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.
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.
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