In the 1960's & 70's in Australia very few people received tertiary education.To study a health profession usually meant adhering to fairly stringent scholarship requirements unless your parents were loaded.Taking 2 years off for a mission was seen as dropping out & loss of scholarship. Fortunately my Nazi-like TBM mother didn't approve of missions for girls & backed me up each time I refused the mission call the idiotic authorities gave me every 6 months or so.She retained face among her RS cronies by saying that I could serve a health mission. The only other person in our state(stake) at that time who had graduated from a health profession was called on such a mission to Peru(as a dentist).

When I graduated I kept on doing post-basic study as I drifted into the inactivity which sat so well with me.I never heard of anyone else serving such a mission which was actually "service".The mission must have worked for the dentist who had been a normal University student ,party boy, but returned rabid TBM who eventually became a stake president.Did anyone else here serve such a mission or know of them? They were only offered for a short time.

Can you imagine the good that could come about if the church put the gospel to real use by serving those who stand in need?

Back, when I was a member I recall seeing someone on a news/documentary item about famine relief, wearing a missionary badge.... and, the following sunday, there was a buzz at church about how our wonderful missionaries are doing great works.

But, I never heard of a health mission, and I never heard of anyone being sent to a specific area on the basis of their life/work skills.

*IF* TSCC sent people on missions based on the skills they can usefully pass on to the locals, I would not have such a problem with them.

Unfortunately the huge majority of missionaries are recruited for nothing but propaganda, and the only task that is required of the majority, is to increase income for the Corporation

MY older sister, who is a dietition, served a "Health and Welfare" mission in Guatimala in the 1980s, and my parents served a "health & Welfare"(admin.) in the Phillapeans 7 years ago.

and went to the Dominican Republic for a year and a half to give health classes and provide health care to members and missionary opportunities there. Seemed a lot better than a regular mission because even as a TBM, I thought it would do more good in the world.

as I mentioned... I never heard of this... although I should point out, I was a convert - joining in the late 70's.

when did they stop them?