Not that 2 years younger makes any difference, but I think they will be more susceptible to robberies, rape and other attacks. I mean out of the US.
Missionary areas for each companionship are fairly distant and it takes a while to get to other areas. I remember being a missionary we had to help the sisters every now and then. They where disrespected, taken advantage of and in danger all the time.
I am very worried about those young girls being exposed to everything outside.
I know a few that are leaving soon and I hope they will be ok. I think it is very irresponsible from the leaders or in this case from Monson, to take such a risk. Hoping the best for those girls

Agreed. They were placing very un-savvy girls in dangerous places/positions.

Now they are placing even less-savvy girls in equally dangerous places/positions.

Stupid? Yes.

Consistent with Church policy and practice? Sadly, yes.

It does not bode well for these girls, who will be abused, taken advantage of, etc. and in many cases won't even realize it.

It should make a List what the parents’ responsibilities are.
Like:
Where does my son or daughter go?
How does the apartment look like m(regarding minimum hygiene and privacy requirements)?
Is the apartment in a safe neighborhood?
What safety measurements are in place to protect missionaries from being mugged, raped etc.?
Who is responsible during the mission that the daughter or son has access to healthy food and water, and who is responsible to answer those questions back to the families?
Who is the responsible party in the LDS system to answer questions to the families and responds to matters of law?
What healthcare is provided and who is the primary car physician and what is his telephone number?
Does the doctors office speak English? This is important because explaining symptoms and understanding and comprehending test result could be life saving. Being able to participate in small talk or presenting memorized church teachings are on side but really explaining and understanding doctors visits in a foreign language are different shoes.
What access to medicine does the church provide? Pharmacy location and Phone Number please.
What insurances does the church provide regarding short and long term disability?

Many would think this is unnecessary or not reasonable. But just think what would any normal thinking human being do before traveling somewhere unknown. The healthcare systems are not working like in the US. Laws are very different from country to country.

I’ll think the RFM board should make a sticky with a minimum of requirements for people which planning to go to a mission.
I’ll think many Mormons see only the mission but if the families are not preparing we will see a lot harmed young people coming back from so called Jesus Smiths god work.
At least someone mentioned it.

The only responsibility parents have is to teach them obedience. If they are obedient and obey ALL the mission rules, they will not be in danger. If they are robbed, they were not obedient. If they are murdered, they were doing something wrong. If a girl is raped, it is certainly her fault. Did she show more leg than just the bottom of the calf? If they are injured or get sick, all they need is a penishood blessing. And the parents are to be obedient and leave all decision making about THEIR kid to an arrogant ladder-climbing bastard who is trying to keep track of 100+ missionaries (I read somewhere that some missions are up to 250 missionaries since the age change). Yeah right, the MP really has time to keep track of whether they're getting the care they need.

It just sickens me that parents send their kids off to third-world countries, or hell, Memphis for that matter, and don't feel like they have any right to keep tabs on these kinds of things. Yes, their kids are adults, but they're certainly not treated as adults by the obedience-demanding cult that is using them, so why should parents have to butt out? But they do. Obedience is demanded of the parents also. It's criminal. I'd love to see a movie or some high-profile documentary done about the realities of the LDS mission. John Williams could write a great screenplay.

I thank almightygoddess that my only son was my last child. He became missionary age several years after I had resigned my membership. If my first couple had been boys, they could very easily have ended up wasting 2 years of their lives being cult salesmen. We dodged a bullet on that one.

My ultra-TBM oldest sister is spending half a semester studying in Quebec City. She thinks that the spirit will help her with all her problems and unfortunately because of this she has very few, if any, social skills and is extremely interdepent. She calls my parents if she wants to take a stroll down the block, if she isn't sure if she should buy a t-shirt, if she can't open the pickle jar... You get the point. This may seem somewhat harsh, but it's true and I can't even picture her serving a full-time mission with another clueless TBM girl. Apart from being even more susceptible to attacks, they lack the independence and skill to rely on themselves and may end up harming themselves in the long run.

