Just the other day I ran into a friend that used to live across the street from me. He has a wonderful wife and family and he has earned my respect. He has a son the same age as my missionary. Of course, the first thing he wants to know is how my missionary is doing. I'm getting better at explaining that my missionary is no longer a missionary. Of course, he was sorry and wanted to know more. During the course of our conversation I forwarded a guess that 10% of all missionaries are coming home early. He disagreed: He thinks the number is more like 20%!

I think 20% is high. My uncle was a mission president in Ireland; 17 missionaries left his mission early. If there are 53,000 missionaries world wide a 20% early return rate would mean a whopping 10,600 won't make it! That seems high to me. A ten percent rate would equate to 5,300, which is still a lot of missionaries. Let's say ten percent is the right number. If there are 360 missions, then each mission would see about 15 return earlier than expected in a two year period, which would mean 180 missionaries coming home every month, or 6 in transit every day of the month!

The real number would be interesting to know because it casts more light on a problem that could use a little more attention, in my humble opinion. Could some of these missionaries have been saved? Rather than send them home, is there not some way to keep them in the field in a productive capacity? It's a difficult question to answer; the details for each instance are as unique as the missionaries themselves. More on this later, but we're smart, inspired people. Surely there's an alternative.

As the various reasons for coming home early are ranked, are there really any that are better than others? Hardly. But "hardly" means there is a measurement that ranks one better than another. But hardly. If your missionary is coming home unexpectedly due to medical reasons perhaps that is better than were your missionary to come home for not being worthy of their position. But hardly better. Regardless, in each case there is much worry, heartache and disappointment.

Our missionary failed to fully prepare to serve. As a result, unworthy of the Spirit's help and unable to fully engage in the work, our missionary raised a hand after two months in the MTC and one week in-country and told the mission president "I don't feel comfortable here." 

A man or woman's confessions to their religious leader is strictly confidential. What is confessed is between those who have transgressed and the Lord's representative. Unless your missionary shares with you what has happened, you're pretty much left in the dark. In our case, we only knew our missionary was home for not being worthy to serve the Lord, and that's all we know.

Is that enough to know? Do you really have to know the details? Yes and no. Yes, because then I am better able to defend my missionary from additional temptation, perhaps. Then I am able to foster an environment that strengthens and encourages righteous desires. No, because knowing doesn't change the end result. Knowing means I know and I'm not one hundred percent sure I can keep that information from leaking into the ward's Facebook connections. In some ways I would rather not know. The debate has no right or wrong answer, which makes it all the more frustrating.

So, my missionary is home and I don't know why. After the interview with the Stake President, after the subsequent interview with the Bishop, my missionary sits on my couch in my house rather than in the "mission field". So many broken pieces on the ground and I'm the only one left to pick them up.