Times sure have changed since I was a young girl sitting in Sacrament Meetings.
I still recall watching a young woman in a smartly pressed plaid skirt and tear-stained face, stand to apologize to her parents she had been called to serve a mission. Back in the seventies it wasn’t deemed a good thing to be called, simply because it meant you still weren’t married by the ripe ol’ age of 22.
As time has marched on, the Saints have had to modify their missionary program in ways I’m sure has made them loosen neck ties to make breathing easier.
A few months ago I took notice of an article in Religion News Service who reported on the significant amount of missionaries who were returning home early. Here in part is what they said –
More Mormon missionaries are coming home early, study shows
Religion News Service September 26, 2018
“…fully one-third of Millennial Mormons who went out on a mission came home before their assigned time… In the Millennial generation, for example, 35% of female missionaries returned early, compared to 29% of male missionaries.” — Jana Riess
