jguazu

Thank you! That's answered a lot of my queries. Though it's still a mystery why the Mormon church here is without windows - seriously, it's like a big concrete block! I always thought there was some reason to it! I think I may attempt to chat to the Mormon guys next time I see them then - I had the impression before that they may only speak to their Mormon partner or to people who they want to convert. The 10% tithe thing still worries me - I think even if it's voluntary there must be social pressure to give, and that amount would be huge to the average Paraguayan. Does this money go only to the church, or is it to charities or something?

Hi, just signed up here because I'm curious about a few things to do with Mormon missionaries (and the only info I can find out from googling seems to either be ex-Mormons complaining about it or the official missionary rules - which I doubt anyone could completely adhere to). Anyways, I live in Asunción, Paraguay, and work near a house a house where missionaries live and, as my route home takes me past the Mormon church, I frequently end up being on the same bus as a pair of Mormon guys - seeing them so often has kind of sparked my curiosity about what they do. So, what's the success rate like for these missions? I mean, do many local people ever actually end up joining the LDS church? How many locals would a missionary be expected to convert, and is there some kind of target that they're supposed to reach? What sort of people are "targeted" by the missionaries? Are non-religious people more likely to sign up, or do they focus on people who are already practising a faith? I've read that Mormons have to pay a certain percentage of their income to the church (I think it's called "tithes" or something) - if that is correct, then are Mormons in lower-income countries like Paraguay also expected to pay? Considering how low the average wage is here, it seems a bit cruel if they have to. I like talking to foreigners living in my country, especially English-speakers (I like to practise and there aren't many of them here) - seeing as I see these guys most days, would it be weird if I spoke to them? Are they allowed to make friends with locals or would it just make an awkward situation if I introduced myself? And finally...why does the Mormon church here have no windows? Is there some special reason for this? We live in a hot and sunny place, so it's strange for a building to be so "closed". Thanks for any answers. I apologise if anything I said sounds critical of Mormons - English isn't my first language and I don't mean to be accidentally offensive :). I haven't looked around this forum, so maybe there's already answers to these - if so, just point me to the right direction. Gracias.