Back when I went on a mission, in the early '70s, we reported to the Mission Home that used to be on the block where the conference center is now. I remember only five things from my time there.

- Arriving and the awkward goodbye from my emotionally aloof father

- Trying to memorize the discussions in a cramped, hot, funky smelling bedroom with five other guys, and some authority figure berating us for not memorizing them fast enough

- A lecture about health matters in the basement assembly room

- Being sent in shifts to barbers in the Hotel Utah

- Being in the airport

That's it. I don't remember meals except for a vague impression of a large room that had actual sunlight for a change. I don't remember what the bathing and toilet situation was like. I don't remember what we did on Sunday. I don't even remember how long I was there. A week? A month?

But I have a big old pile of memories of everything from the airport on. Either my mind suppressed memories of my time in the Mission Home, or there was nothing worth remembering, or both.

My stint there lasted a week. We were assigned companion upon arrival. They paraded GA's through to "fire us up", we went to the SLC Temple several times, memorized the discussions, etc. Everyone was set apart (individually) as full time missionaries. LeGrand Richards came over and gave the "better dead than unworthy" speech about pre-mission sexual activity which led to a line of "belated confessioners" a mile long. We had a big meeting in the Assembly Hall where we were allowed to ask questions of the GA's and then we marched up one-by-one to bear a testimonkey.

I don't remember eating either. Weird that.

After the week was over, I went to the MTC at Rick's College.

Ron

I KNOW we never did any temple sessions. They said it would take too much time away from all we were supposed to learn. So that's six things I remember.

Really? There we about 1/4 of my group that had to go because they weren't yet endowed. Lived in areas with no immediate temple access.

Ron

...I had already been endowed. Maybe they meant it was a waste of time for those of us who'd already been.

Out in the field, there was a temple a few blocks from our apartment, but they said we had to spend all our time proselytizing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2010 09:44AM by Stray Mutt.

When we were at Rick's for language training, they'd parade us over to the Boise Temple. Some of us worked the veil.

Flashback!

One Elder snuck out to see his girlfriend in the parking lot one night. He didn't get caught, however.

Ron

The closest comparison I can come up with for the MTC in Provo, is the Bellagio Resort and casino in Las Vegas. I have rich memories of sumptuous meals and intellectually titillating conversations with my closest friends lasting long into the night. No detail was overlooked to make sure that our privacy and autonomy were respected, and we were only called unto repentance thrice weekly. Each morning started with Bikram yoga, followed by a session with an expert masseuse. Then it was of to either the library or the conservatory where one might engage in an impromptu debate on Hegellian dialectic or the like. Of course afternoons were reserved for Polo, followed by gin and tonics (4 pm- prompt!) in the gardens.

I would love to go in the mission home right now. I would love to listen to Le Grand Richards give me a pep talk. & most of all I would love to then tell him that if going on a mission was so all mighty important that he better shut his mouth, stop wasting time, get his bags packed & get after it. Then I would love to see him have a heart attack, choke & die right there just before I walked out to never return. If lightening hit the place & burned it to the ground with Le Grand still in it, it would be just that much better! MORmONS!

LeGrand Richards lived across the street from me when he died in his daughter's home. He was the nicest man I've ever met and was respectful of my family as his neighbors. I loved playing quarters with he and his great-grandkids who were my age. I can't imagine him as anything other than a great neighbor and friend to the family.

We did one session at the SL temple, then went up to the assembly room in the temple and heard Harold B. Lee speak and then answer questions that the missionaries had. He answered everything using his scriptures. I was impressed at the time, but thinking back I think how easy that would be. Some of the answers he gave didn't really answer what was asked, but I figured it was because he was so much smarter than me, and he was way over my head.

We walked across the stree for our meals. I remember how fast everyone ate, it seemed like they pushed us through pretty fast. I wasn't a fast eater and my companion was irritated he had to wait for me. I think we had about 10 minutes to eat and get back to our studying. I have one vivid memory of walking across the street to our cafeteria and looking at the normal people in cars as we walked across the cross walk. I thought how lucky they were to not be where I was. Two years seemed like forever when you are looking ahead at it.

We showered in one open room, about 20 shower heads on each side of the room, kind of like being back in P.E. There were about 12 or so elders in each bedroom with bunk beds. We had one testimony meeting before bedtime there. I think the requirement was you were to cry while bearing your testimony. I tried to, but I couldn't. Funny how I remember that.

We had the GA's come by and speak and get us in the salesmanship mode. I remember Mark Peterson and LeGrande Richards speaking. I can go back and read my journal and get more information, but I would hate to relive that again.

