LDS mission questions?

Question

::::IF YOU ARE HERE TO SAY MEAN THINGS OR CRITICISE PLEASE LEAVE::::

Okay, so I'm preparing to serve a mission. I'm a 20 year old female. I'm reading and praying and fasting more that I ever have in my life, but I still have some questions. They aren't really questions that can be answered by a book either... It's mostly LDS "common knowledge" but because no one is endowed in my family and obviously no one has served a mission I have a few questions.

1. How soon before you are 19/21 can you put your papers in?

2. How soon after you put in your papers can you expect your call?

3. How long is it between your call and when you leave?

4. How soon can you recieve your endowments? Before your papers/call?

5. If you could go back and prepare to serve again, what would you do differently?

6. If you could go back and serve again, what would you do differently?

7. What would you take with you that you didn't?

8. What would you have left home that you took with you?

Answer 1

I haven't read any of the other answers, but I saw that there were only 5, so I'll give it a shot.

1. I think you can a few months before you turn (in your case) 21.
2. I've heard within a few weeks, but I've seen it take as long as a few months.
3. It really just depends. I've seen one person submit papers and like 6 weeks later he was to report to the MTC. Another person they had like three months notice.
4. It's typically done as close to leaving for the MTC as possible. When I got mine (I haven't served a mission) I went through with another girl who was leaving for the MTC in like a week.
5. doesn't apply to me, but I've heard that missionaries never feel like they know the scriptures well enough, especially the Bible. Also, do you have your own copy of Preach My Gospel?
6.
7.
8.

I'll star your question and maybe some of my contacts have more accurate answers.
Congratulations on wanting to serve the Lord.

EDIT: As you can see, Will knows a lot about the church. He is an active member, who holds a calling ironically enough. But he doesn't believe it's true anymore. I'm sort of surprised to find out he went on a mission. Will is sort of an odd person amongst odd persons. While he never says anything that could be considered Anti-Mormon, he is nonetheless a member of a church he doesn't believe is 100% true. He doesn't have a testimony that the church is true. So please remember that when you read his answer.

Answer 2

I'm so excited for you that you have made the decision to serve a mission. I served in the Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission and it was the best thing I ever did. I received my mission call in about 3 weeks after I'd put in my papers and I left for the MTC about 2 months later. I believe you can receive your endowments before you get your call, i think i did...it's been so long it's hard remember! Your questions are all great questions. A piece of advice I'll give ya is when i first got into the mission field, my set of scriputres was a quad....which means the 4 books were all together...instead of have the triple combination and the bible seperatly. People would ask me all the time why my bible was so big! Then i would have to explain to them that i had all the books combined into one and they just didn't understand that, so i had my mom send me the triple combination of the B of M, Pearl of Great Price adn D&C together and then the Bible seperate...people didn't ask anymore why my bible was so big! So that's one thing i would have done differently when i first went out into the field. Other than that, i wouldn't have done anything differently that what I did. Remember this though, it is possible to obey the mission rules but still have fun as a missionary....I had one companion that thought if you were having fun then you weren't being a good missionary. How wrong was she!?!? Missionary work is alot of fun but also can be tough, but as long as you're obidient and prayerful, you'll be successful and have a wonderful mission. Be sure to tell all of us where you get called to serve!

