LDS Proselyting in China?

[Bini]

Saw this rumoured on Facebook. Any official LDS church release on this?

[Guest]

Only Hong Kong. No change that I've heard of.

[RMGuy]

My understanding is that doing so in mainland China would be in violation of the law.

-RM

[Bini]

My understanding is that doing so in mainland China would be in violation of the law.

-RM

It is, currently.

To clarify, this is rumoured TO HAPPEN, it hasn't happened yet.

[skippy740]

I remember hearing that any missionaries in China were restricted to just service - teaching English for example. Can't back it up with any articles.

[Dravin]

It is a pretty common rumor that mainland China is just about to be opened up, enough so that I'm gonna wait until something comes through an official channel before I get worked up about it.

[Guest]

HongKong and Macau only.

[BenRaines]

Over ten years ago we had a missionary serving in Cayman Islands whose brother was serving in Mongolia. His mission was to teach English. If asked he could tell what his calling was and explain more about the LDS Church.

For many years there have been missionaries in Cuba too. Most are from Mexico and they are mostly health missionaries. Can teach there too on request.

Ben Raines

[pam]

Now Bini..do you really believe all the rumors passed around on facebook? :)

[Bini]

Now Bini..do you really believe all the rumors passed around on facebook? :)

You have a point, though, there was an article attached to the Fb link and made me question.. But since I posted OP, someone left a comment on the Fb saying it's a hoax. Sounds like it is.

[prisonchaplain]

I used to work with a mission agency that primarily provided English teachers to China. It was an open secret that 90% of the English teachers (native speakers) were there under some type of Christian impulse to serve. How open they could be in their conversations depended on the area. This was over 20 years ago. I'm still hearing that urban and southern areas are easier, while northern and rural areas require more discretion.

My sense is that Evangelicals who take this role are more willing to "bend" the rules against "personal evangelism" (proselytizing) than LDS would be.

[Traveler]

It is not uncommon for very high government officials in China to send their children to BYU Hawaii for their college education. It is also not uncommon for LDS missionaries to take "temporary" visits across the borders from Hong Kong into communist territories.

I was also involved with a very high government official of Red China that was converted to the Church and was seeking asylum in the USA - fearing for his life. He disappeared and I have not heard anything of him for over 5 years. Some things he told me personally about China are quite fighting and disturbing - to me China is schizophrenic. I do not know what to believe - I do not know weather to be optimistic or pessimistic. But as I review the 200 years of history of China - they have good reason to be much more concerned with us than we have to be concerned of them.

The Traveler

[Wingnut]

Nothing in the LDS Newsroom.

[NeuroTypical]

My sense is that Evangelicals who take this role are more willing to "bend" the rules against "personal evangelism" (proselytizing) than LDS would be.

That aligns with stories I've heard as well. In fact, it's one thing I admire about evangelical missionaries. Cool stories about smuggling bibles into places, bluffing their way past guards with machine guns, etc - I just want to be there at the judgment seat to hear the stories and cheer.

Of course I understand my church's stated methods - we go where we're wanted, and if we're not wanted, we find various aboveboard ways to build trust and transparency with people who can change the answer. But when was the last time you saw a good Chuck Norris movie about how he attended parliament meetings and sponsored scholarships until the bad guys finally let the poor orphans get rescued?

[prisonchaplain]

"Smuggling Bibles" is a great example. Back in the 1980s it was against the policy of the People's Republic of China to allow the importation of Bibles. However, it was not against the law for foreigners to bring Bibles into China. So, if you brought Bibles into China you were not violating any laws. However, if the customs agent discovered that you had Bibles with you s/he would confiscate all but one (for personal use), and give you a receipt, so you could retrieve your Bibles from quarantine once you left the country. Roughly 5 out of 6 "mules" went through without discovery, so it was a small way that foreigners visiting Hong Kong could help the local churches in China. BTW, it should be noted that all of this was more than 10-years before Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty. Going from Hong Kong to China meant crossing a national border. So, I'm sure things are quite different today.

[batesluxury]

So.....I attend a Chinese Branch and one of the missionaries has heard from people who have heard of this happening, whether it be a mission call that begins in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Melbourne, and then at a later date, includes Mainland China. The missionary is skeptical though, as we all should be.

Also, 2 weeks ago, my Dad told me that when he was attending a Priesthood Leadership meeting at Stake Conference (Utah, USA area), that his stake president shared this:

When he, the stake president, was attending a conference of of many stake presidents, one of them said that a young man received his mission call, but instead of listing a location on the letter from the First Presidency, it listed a phone number the missionary was to call. He called it and was connected to President Monson who told him that sometime during his 2 year mission, he would be serving in Mainland China.

