My grandma sent me a package of 100% concentrated PTSD (AKA) my mission emails... more in comments

[deleted] · 25 points · Posted at 20:20:37 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

My grandma has no doubt been told by my parents that I haven’t attended church in almost 2 years. In her desperation she printed off all of my mission emails to help re-convert me. I pulled them out and nearly had my first ever panic attack. Instead of letting the church she power over my emotions I quickly dismissed my initial shaking and put it in the apartment dumpsters to go rot elsewhere. It’s been since April 2008 since I’ve served but I don’t think my hate for the mission will ever go away.

boyscout555 · 16 points · Posted at 20:35:17 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Shame on You! You should have disposed of them in

*A. Recycle Bin

*B. Hazardous Waste container

Some innocent kid could retrieve them and pass them around to their friends! They could be scarred for life !

Be Responsible man, put a wrapper on it!

[deleted] · 10 points · Posted at 20:38:54 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Haha I got half a mind to go get them and burn them now.

[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 22:07:51 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

[deleted]

Sanchastayswoke · 3 points · Posted at 06:34:21 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

Verrryy true

DrPockyy · 2 points · Posted at 22:29:18 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

Might I suggest a homegrown episode of, "Will It Blend?"

igsya · 2 points · Posted at 20:33:50 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

What do you hate about it? Other than the fact that you served two years of you life for a lie. Also, try and focus on the positives of your mission. Learning a new culture and decipline etc..

[deleted] · 15 points · Posted at 20:37:43 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

I had zero culture as I went to Arizona. I demanded my mission president to send me home after 6 months and he refused. I called my parents to bring me back because I hated it and they refused. After that I did everything I could think of to get sent home. I snuck out on my companion multiple times, drank, chewed apple Skoal and looked my president straight in the face and confessed all that to go home. He knew what I was trying to do and kept me out. If I had the confidence or skill with girls I would have tried to have sex. I continued to sleep in every day and be absolutely worthless because I didn’t believe in it but was still held hostage. Lookin back now I wish I would have run away and been homeless till I found a job.

igsya · 7 points · Posted at 20:47:49 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Sounds awful - no wonder you have bad memories of it. I'd have runaway too but if you had nowhere to go then I get why you kinda had to stay. You'd think they would have send you home after doing all that aha. Be glad that is in the past and you're your own person and do whatever you want to do.

[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 20:50:31 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Thanks. I’ve made a great recovery since :)

rt-reddit · 4 points · Posted at 21:01:35 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

He knew what I was trying to do and kept me out.

Maybe that would be a promising technique to do what you want on your mission. First say you want to go home, then do as you please and dare the MP.

Sorry you had such a shitty time, though.

high_n_bi · 3 points · Posted at 03:27:18 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

I would have had so much fun doing shit to get kicked back home

[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 08:23:34 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

Haha at one point I was out with all the “hardcore babysitters” I still slept in, took way longer lunches and all that and I actually got some of them to be as lazy as me.

svak · 1 points · Posted at 15:30:02 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

That’s a sure sign that the devil has hold of your heart! You feel guilty about breaking your covenants! Let the guilt wash over you and go yonder to the nearest priesthood holder for a blessing! Then Satan will relinquish his grasp upon you! Praise be! Under his eye!

X_Lazarus · 15 points · Posted at 21:16:42 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Your rebuttal should be a single sheet of paper with these two quotes on it:

1 Corinthians 13:11 — "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

"A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." —Muhammad Ali

[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 21:48:50 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

I love the second quote especially. Thanks for those

X_Lazarus · 5 points · Posted at 21:49:54 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

No problem!

dbear848 · 7 points · Posted at 20:23:31 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Luckily I went on my mission before the advent of email, so there is not much of a paper trail for me.

At the end of my mission, I got a book with all of the letters to my mission presidents. I ditched that so fast... It was bad enough living it for two years without having to reminisce.

[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 20:31:53 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Lucky. Mine will be saved electronically until both my parents and grandparents die.

EconMormon · 7 points · Posted at 21:43:44 on November 20, 2017 · (Permalink)

Same thing happened to me. All printed out and placed in a blinder with protective plastic sheets.

And at Christmas.... I had to keep a straight face of excitement and gratitude.

[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 04:02:40 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

That’s painful. What a shitty way to ruin Christmas.

Shubniggurat · 3 points · Posted at 02:57:50 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

My mom gave me a binder with all the letters I wrote as a missionary. I threw them out. Now there's no record at all. Some of that is a little sad - I wrote to my grandparents, all of whom are now deceased - but I'd rather lose that than be reminded so starkly of how awful being a missionary was for me.

LabansWidow · 2 points · Posted at 00:15:01 on November 22, 2017 · (Permalink)

I really need to burn my mission journal for the same reason.

Sanchastayswoke · 3 points · Posted at 06:43:17 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

Your story reminds me of one of my own.

It makes me sad to think back on my time in college as a TBM. I'd been writing a guy from home who was on a mission in AZ. One day, in the middle of his mission in AZ, he showed up at my front door in Utah. In a tee shirt & shorts, smiling and excited that he was surprising me. I was confused and saddened and I treated him so badly, I tried to make him understand that he was wrong for leaving his mission & I really didn't want anything to do with him anymore. I totally took the wind out of his sails. And what really sucks is that he was THE COOLEST guy, I really had a huge crush on him & was excited to have been writing him while he was away. I feel so so bad thinking about all that now, I wish I could get in touch with him & tell him that I'm proud of him for knowing that he wanted out...and for actually having the balls to make it happen. I know first hand how life alteringly difficult it is.

For what it's worth, I admire you for slacking off & trying to get sent home...for the simple fact that it shows that you knew it was important to be true to yourself.

[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 08:22:01 on November 21, 2017 · (Permalink)

Thanks for sharing that. It’s amazing how the church teaches one to be so cruel to those who go against the grain.