Too often we as members tend to treat
missionaries like children. Because we assume many missionaries are immature
goof-offs, many members do and say things that denigrate the missionaries,
their work, and their devotion to building the Kingdom of God. We aren’t always
willing to do our part to help the missionary work go forward. The missionaries
are often too nice to tell us what we are doing wrong, but there are at least 5
things the members do which many missionaries wish they would stop. Changing
these attitudes and habits would do much make their lives easier, and help the
work to progress unhindered.
One: STOP Treating the Missionaries Like Children
Members generally love the
missionaries, but even the ones who love them the most can occasionally be kind
of patronizing. They often forget that the missionaries they love so much are
legally (and also in terms of emotional, and intellectual maturity) adults. They
often just want to joke or play around with the missionaries, and they can’t
understand why a missionary may not always want to goof around with them. Many
who have children who go on missions often forget that their child is in fact
no longer a child. They send them care packages filled with candy (which they
love) and toys, which they cannot use and they don’t have the space to store or
transport. Moreover, certain toys are often banned in the mission because they tend to
distract missionaries from the work. However, my main objection has to do with
the fact that sending toys to a missionary just shows that many people do not truly
consider their missionary to be a responsible adult, and in their minds he or
she is still a kid.