The Dec. 23, 2006 issue of Church News carries a short note, “No Foundation to China Rumor.” The rumor being put to rest maintains that people have received mission calls with the field of service left blank. A note allegedly told the recipient to call a phone number, and those who did were “patched through to Gordon B. Hinckley” and asked to serve a three-year mission in China. This rumor is untrue. (At least for now.) And not even that creative.
If you’re going to start a rumor, make it a little more interesting. How about a secret mission to Iran? Or better yet, a long-term mission for a new colony on Mars?
Anybody want a “Mormon Mission to Mars” T-shirt?
Wow, was that rumor still going around? I used to hear that at BYU in the 1980s.
I love the mission to mars idea. heehee,
When Russia opened to missionaries, the first batch in were indeed asked to serve 3 years there. The China rumor starter could have left out the blank destination and telephone patch to GBH and it would have been more believable.
Funny how rumors spread. When I was in the MTC I decided to do a little experiment. My district started chatting loudly about it being daylight savings next Saturday (this was September). Soon we overheard other missionaries debating it. The kicker was when, during the evening intercom announcements, the announcer stated “contrary to popular belief, Saturday IS NOT daylight savings. Please do not set your clocks back.” A little bit of chatting went clear to the top.
I was call to Canada but was sent to Utah Salt Lake City Mission. I felt like I was on another planet.
This is hilarious because just two weeks ago in our Relief Society’s lesson on the second coming, someone brought that rumor up (the old son of a co-worker’s friend …)
On the Russia opening, wasn’t it called Helsinki East Mission (where there is not much east of Helsinki). I’m guessing they’ll launch it from a neighbor (not Taiwan, though that would be funny). Mission calls wouldn’t be blank but to the nhat new mission, right?
My brother was living in the USSR when missionaries were first permitted to enter (Russian emersion program) and told me that the missionaries were not called to serve 3 years there.
I also knew a girl who was called to serve in the Helsinki East mission, Russian speaking, and she was called for 18 months (and ended up in Russia shortly after arriving in Finland).
Yeah, that identical rumor was going around when I was on mymission.
I fell suspect to that rumor only this last week. It was my Aunts neighbor; except when he called it was the mission president on the phone. Needless to say I spread it before doing some investigating. But it sounded so true! My aunt knew the family personally! Names and all! I think I will call my aunt out on it the next time I see her.