The rest of the day we were sent to classrooms to memorize the "Mr. Brown" discussions. We were suppossed to have at least the first discussion memorized before we left, along with some scriptures. I think we were there for 5 days. I was tired the entire time. It was the longest month of my life. I hated it.

I remember this because one of the Elders was giving a prayer to the entire group (300 plus missionaries) and he said to bless President Ironsides. This was the time the popular TV show was on called Ironsides. Everyone looked at Whitesides to see his reaction. Very funny.

A lot of us were there at the same time.
My stint was the last week in Nov. 1971.
Whitesides was MP but I remember him being an innocuous old man.
I shared the same bunk bed room with about 20 lunatics.
I was recently home from 4 months of Basic Training and AIT and leaving home was not big deal. I was in a room with a few knuckleheads that cried virtually non-stop the entire week.
One idiot that was going to Scotland with me walked around with a picture of his fiance in his hand the entire time. He lasted about 2 months in the Mission Home and wet running back to this particularly unattractive girl.
Two kids from Bountiful and I would stay up most of the night telling stories and sleep all day during classes.
Loren C. Dunn had the task of telling us that 36% of the Elders in the room had things they had to confess or they'd be sent home from their mission when the guilt overwhelmed them.
The line to see Whitesides was about 30 yards long after the talk. The two from Bountiful were NOT in line and they had both been Kanoodling for up to the week before they came.
We did a temple session and afterwards spent time in the assembly room with Harold B. Lee. From age 16 on I didn't like the Church and he did nothing to help my feelings. I thought he was such a dope.
Going to the airport was particularly interesting. The other three stooges I was going with literally could not stop crying. I was tickled to get away from home and they were an emotional shambles. When it came time to board I made everyone hold hands and walk to the plane in unison. Did the same thing in Chicago and London.
I thought it was an interesting week. The best part, I wasn't home.

hotwaterblue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A lot of us were there at the same time.
> My stint was the last week in Nov. 1971.
> Whitesides was MP but I remember him being an
> innocuous old man.
> I shared the same bunk bed room with about 20
> lunatics.
> I was recently home from 4 months of Basic
> Training and AIT and leaving home was not big
> deal. I was in a room with a few knuckleheads
> that cried virtually non-stop the entire week.
> One idiot that was going to Scotland with me
> walked around with a picture of his fiance in his
> hand the entire time. He lasted about 2 months in
> the Mission Home and wet running back to this
> particularly unattractive girl.
> Two kids from Bountiful and I would stay up most
> of the night telling stories and sleep all day
> during classes.
> Loren C. Dunn had the task of telling us that 36%
> of the Elders in the room had things they had to
> confess or they'd be sent home from their mission
> when the guilt overwhelmed them.
> The line to see Whitesides was about 30 yards long
> after the talk. The two from Bountiful were NOT
> in line and they had both been Kanoodling for up
> to the week before they came.
> We did a temple session and afterwards spent time
> in the assembly room with Harold B. Lee. From age
> 16 on I didn't like the Church and he did nothing
> to help my feelings. I thought he was such a
> dope.
> Going to the airport was particularly interesting.
> The other three stooges I was going with
> literally could not stop crying. I was tickled to
> get away from home and they were an emotional
> shambles. When it came time to board I made
> everyone hold hands and walk to the plane in
> unison. Did the same thing in Chicago and London.
>
> I thought it was an interesting week. The best
> part, I wasn't home.


Dude! That's exactly what happened to me! October, 1975. Bird. LOL What an asshat.

Ron

curious to know and where you served your time

" Brother Brown wears a frown when you're not around"

And if you were going to a foreign language mission, they sent you to the LTM -- Language Training Mission -- which became the MTC.

Anyway, I don't remember who my Mission Home president was. THere were just a lot of old men in suits jabbering at us.

when we are extremely busy, in a new situation, high stress,etc.etc. The MTC would qualify! :-)

There are about 15 years that I don't recall much about. I was so busy with kids, and taking care of the household and the family financial affairs, while my husband went to school or traveled, totally immersed in the LDS Church with assignments -- "callings," putting out "fires", that all I could do is put one foot in front of the other and get through the day, hoping I could sleep through the night without being awakened by one of the children.

The kids or my husband will sometimes talk about little trips we took, or things the kids did, and it's like they are talking about someone else. I have no memory of it. We went where? We did what?

I have some clear memories, mostly fueled by photographs, or my journals.

I had a nasty concussion from an accident some years ago before I left the LDS Church, and I do have spots of my memory that seem to be gone forever. But most of those are around the time of the accident, 6 months before and 6 months after.
That was difficult at first, then I realized, I didn't need all that memory. I was fine without it.