Answer 3

Thank you, Tonya for starring the question for me to contribute. I am surprised by the answers from apostatized missionaries.
I served in Brazil from 1970 to 1972. I submitted my papers a couple months before I turned 19 and had my call on my 19th birthday with departure only one month later. My endowments were received two weeks prior to departure.
I was prepared for my mission by four years of seminary and a freshman year at BYU. I wouldn't change any of that. I would have changed some of my youthful mistakes but not my preparation. I didn't leave anything behind that I needed nor did I take anything extra that I should have left home.
As for serving differently, it is hard to say. I suppose the one thing I could have done differently, would have been to be more humble. My early companions felt that I was hard to get along with because I felt that I was right and they were wrong. The seniors did not respect their juniors and that rubbed me wrong. I told them so and the seniors decided that they could not get along with me thereafter. Ultimately, I prevailed and the seniors were reprimanded but I did examine myself to remake my image. I studied how I could come across more honestly without appearing to be proud or overbearing.
Now, to add my testimony as the other respondents have also done.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today. The gift of revelation is real. The Holy Ghost does testify to us of what is true and right. Prophets live and lead this Church. Each and every one of us is entitled to personal revelation to cover our own responsibilities. I have learned to pray with faith and sincerity for answers and know the answers when I get them. Follow the counsel in D&C 6, 8 & 9. These verses explain how to recognize revelation in answer to our prayers.
Serving others is the best way to strengthen your own testimoney while helping others to gain a testimony.
P.S. the quickest interview to mission I ever heard of was three weeks. A young man from Canada went to his bishop for a wedding interview and three weeks later he was serving a mission in Southern California. He was in my ward so I know this first hand.

Answer 4

First of all, don't bother responding to the anti's. They are not at all objective and are not interested in our explanations. In answer to your question, you are studying exactly what is needed. When you go on your mission you will be teaching the core basics of the gospel and nothing else. I would only focus on material that will reinforce that. If when you get out in the mission field your president wants you studying anything else he will let you know. Good luck on your mission!

Answer 5

Everything else seemed to be answered.
I'm a convert also and had to figure out a lot of stuff before I went on my mission.
Best thing to prepare: study, study, study! When you spend time in the scriptures the other things fall into place; i.e., faith (Rom 10:17), power when teaching (Alma 17:2-3), confounding false doctrines (2 Ne 3:12), etc....
I'm fortunate enough to be able to say that I pretty much gave it all I had throughout my mission. Work everyday like it's your last.

Answer 6

1. I think it's like 4-6 months before you reach the age of 19/21 (my oldest nephew was really excited to go on his and thus put his papers in as soon as he was allowed). Your bishop will be able to answer this question.

2. It usually depends on how far away from Salt Lake City you live and how long it takes for mail to go there and back (since the mission call goes directly to the prophet there). It's usually not more than a couple of weeks once it gets to Salt Lake City before a prospective missionary is issued their call.

3. This ties in somewhat with #1 (in how long before the 19th/21st birthday the papers are submitted). Usually, if you get them in well before your birthday, you'll be asked to report in not long after your birthday has passed, on an Wednesday and often the first one after your birthday (for example, my nephew's birthday is July 21st, and he reported to the MTC in Provo July 25th).

4. Yes, you can receivce your endowments prior to receiving your call, and I before before your papers are submitted (again, your bishop can help with the specifics - believe me, he won't mind your questions one bit!). You can also receive your endowments after receiving your call (for example, when one of my older brothers went on his mission, he actually went through the Provo Temple with our sister and brother-in-law right before reporting to the MTC, becase at the time we lived in Sacramento, California - prior to that temple being built and dedicated there - and the nearest temple for us was an hour and a half away in Oakland).

5 & 6. I think I'd ask a lot more questions than I did, both during the preperation period and when I served. There are some situations and dealings with other people that I would have handled if I'd had the benefit of 20/20 hindsight at the time.

7 & 8. I wouldn't have left anything, but I would have taken a bottle of consecrated oil and notes on how to administer priesthood blessings (I'd grown up in California in a ward with lots of high priests - people who'd served as bishops and stake presidency members - and moved to Utah - with lots of experienced Melchizedek Priesthood holders - just prior to going on my mission, so I'd never had any experience with administering a priesthood blessing before my mission, and have always rather wished that I'd learned beforehand so I could have handled the first one I gave better).

Answer 7

[1. How soon before you are 19/21 can you put your papers in?]

1. Up to 120 days. You can enter the MTC before your birthday too, as long as you turn 21 (19 for young men) before leaving for the field.


[2. How soon after you put in your papers can you expect your call?]

2. It is generally two Wednesdays from the time Salt Lake receives the application when they mail out the call. In UT/ID, you would generally receive it Wed or Thur, and the rest of the US and Canada would receive it Fri/Sat of the same week.


[3. How long is it between your call and when you leave?]