And for returned sister missionaries, I don't know if it's just in my own experience, but most of them I find have trouble finding a boyfriend and getting married... There's at least 6 or 7 returned sisters and only one of them married. This is kind of O/T but has anyone else noticed this too or is it just me?

Every single sister I served a mission with, including me, got married within a year or two of getting back. Also, a number of friends and relatives who were sister missionaries also married. I only know one woman who went on a mission and didn't eventually marry and she was a lot older than I was - served her mission back in the 70s. I'm guessing it's probably just something weird with the people in your area, although I do know that a couple of the sisters I knew who served missions were all kinds of socially inept. This didn't come from serving a mission though - they came in like that. Still, there was someone for everyone, I guess, because they eventually married too.

Ooops, wrong place!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2013 10:18PM by CA girl.

Exactly the same logic about how it's dangerous out there was used to keep women out of most military jobs. For that matter, the same logic is why women to this day can't drive in Saudi Arabia.

They are adults. They can learn to take care of themselves. They can make their own decisions about their lives, however pressured they might be, and however lousy I may think the decision to go on a mission is.

You want safe? Dress them in burkas and don't let them in public without a blood relative male escort. The Saudis think that is a great idea.

If bad stuff happens, deal with the bad stuff, don't preemptively limit the women. <off rant>


I must admit that my eyebrows raise whenever I see women addressed as "ladies" - odds are good I'm going to hear something sexist or condescending. That goes double when I see adult women referred to as "girls". For 19 year olds, its understandable, but in Utah, I've seen 60 year old millionaires referred to as "who's that girl?" ::facepalm::

Oh common,
To turn this idiocy in a political correct gender war.

Fact is, that woman in certain areas much more in danger to become violated, raped in bad luck even more.
Feminist and their lobby are only working in the US and in Northern Europe because of gender mainstreaming and gender laws. And even than I know areas that no woman should be going not even in day light.
Berlin Kreuzberg, Koeln, Bonn, Offenbach am Main certain Areas in Paris, London all over Northern Europe because they discovered the Northern African and Middle East Religion as a Cultural enhancement, that has to be protected no matter what, at least politically.

Turning legitimate safety concerns into a feministic gender mainstreaming war, helps this 18 year old numb nuts not a bit.

Observer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not that 2 years younger makes any difference, but
> I think they will be more susceptible to
> robberies, rape and other attacks. I mean out of
> the US.
> Missionary areas for each companionship are fairly
> distant and it takes a while to get to other
> areas. I remember being a missionary we had to
> help the sisters every now and then. They where
> disrespected, taken advantage of and in danger all
> the time.
> I am very worried about those young girls being
> exposed to everything outside.
> I know a few that are leaving soon and I hope they
> will be ok. I think it is very irresponsible from
> the leaders or in this case from Monson, to take
> such a risk. Hoping the best for those girls

Not just outside the US. A few years ago, a female missionary was attacked and raped while on her way to her assignment at Temple Square.

Observer - I served a mission but I didn't go right when I turned 21 because I was dating a lawyer and hoping to marry. When that didn't work out, I eventually decided to go on a mission but I was a couple years older than the other sisters. I also grew up outside the Morridor and had travelled rather a lot, even lived abroad. I was a college graduate and had worked and lived on my own. There was a HUGE difference between how well I could handle myself and how well the 21-year-old, undergrad, small-town-Utah, never exposed to the outside world Hermanas in my mission coped. When I compare those 21-year-olds to the 19-year-old, sheltered, ignorant, starry-eyed girls I knew at BYU who just wanted to marry and be a Molly, the sister missionaries I knew seemed actually sophisticated. But only by comparison.

Mormons WORK to keep their children, especially their women, sheltered, childlike and obedient. They train them to believe in fairy tales and spiritual "protection". They say it's to keep the unspotted from the world but it also keeps the unprotected from the world too because they have NO idea what is out there. They had very little common sense because they had very little knowledge or experience, which help hone common sense. They also had an overwhelming sense of being safe because they were God's chosen and special children.