Now that I think about it, maybe I needed to get hit on the head to wake up -- it wasn't long after that I stopped believing in Mormonism. Gosh, hope the rest of you don't need to get hit on the head! :-)

You might have been too tired and overwhelmed to remember it?

Perhaps you've blocked it to prtect yourself from damage?

I think part of it was that I saw it as just this thing I had to go through before going on the REAL part of the mission -- sort of like going through security at the airport is something to be endured before the trip. So I didn't pay a lot of attention.

In addition, it was very boring. I'd heard most of this stuff before. Blah blah blah...

But no doubt, a lot of my memory loss is because of the oppressive, super-serious, God-is-watching, guilty-until-proved slightly-less-guilty, success-or-total-failure, magical juju atmosphere. I was a good LDS kid who wanted to do his best, but holy flippin' crap, quit treating us like idiots or criminals. My defense was probably to shut down, go on auto pilot.

I have to hand it to anyone who can endure that level of repressiveness. Don't think I could do it.

I am curently writing a book about my experience in the MTC. It is funny how there are a lot of things I do not remember and I have an excellent memory. I can say without hesitation that THE MTC was by far the worst experience of my life.

Hah! I wonder if I was one of your teachers.

Pretty please, an excerpt? I have always been SO CURIOUS about what goes on in there.

Anagrammy

Instead of saying Mr Brown, we reversed it and said, "Brown Brother." It was good enough for a chuckle from other 19 year olds.

And there was always an element of condescension to the brown people since they were not part of our elite "white and delightsome" group.

And I don't remember a Filipino "Elder" ever being made a Senior Companion over a white man, no matter who had the most seniority.

Today I am disgusted that anyone thinks themselves superior just because of race.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2010 11:57AM by darksparks.

Reading this thread makes me sooo glad I didn't go on a mission. I always though boot camp sounded bad but this is mental boot camp.

No wonder you guys don't remember much. There wasn't much to remember or maybe it was so horrible that you've repressed your memories. Anyone ever see the movie Metropolis?

There are times in my early 20s that I don't remember until somebody else brings it up or I see a picture. But religious fervor had nothing to do with the memory loss. It's more like "I did what? No way!"

Like you Stray Mutt I have bits and pieces of faded memories from the old mission home circa '77.

However I do certainly remember the Mission Pres at the time was President Bird and he was one Grade-A arrogant-condescending-mean spirited old SOB that I have hoped had a horrible life before he died for the way he treated us during that stay in the mission home.

To this day I still do not understand how LDS Inc gets away with treating its volunteers who spend their own $$$ and time for 2-years to get kicked in the teeth by similar assholes when they would come to the Mission for so-called "pep-talks".

Or so it seems to me...

Yeah, I remember the place from my mission in 1969. I went in on a very snowy day in February. I'd left my overcoat on the airplane--don't ask me how. On about the third day, I was given permission to go out and buy a cheap overcoat that I kept my whole mission in Switzerland and Italy. The "mission home," so-called, was an ancient firetrap. Inside we slept like eight to a room. There was so little water pressure on the third floor that we'd sometimes go to the second floor to shower. We were cramped and uncomfortable, and endured lectures in the basement, listening to general authorities morning and afternoon. For meals, we went to the Hotel Utah (now the "Joseph Smith Memorial Building") and had to listen to more stuff. On the corner near the home there was a woman who would preach damnation. We all had our pictures take with her. We went to two endowment sessions in the SL temple, then once in the LTM in Provo we went four more times to the Manti Temple. You know, it was hell, but I hated it.

I was in the mission home in Dec 1975. I think it was an old school building. We went to the church office building to eat. Pres Bird was the best asshole you could have ever meet. He knew how to be one and did a fine job of it. Right before we were all to leave to our own fields one Elder collected money to buy Pres AssBird and his wife some gifts. I remember one of the gifts was a nice clock. Sis Bird was surprised. She said we were the only group of missionaries that bought them gifts.
I also remember going to the SL temple. That was a creepy sick joke.
I also remember being so tired that I was falling asleep during one of Pres AssBirds talks. Boy he turned on me.
I remember hearing all the talk about avoiding the females. I was very closet gay. I had never really dated a girl so I could not figure out why all the hours of talking about sex and females. I had no problem with that. That was one thing I felt good about. I now understand what the all the talk was about. I do laugh at myself about that.
My mission home companion and I did not get along. We would not fight, We hardly talked to each other. We ended up in the same district about three months out. We would hardly speak. Then about a week or so later he decided I was ok and I always had a really good time with him after that.