Rachel bounded to the front of the chapel and nearly skipped to the podium. Leaning close to the mic she said, “I have the most fantastic news ever! I’ve just been called to the Detroit, Michigan mission.” She raised both hands in the air in a victory pose, “And I am SO EXCITED. I can’t wait to serve the people of Michigan and I can’t wait to testify of Jesus Christ. I know I’ve been called there for a reason, I know the Lord loves me and I can’t wait to tell everyone how much He loves them too.” With a fist punch, she left the podium and returned to her seat. We live in a pretty reserved ward, but I’m sure I heard a few “Hallelujahs” as she walked down the aisle.
Despite Rachel’s enthusiasm, she later told me many people expressed sympathy about her call– “Detroit? Really? I’m so sorry.”
Another friend told me she was thrilled when she opened her mission call to South Dakota, but the teasing from her classmates in the BYU dorms left her in tears by the end of the evening. It made me recall a darling Elder whose girlfriend said, “I could never marry someone who went to South Dakota on a mission.” She was joking, but the words still stung. May I just say?– two of the finest young men I know are serving in South Dakota right now; one of the smartest boys I know, with the most innate language abilities was just called to Washington State, English speaking. And one of my favorite young women served at the Utah State Prison (she has stories!).
Somehow, the LDS community has the idea some missions are more prestigious than others; that kids who get called to foreign missions or at least foreign-speaking are smarter or more righteous.
The truth: the Lord needs outstanding missionaries everywhere. He needs them in Detroit and Oregon and South Dakota; he needs them in Russia and Madagascar and Italy. And let’s be honest, the Lord also needs to sprinkle his slightly less prepared missionaries all over the world too. He can’t lump them all in the same place.
As members, we need to support our missionaries wherever they are called. We need to express enthusiasm for their service, not the geography. It’s easy to see why native missionaries are necessary when you look outside of the United States. My sons who went to Russia and Italy said every prospective missionary dreamed of going to America. Yet many, more than half, were called to serve in their own country to strengthen local congregations, prepare to lead and to teach those American missionaries a proper accent.
When one of our friends received a call to Pocatello, ID, my returned missionary sons said, “He’s so lucky! He’ll actually get to teach people! And he’ll get fed like crazy. Missionaries can scarcely order a Subway sandwich without someone paying for their meal.”
Another friend told us he spent four months teaching in Pocatello while waiting for his visa to Brazil. He said those were the best months of his mission. He didn’t have to search for words, he related to people easily and he felt like he taught much more effectively. “I felt like a celebrity when I served in Pocatello. Everyone waved and smiled at me and told their kids to look to me as a role model.”
There are some distinct advantages of serving in your own country: your mom can send you packages or letters almost any time. When my son served in Italy we were asked to send no packages at all; only the native Italians received Christmas and birthday gifts. If your family lives in the same country as your mission, you can receive not only holiday packages, but baked goods and contact lenses and your favorite socks. You can write home on Monday and receive a letter responding to your words on Wednesday. If you’re in another country, well, you can email on Monday and read their response the next week and if there’s any sort of misunderstanding it will take three weeks to clear up.
Sorry. I’m getting a little carried away trying to talk about the advantages of serving locally; I don’t want to disparage other missions. In fact, I think we should also cease the habit of telling European-bound missionaries they won’t have any baptisms. And kids called to third-world countries that they’ll come home with a parasite. Every missionary needs our support and encouragement.
You’ve probably seen your fair share of mission call opening videos: the prospective missionary begins reading, there’s a hush in the room, and when they announce where they are going– wherever it may be– everyone bursts into shouts and applause. Let’s take that feeling and extend it to every missionary, every call. Wherever they serve, we are cheering for them.
What kind of response did you receive for your or your children’s mission calls?
How can we show love to all missionaries?
How can we remedy the false idea that foreign or foreign speaking missions are better?