Brother of Jerry, I agree with you in principle, that these are grown@ss adults who can learn to take care of themselves - or COULD learn if they were taught to think. But they have never been taught to think - only to obey. We aren't talking about the girl from your high school who graduated and goes into the Army or the Peace Corp. Those organizations will encourage the girl to grow up, to think, to protect herself. She will be given the information she needs to do that. Mormon missionary girls aren't allowed to read the newspaper, watch TV, aren't told of the dangers in order to keep them focused, keep them from getting scared. They are told to obey, not question, keep sweet, and that they are protected by Heavenly Hosts. We are talking about two different animals here and while you are correct about women in general, Mormon teenage "women" are different. Anyone who attends Relief Society for any period of time at all will attest that there is a difference between a physical adult and a mental/emotional adult. And fanatical Mormons fail in the latter category.

*****

They have no radar that tells them now its time to leave because it may get ugly. How could they, had never experienced not even heard it. For them the world is a big playground.
They believe if someone smiles at them that mean they are friendly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2013 12:27AM by buddyjoe.

I can personally tell of one rape of a female missionary by a male. My father (a bishop) was informed by the MP and his wife. "Sisters" were relatively new to the Sacramento, CA area. The male (two months shy of completion of mission) was simply sent home early with a letter to his home ward bishop advising no temple recommend for a year. The letter (which I typed for my father), does not mention the rape, the letter only mentioned 'sin.'

What shocked me was the MP's and SP's opinion of the matter. They tried to blame the girl as she did break the rules of letting a male into their home unescorted and the boy bamboozled her with a story of "Brother Dokes is right behind me." The girl may have been at fault, but that does not excuse having clothing tore off, being hit and where he put his 'thing' I will leave to your vivid imagination.

Law enforcement was not called as it was handled 'in house.' BTW, the rapist is now a stake president. Go figure.

My boyfriend (we are both 53 so I don't know if boyfriend is age appropriate), had a neighbor from his home area in Southern Idaho (female) that went on a mission. Since she was a 'country girl' not having electricity or running water or a flush toilet was not an issue, since she worked on the farm right along with her father and brothers. Some of the girls assigned were 'city girls' and were physically and psychologically unprepared for such primitive conditions. My friends neighbor lasted two years, others came and went.

I don't know if age has much to do with the above incidents, since both females were over 21.

Rapist now Stake President?!

That totally creeps me out as in literally making my skin crawl. I keep thinking of all the women "home alone" he has access to.

But then again, what else should we expect from TSCC.

karriew,
OMG, just, OMG. I'm appalled. And since I live in the Sacramento area and have all of my life, including the 22 years I was Mormon, I'll be even more appalled if it turns out that I know any of the concerned parties.
I'd like to ask for some more info, but I don't want to do it on this forum.
If you happen to see this, could you email me? meggiemay17@yahoo.com
You don't have to if you're not comfortable discussing it, I'm just wondering.

I never said I don't think they are smart, or they are immature. I am just saying that they are sent to dangerous places where they can be abused, taken advantage of, etc.

It doesn't matter how intelligent you are if you haven't got street smarts, or if you aren't possessing of full information about the situation, like many sister missionaries. Like I mentioned earlier, they don't get to watch TV or read newspapers. They are in a city/country that is unfamiliar. The customs, the neighborhoods, the people are all learned about by word of mouth from other missionaries or members. Sometimes this is helpful but it's by no means enough information to make good decisions. Decision making is hampered further by being naïve, having a belief in magical heavenly protection, being trained to be obedient, and having a skewed world view. And sister missionaries are immature compared to other women their age, as a rule, because they tend to be sheltered in a church/family/home cocoon.

The church is sending them into dangerous situations but the real danger is who Mormon women, especially young, innocent Mormon women, are and who they are trained to be. A more savvy, worldly woman would be safer but would still be in more danger on a Mormon mission because the church doesn't do enough to keep these women safe nor do they do enough to train them to keep themselves safe.