Other rumors include mission calls for 3 years, as that is typical for opening a country, as opposed to 18-24 months.

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses (or horse's mouths) shall my word (rumor) be established."

Even if China is opening to service-only missionaries, that is considerable progress for the Church's proselytizing of the world.

Holla or, if you speak Pinyin, How li.

所以.....我参加中国的分公司的传教士听到的人谁听说过这种情况发生，不管它是使命召唤，开始在台湾，香港，或墨尔本，然后在以后的日子，包括中国内地。

此外，2个星期前，我的爸爸告诉我，当他出席一个圣职领导人会议在支联会大会（犹他，美国地区），他的支联会会长分享了这个项目：

时，支联会会长，他参加一个会议的许多支联会会长，其中一人说，一个年轻的男子接受了他的使命召唤，但不是从第一总统在信上列出的位置，它列出了电话号码传教士是打电话。他称这是连接到孟荪会长告诉他，他2年的任务期间的某个时候，他会是服务于中国大陆。

其他传闻，包括使命召唤3年，因为这是典型的开放的国家，而不是18-24个月。

“在口的两个或三个证人（或马的嘴巴）我的字（谣言）。”

即使中国开放服务只有传教士，教会的传教活动的世界是相当大的进展。

Holla的，如果你讲的是拼音，李宅。

Edited December 10, 2012 by batesluxury

[batesluxury]

So.....I attend a Chinese Branch and one of the missionaries has heard from people who have heard of this happening, whether it be a mission call that begins in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Melbourne, and then at a later date, includes Mainland China.

Also, 2 weeks ago, my Dad told me that when he was attending a Priesthood Leadership meeting at Stake Conference (Utah, USA area), that his stake president shared this:

When he, the stake president, was attending a conference of of many stake presidents, one of them said that a young man received his mission call, but instead of listing a location on the letter from the First Presidency, it listed a phone number the missionary was to call. He called it and was connected to President Monson who told him that sometime during his 2 year mission, he would be serving in Mainland China.

Other rumors include mission calls for 3 years, as that is typical for opening a country, as opposed to 18-24 months.

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses (or horse's mouths) shall my word (rumor) be established."

Even if China is opening to service-only missionaries, that is considerable progress for the Church's proselytizing of the world.

Holla or, if you speak Pinyin, How li.

所以.....我参加中国的分公司的传教士听到的人谁听说过这种情况发生，不管它是使命召唤，开始在台湾， 香港，或墨尔本，然后在以后的日子，包括中国内地。

此外，2个星期前，我的爸爸告诉我，当他出席一个圣职领导人会议在支联会大会（犹他，美国地区），他的支联 会会长分享了这个项目：

时，支联会会长，他参加一个会议的许多支联会会长，其中一人说，一个年轻的男子接受了他的使命召唤，但不是 从第一总统在信上列出的位置，它列出了电话号码传教士是打电话。他称这是连接到孟荪会长告诉他，他2年的任 务期间的某个时候，他会是服务于中国大陆。

其他传闻，包括使命召唤3年，因为这是典型的开放的国家，而不是18-24个月。

“在口的两个或三个证人（或马的嘴巴）我的字（谣言）。”

即使中国开放服务只有传教士，教会的传教活动的世界是相当大的进展。

Holla的，如果你讲的是拼音，李宅。

[batesluxury]

So.....I attend a Chinese Branch and one of the missionaries has heard from people who have heard of this happening, whether it be a mission call that begins in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Melbourne, and then at a later date, includes Mainland China. The missionary was skeptical though, as we all should be.

Also, 2 weeks ago, my Dad told me that when he was attending a Priesthood Leadership meeting at Stake Conference (Utah, USA area), that his stake president shared this:

When he, the stake president, was attending a conference of of many stake presidents, one of them said that a young man received his mission call, but instead of listing a location on the letter from the First Presidency, it listed a phone number the missionary was to call. He called it and was connected to President Monson who told him that sometime during his 2 year mission, he would be serving in Mainland China.

Other rumors include mission calls for 3 years, as that is typical for opening a country, as opposed to 18-24 months.

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses (or horse's mouths) shall my word (rumor) be established."

Even if China is opening to service-only missionaries, that is considerable progress for the Church's proselytizing of the world.

