more than one mission?

[firehotemily]

hi my name is Emily and i was wondering if there was any way when your 21 that you can go on another mission after the 1st one? or is that not allowed? because i would like to go on multiple missions. i'm only 16 right now but i'm trying hard to be worthy of going on a mission when i get older, i just want to do another mission after my first one, not when i'm old person, is that possible? if not who do i talk to after my first mission to ask for another one? not just to extend my mission...just wonderin we just brought up the subject of missions in seminary and my seminary teacher said that we can't do more than one when your younger, but i just want to make sure...and if you have any conference or book references or LDS website references about your answer that would be very much appreciated...lol sorry i just want to make sure for certain.

Thanks you guys are the best

peace

[Hemidakota]

Yes but would require a First Presidency approval. A couple was released from their eight time in serving a mission.

Welcome to the forum my sister and pray this will be an great adventure for you.

Edited February 10, 2009 by Hemidakota

[Dr T]

I didn't look but how did u guess fire hot emily was a guy?

[tubaloth]

Sisters (girls) get to wait until they are 21 until they can go on a mission. Its for 18 months so you are almost 23 when you get back.

I don't see how a sister would ever get an extention.

How about you wait until after the first mission to figure out if you want to do it again. But even more after a mission you have a new mission of getting married!

[Madriglace]

The only multiple missions are the senior couples. The youg missionaries need to come home and start their life mission ... family. One can ask to be part of the ward mission or they now have missions where you live at home and serve in a ward close by.

[Guest tomk]

Emily:

First of all -- love your enthusiasm and desire to serve the Lord. Wow.

Second -- culturally it's not the same for the sisters as it is for the guys. All young men are pretty much expected to go. Not true for sisters.

I don't think they encourage return missionaries, guys or girls, to go back out again right after returning home. Once a missionary returns home -- it's time to think about finishing school and finding a suitable eternal companion. That is where your focus should be, and that is where you can do the MOST GOOD as far as serving the Lord and showing your love to Him.

For everything there is a season.

That would be my advice to you.

I have no direct stewardship over you -- so this would probably be a good question for your Bishop when you get back from your first mission. You can't even think of serving a second mission until you've served a first mission -- so I would not even worry about it until then. :)

But again, thank you for your enthusiasm and love for the Lord. You made my day.

Might I add this thought -- after you get home, find your eternal companion, and start a family -- those children that come to you will be the ones you are now teaching -- fulltime -- both by your words, but also by your example. That will be your fulltime mission for the rest of their lives.

Your missionary work will never end after you get home. It will just take a new form, and, if anything, will involve more of your time, energy, and effort than your full time mission ever did. :)

Tom

Edited February 11, 2009 by tomk

[Guest tomk]

A good point that was brought up -- we are all supposed to be member missionaries, anyway. We should all be full time finders:

Elder Bednar reminded all of us of this mission in a recent Conference talk:

"We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!

If you and I would truly pray and ask in faith, as did Joseph Smith—if we would pray with the expectation to act and not just to express—then the work of proclaiming the gospel would move forward in a remarkable way."

taken from:

LDS.org - Ensign Article - Ask in Faith

Tom

[firehotemily]

hmm okay thaaanks u guys ^-^

u ppl rock

[StallionMcBeastly]

It's awesome that you want to be a sister missionary. I wish more would!

[skippy740]

firehotemily,

I applaud your enthusiasm. But let me share with you a couple of points that you may not have thought about:

1) From now (you're 16) till the time you're 21, you will grow and mature at a rapid rate. That's FIVE years! You just might find SOMEONE during that time. (Yes, you can have him wait for you... but our young women are counselled on marriage before mission.)

2) If you're doubting #1 as far as maturity (you may already think you're mature), I've scanned all the posts you've made. You're all over the place girl! And you're supposed to be. You're 16.

3) If you still doubt #1, I'm going to pay you a compliment: You are a very attractive young lady (assuming that your photo is actually you). I have no doubt that you are able to get the attention of other young men in your ward/stake. I met my wife before I left on my mission. She was 17 at the time (18 the following week) and I left on my mission 6 months later. (I left when I was 21.) She waited for me and now we have a great family with 3 kids.

4) It's also not unheard of (but very much frowned upon) that you might find "Elder Right" in the mission field! You're supposed to "lock your heart" on your mission, but it DOES happen!

If you were a couple years older (as in over 18), I'd try to set you up with my brother! (He's a returned missionary living with my parents in Riverside.)

So, slow down. Enjoy this time in your life. The uncertainties are plentiful, but you have plenty of time to sort through them.

Are you working so you can set money aside for your mission?

[Wingnut]

As others have said, you won't be able to go on a mission in the first place until you are 21 years old. Years ago, I had heard that women can serve multiple missions as often as they want until they marry. I don't know if that is accurate or not, however. It was a rumor mill kind of thing.

As others have also said, wait to make that kind of decision until you get home from a mission. It is very rewarding, but it is also very hard and sometimes even taxing on the soul. There is great spiritual growth, but it sometimes comes from great spiritual testing.

I wasn't trunky while I was in the field, but by the time I got home, I was so ready to get back to a social life. I wasn't searching for a husband right away, but I was anxious to get back to Institute, YSA activities, dances, pizza and movie nights with friends.

Work on preparing yourself first for your first mission. Don't try to prepare yourself for a second and third before you ever get out there in the first place. When you return home, if it is still a desire, then counsel with your bishop at that time. I'm guessing he'll probably discourage it. He'll advise you to re-integrate back into the world and begin searching for a husband (especially if you live west of the Rockies). A year or more after you get home, if you still have desires to serve another mission, talk with him again and find out if it even is a possibility at all. Maybe you could be called on a local service mission as a compromise.

Finally, you're 16 years old. Don't get too caught up in the rest of your life just yet. Enjoy your now.

[Cra-Z]

I assume your leaders would discourage a second one, just as nowadays men usually can't go on a mission after 25. Just take it one day at a time and live it up. Live Elder Bednar's counsel to be a missionary now. You'll be greatly blessed. :-)

[OnMyMission]

I personally met 2 sisters on my mission who were both serving their 2nd missions. They were from southern Italy serving up north. Seems like the church had no problem letting them serve multiple missions. The mission certainly needed all the natives they could get!