Hmmm may be off topic but do you think that they could be in danger outside of a mission too?
Can a Mormon, a TBM woman even make a decision that protects her from harm?
What is the income level to live in a sheltered environment an entire life? And how many Penishood Alpha male with the necessary financial background are in a ward?

Yes, I think they can be in danger outside of the mission but not in as much danger because Mormons tend to stay with their herd. Missionaries venture into strange situations. As someone mentioned, they are in pairs, away from other missionaries and often work away from members. When non-missionary Mormon teen girls venture out through travel, college internships, study abroads, they at least have access to more information via news, tv, internet etc. These are denied to sisters. They rely less on magical protection than many sister missionaries do. Their general innocence makes them vulnerable but the mission rules and regs and beliefs make it worse.

And I don't think sheltered has the anything to do at ALL with income. Some of the richer TBMs are the LESS sheltered because they've at least travelled and gotten out of their comfort zone because they CAN. Some of the small town, backwoods Mormons are the most steeped in that Mo-mindset. Moms with the fewest options due to lack of schooling, experience, training often push their daughters along the same path they walked. I was in a RS once in Utah where the women said the reason early marriage was encouraged in the church was so that women don't go out into the world, find themselves tempted by the world and then fall away from the church. All the women in the room were nodding and agreeing about how wise this was. Keep them home, keep them ignorant and keep them safe. That was the message. And I promise, this was not at all a wealthy or even middle class neighborhood in Salt Lake. It was where we were living while DH was a struggling student when we were first married. Sheltered has to do with your mindset and the mindset you teach your children, not your income.

OK I understand and agree.
It was only that may be some become the idea that TBM woman outside a mission are really protected when they not.
I have observed TBM Woman who get scared to leave their house because they had to move in a non Mormon environment means in an area were Mormonism is the minority.

Your experience is different than mine. I grew up in Salt Lake City. I never saw any real difference in worldliness between Mormons and non-Mormons. I never saw any evidence that Mormon girls or women were sheltered any more than non-Mormons. Some 19-year-old women will do well on missions. Others will struggle. That's just how people are, in the Mormon Church or outside it.

"I will be protected."

They wouldn't NEED "elders" to protect them.

I changed my mind about guns-for-kids...not only kindergarten teachers should pop caps, but sister missionaries should to. Until they get the priesthood, they're vulnerable.

I think sending young men and young women out like that is scary no matter what. My brother and his companion were beaten up when he was on his mission. He's very tall and you'd think they'd be looking for a smaller target, but I'm guessing they were specifically looking for mormon missionaries to beat on. He wasn't breaking any rules. It can be a dangerous world for any of them. I don't know how parents can be so happy about their kids going on missions. I guess it's just normal for them. The fact that missionaries dress the way they do makes them stick out and makes them an even easier target.

I think that this is a good thing. I remember going to my own personal version of hell in a 3rd world country. The lesson I learned from that experience is something along the same lines as the story of Abraham and Isaac (if you actually believe that was a real story). I, like Isaac, came to realize fairly quickly that being a good parent goes right out the window if some nameless, faceless guy at a desk in SLC decides that said arm-pit of the world needs to add a few more mishies to the roster. The real wake up call was after being there a couple of months and calling home on Mother's Day and being told that "well that's too bad things really suck for you, talk to you at Christmas!" From that time on I have had no illusions about where my folks stand on church issues; if the church says jump they say how high? It also helped me realize that picking a non-lds girl to marry would be essential in leaving that TBM world in the past and after reading the stories of heart break and broken families I'm glad I did. I look back at those times and think what a waste of time. Though it did open my eyes and saved my kids from a similar fate so maybe not such a waste after all.

Hopefully the shock these kids are about to get will have similar results but my guess is very few turn away and yes many will get hurt then blamed for being victim because OBVIOUSLY god only protects the worthy and obediant.