Why did I go on a mission? I was a freshman at YBU, and some of my ward members convinced me I should go.

Why did I go to YBU? I was a senior in HS and a ward member told me it's "the best university I could go to."

Why did I get married? All my siblings thought it was the best thing I could do.

IOW, I was totally letting other people make life decisions for me. It was a really long time before I put the brakes on and began making my own decisions.

PapaKen

PS, had I not followed this path, I would not have had my two kids (and now 6 little ones who call me "PapaKen"), nor would I have met my best friend. So .... no regrets.

In answer to mrzelph from the previous thread, I pretty much followed your timeline except I made elder at 19, at which time Dad asked if I wanted to go on a mission. I said NO...end of discussion. He knew I would have made a lousy missionary and he loved and respected me.

Ron Burr

I wished I had left the church and home at 18 and never looked back. The gift I have given to my kids (which they will never truly appreciate) is that they can grow up without the burden of the cult. I am still saddled with many of the poor life decisions I have made (by conforming to mormonism), but they will be free and happy.

That will be a legacy that only I truly comprehend and appreciate.

Very well said. I have had the same thoughts. My kids will never appreciate how my decision to leave will change their lives for the better. But I will.

I actually decided to go on a mission two months before I actually went. I was always envious of the talks that RMs would give and the strong testimonies that they had and so I decided I wanted that sure knowledge also. So upon arriving in the "great" Australia Sydney Mission the first thing my MP asked my MTC group was "why do you think you are here?" when I replied "in order to gain a testimony" he raked me over the coals, "Elder," he yelled, "You are here for one reason only, that is to BAPTISE!" So for 17 months that is what I strived to do, I worked hard, tried to become the robot that the zone leaders and AP's were, but I just couldn't keep it up, fast forward to 6 months left in my mission, I was demoted from senior companion to jr. companion and exiled to Cessnock (also known as outer darkness) with other "slack" companions, thats when I decided to channel my inner Walter Sobchak and just say "fuck it dude, lets go bowling" we went to drive in movies, (borrowing our landlady's car) bought music tapes,(Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen being my artists of choice) and never left the house except to chill with our branch mission leader or hang with the cooler members in the branch. to make things even weirder, my MP was sent home and disfellowshipped because he was a closet polygamist. he was going to be sealed to the sister missionaries and admonished them to not get married. to my astonishment, a large number of them bought into it. (this MP had a serious personality cult going) So, Tommy Monson and a few other GAs (including Loren C Dunn, my MPs brother in law) came in to clean up the mess.Anyway, I did my time, came home, and immediately went awol from the tscc. I tried for 30 years off and on to find that elusive testimony until just recently where again, I just want to say, "Fuck it dude, lets go bowling."



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2014 06:49AM by yankeedownunder.

Great story!

;o)

and told me about this MP some years ago. My therapist has been out of the lds church since his 20s.

I find it interesting that he was only disfellowshipped. Doing something like this while an MP. Seems like he got off easy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2014 09:55AM by cl2.

Damn, that'd make a fine talk in church, or an Ensign article! "fuck it dude, lets go bowling!" Or better yet Tommy gets up to the podium next month and raises his hands high and says "Hallelujah! I've finally had a revelation! The lord god did speak to me in loud angry words, and he did say to you via me "fuck it dude, lets go bowling!!" Confrence is dismissed.