Holla or, if you speak Pinyin, How li.

所以.....我参加中国的分公司的传教士听到的人谁听说过这种情况发生，不管它是使命召唤，开始在台湾， 香港，或墨尔本，然后在以后的日子，包括中国内地。

此外，2个星期前，我的爸爸告诉我，当他出席一个圣职领导人会议在支联会大会（犹他，美国地区），他的支联 会会长分享了这个项目：

时，支联会会长，他参加一个会议的许多支联会会长，其中一人说，一个年轻的男子接受了他的使命召唤，但不是 从第一总统在信上列出的位置，它列出了电话号码传教士是打电话。他称这是连接到孟荪会长告诉他，他2年的任 务期间的某个时候，他会是服务于中国大陆。

其他传闻，包括使命召唤3年，因为这是典型的开放的国家，而不是18-24个月。

“在口的两个或三个证人（或马的嘴巴）我的字（谣言）。”

即使中国开放服务只有传教士，教会的传教活动的世界是相当大的进展。

Holla的，如果你讲的是拼音，李宅。

[pam]

I'm not sure I would say that's a substantiated rumor. You use the word rumor and until something comes officially from the Church headquarters that's exactly what it is.

Plus I have a really difficult time believing that calls would be going directly to President Monson.

[Vort]

So.....I attend a Chinese Branch and one of the missionaries has heard from people who have heard of this happening, whether it be a mission call that begins in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Melbourne, and then at a later date, includes Mainland China. The missionary is skeptical though, as we all should be.

Also, 2 weeks ago, my Dad told me that when he was attending a Priesthood Leadership meeting at Stake Conference (Utah, USA area), that his stake president shared this:

When he, the stake president, was attending a conference of of many stake presidents, one of them said that a young man received his mission call, but instead of listing a location on the letter from the First Presidency, it listed a phone number the missionary was to call. He called it and was connected to President Monson who told him that sometime during his 2 year mission, he would be serving in Mainland China.

Other rumors include mission calls for 3 years, as that is typical for opening a country, as opposed to 18-24 months.

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses (or horse's mouths) shall my word (rumor) be established."

Even if China is opening to service-only missionaries, that is considerable progress for the Church's proselytizing of the world.

Holla or, if you speak Pinyin, How li.

所以.....我参加中国的分公司的传教士听到的人谁听说过这种情况发生，不管它是使命召唤，开始在台湾，香港，或墨尔本，然后在以后的日子，包括中国内地。

此外，2个星期前，我的爸爸告诉我，当他出席一个圣职领导人会议在支联会大会（犹他，美国地区），他的支联会会长分享了这个项目：

时，支联会会长，他参加一个会议的许多支联会会长，其中一人说，一个年轻的男子接受了他的使命召唤，但不是从第一总统在信上列出的位置，它列出了电话号码传教士是打电话。他称这是连接到孟荪会长告诉他，他2年的任务期间的某个时候，他会是服务于中国大陆。

其他传闻，包括使命召唤3年，因为这是典型的开放的国家，而不是18-24个月。

“在口的两个或三个证人（或马的嘴巴）我的字（谣言）。”

即使中国开放服务只有传教士，教会的传教活动的世界是相当大的进展。

Holla的，如果你讲的是拼音，李宅。

The story fails the sniff test. If the First Presidency really and truly wanted to call someone to "secretly" preach in China -- which is a blatant violation of our own professed standard of "coming in the front door" -- they would not send postal mail with a cryptic comment to dial a secret telephone number. This sounds more like a Hollywood cloak-and-dagger B movie. If the First Presidency actually wanted to call an 18- or 19-year-old missionary to such a position, they would talk to him in person, or at least send the young man's stake president to tell him about it.

Sorry for raining on the parade. (Well, not too sorry.)

[Just_A_Guy]

That direct-line-to-first-presidency thing has been floating around since 1998 at least. I heard it as a freshman at BYU.

[Guest]

. . . and there were 3 warriors standing behind him that made the bad guy run away, but no one else saw them.

[Guest]

. . . and then the virginal young girls jumped out the windows of the temple into the Great Salt Lake to swim away to freedom, away from their icky old husbands.

[pam]

. . . and then the virginal young girls jumped out the windows of the temple into the Great Salt Lake to swim away to freedom, away from their icky old husbands.

Really? Now that's one LONG jump.

[Guest]

Really? Now that's one LONG jump.

Yeah, that's one of my favorites. Told by someone who had obviously never been to SLC.