3. The shortest I have heard is 2 1/2 weeks, and the longest was 9 months. Generally speaking, if you're going stateside, it would be about 6 to 8 weeks, and if you're going foreign, Visa requirements generally require at least 3 mos. Canada, UK, and Australia are slightly faster, Western Europe is about 3-4 months, and almost everywhere else takes longer.


[4. How soon can you recieve your endowments? Before your papers/call?]

4. There is no specific requirement. For Young Men, you have to be a Melchizadek Priesthood holder (general rule is 18, but the minimum is 16... as long as you are a worthy Priest, you're eligible) first. For a female, they will allow it earlier than the 18th birthday for a wedding. For missions, though, most bishops and stake presidents will wait until your papers are submitted before giving you your temple recommend interview and allowing you to set up an appointment. So usually, it would be 2-3 weeks after you submit your papers, depending on bishop and temple schedules.


[5. If you could go back and prepare to serve again, what would you do differently?]

5. I would read up more on "lies people spread about the Church" before assuming that they are "lies people spread about the Church." You'd be surprised what has ACTUALLY happened in Church History (Joseph Smith's plural wives, for example). I already knew the Bible really well (I read the entire thing for the 2nd time during my first 4 months though, just to be sure), which is probably why I had such a positive and enlightening experience. Those missionaries who had read the BoM 5 or 6 times over (but not the Bible) generally struggled. I had read both (plus D&C, PoGP) multiple times and wouldn't change that.


[6. If you could go back and serve again, what would you do differently?]

6. Focus more on the personal spiritual development of the zone leaders, district leaders, and missionaries in the mission. As a church (and especially as a mission leader), we have an oft-counterproductive tendency to see everything as black or white (be it coffee, piercings, curfew, studies, etc) and by our actions, make God out to be a ruthless, calculating, exacting drill sergeant that cares about whether our caffeine is warm or cold and how many pieces our bathing suits are composed of. In the mission, this tendency goes even farther as to get missionaries to actually believe that the Holy Ghost won't attend them for the day if they roll out of bed at 6:33 instead of 6:29. I would relax and focus more on how each person was growing emotionally and spiritually. This would apply to the converts as well; I would stress less about baptisms (although my companions and I were generally quite successful at it) and concentrate more on people's well-being.


[7. What would you take with you that you didn't?]
[8. What would you have left home that you took with you?]

7. Bop-it
8. Nerf guns


At this time, I'd like to take this opportunity to bear you my personal and hard-won testimony that I know this church isn't true (although it sure is a great church). I know Joseph Smith wasn't a true prophet (although he sure was a great spiritual leader for most of his life, not to mention a likeable guy). I know that the Book of Mormon contains great principles to live by, even though Nephi and Moroni never existed. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt (and with every fiber of my being) that this isn't the one true restored kingdom of God on Earth (but it sure does help prepare prepare people to meet Him and His Kingdom). I am so grateful for the things I have learned in the Church, and also for the things I have learned outside of it. I love my family and I strive to live so that we can be together forever (even though it's not the LDS sealing power that makes it possible). I know that serving a mission was the right choice for me, because I never could have become who I am today (or learn the things I now know) without it. I haven't ever regretted it. Had I known then what I know now, I probably still would have gone.

Please know that no matter what other people might say, I know my testimony to be true. I have received personal confirmation of my convictions both by spiritual and physical means. Even though I am critical of several doctrines of the Church, I have never hated it as an organization, or its members as adherents. I honestly wish you the best and hope you will find the same happiness with your mission that I found with mine.

Best wishes,
Will

Answer 8

1. 3 months
2. 2-4 weeks
3. 1-3 months
4. Usually after your call
5. Learn more about other religions and the Bible.
6. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have gone.

Answer 9

Mtc.byu.edu

Answer 10

Do you have a subscription to the New Era?

The March 2007 New Era focuses on missionary preparation.

http://www.ldsmissionarymoms.com/missionprep/ has like a "check list" or whatever of what you should know/do before entering your papers...(I dunno i think it's for parents since it's lds missionary moms)

http://www.mtc.byu.edu/missionary/whattoknow.htm

This has lots of info