The mission age for young men changed from nineteen to eighteen in 2012 (and from twenty-one to nineteen for young women). My oldest daughter sent in her papers almost immediately after her nineteenth birthday, a few months after the age change, and served in Texas (where she, coincidentally, got to volunteer at a bike aid station for her father and brother as part of her mission work). A mission was wonderful for her. She keeps in close contact with many of her companions and touched the lives of many of the people she worked with. I am so glad that she interrupted college to take the time to serve in the church.
And yet, I do not think that a mission is the right thing for every young teen who believes in Mormonism. I don’t think it’s the right thing for my son right now. He hasn’t felt inspired to go.
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