Is there any Former LDS Missionaries out there on this site ?

Has anyone as an Illegal Immigrant served as an LDS missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For those of you that did not know what I meant by LDS.


Since My friends plans on serving a mission he will most likely leave sometime next Spring 2012 but he is worried about leaving since his Bishop told him that he DID NOT Have to Leave the States if he did Not want to.

But He has not told him that he is an Illegal Immigrant because he Lied When he got baptized in the LDS church a while ago because he felt shame/embarrassed when he had to tell whoever was filling out the application his Place of Birth. HE just is reluctant to let others know that he is NOT AMERICAN by Birth that he does not have Legal Status in the USA. and does not want anyone to know within the church yet. He is unsure of how to talk about this matter since well He wants to go and I told him well I don't really know too much so talk to whoever is in charge.

The Reason for HIM Serving a 2 YR LDS Mission is that
Currently his family petition through 245i has not come through since it takes between 10-15 yrs. And its only been 10 yrs since his Uncle petitioned for his father. And by leaving for 2 yrs it might help ease the burden of his problems and worries by going somewhere else. He turns 19 next march and plans on leaving on March 2012.

Will it be safe for him to travel within the USA by Train or Bus if the church decides that method of transportation. What should he do.
Any INFO WOULD HELP.

Please Be courteous and nice with your answers and NO RELIGIOUS BASHING .
Sorry about the long post.

I was about 2 years away from serving a mission. Looking at things, I don't think i would have been able to, considering that you have to travel and might have to drive a car as a missionary, a valid U.S. ID is essential. It's difficult to be honest, but I would say that if he doesn't want to expose himself, he needs to just say he doesn't want to serve a mission, or he needs to tell the Bishop exactly what is going on with his status and maybe tell him to ask what the Church's policy is on having undocumented people serve missions. I wouldn't have him sign up and ready to leave and then have someone ask for his ID or fall in a situation were he needs to show an ID and have him go through the embarrassment then.

If he decides to be honest about his status, I've also heard of people being able to serve their missions locally in their city, or a nearby city.

Huh, this is interesting. My younger brother is LDS and is planning on going on his mission in a couple years.

I didn't know you had an option to choose whether you wanted to leave the states or not. If he could stay here that would be great. We're assuming if they let him out of the country, when he tries to get back after his mission he won't be allowed back in the U.S. and will be sent back to our home country.

Also, undocumented immigrants get 'driving privilege cards' here in Utah. I doubt that counts in any other states but we'll see. Any information from anyone would be appreciated.

Being illegal and being a member of a cult. Double Whammy!!!

I am a former lds missionary. I served in the east coast. There is nothing wrong with being undocumented and being a missionary, especially in our situation. I told my bishop exactly what my situation was and he understood perfectly well. My brother did the same also. Furthermore, the general authorities of the church were fully aware also. The church will make accomodations in regards to the method of travel. They will also make sure the mission call is inside the states (unless there's an extreme need of him outside the country, which is highly unlikely).

Make sure the bishop knows. The worst thing he can do is turn in his mission papers without the bishop knowing about it. Is it a spanish ward or an english ward? It worked for me, my brother, and many of my friends. It was an amazing experience. Let me know if you have more questions.

Quemiras,

Did you have to travel to any missionary training center in Utah? If so, was there concern about traveling across the country undocumented?

So Since he is in Houston TX. Will He be able to go to THE MTC in Provo Utah since his Bishop told him HE MIGHT NOT go to the MTC in Provo UT. But go to another training facility in another city since you have to be like 300 miles away in order to go to the MTC or something like that if you are ILLEGAL because of the Time it takes to get there plus every other hassle. Also if you have a State license from UT,NM.WA. Or the other states that give out licenses is it ok to drive a car by the church since you do have a licence but would that only be ok if you are able to serve in any of those states.