ones that are a little off. They have been 'rock-stars' in the Mission field but are not well adjusted in the real world. They are typically trying to delay the return of reality.

A normal 21 year old is usually running for the exit.