Hello, as you may have guessed from the title I will detail as often as occasion will permit what a Mormon or LDS mission is really like. In no way is this a Pro Mormonism blog, neither will it be a anti Mormonism blog, this is simply a method of telling my story and what it's like.
To give you some sort of semblance of a preface, I grew up in a Mormon family. My extended family are members, my immediate family are, everyone within the family are members. Total Mormon culture. I grew up with this culture, and for a time I thought everyone went to church like I did. I was taught as usual by Sunday school teachers and by the leaders. Looking back upon this, I don't notice anything unusual about what was being taught, or about how things operated, it's likely I don't remember the all the little details. Things changed as I got older, and became a teen. As with most people I hope, there is a little bit of resistance to their parents teachings. From what I see this is normal, and expected. I was rebellious in that I broke my parents rules behind their backs, all, the, time. What I did do isn't important, got into trouble with friends, experimented with things and life goes on.
The pressure started when I was a senior in highschool... For those who were not of mormon 'lineage', there's a certain pressure for a young man, (and oft' times a young women) to serve a full two year mission. Almost as a 'coming of age' trial.
It was expected that I go, and up until that point in time I was not a clean mormon. I broke rules all the time without anyone else knowing. A mission would seriously change things, but I went regardless. I knew better than to want to go another way, it would be odd if I didn't go and I knew I would almost be shunned in a way I can't explain. Really, I didn't want to go, however I knew of no other way to get on with life. I had already deferred my education until 2019, I couldn't spend two years with my parents like that.
Overall, I never wanted to go. I would have rather gone straight to college. I went because I was pressured to, and I didn't know any other way. I will not say I won't have good positive experiences, or that this is necessarily an evil practice. But I won't say that a mission is always the right way to go...
Disclaimer: As of October 28th 2017 I am still on my mission. I will NOT be able to update or respond to comments every single day. Missionaries from the church of Jesus christ of Latter day saints get very little contact with the world. I will write what I will write and there will be hard things in here, sarcasm, and many broken mission rules.
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