One of our granddaughters returned home after 7 months. Of her mission. She had amazing experiences
as she served as a church service missionary to complete her 18 months at home. She became very close to the other service missionaries, and gave a wonderful returned missionary talk in her ward when her time was complete. She is a confident college grad now, married with a bright future!
David C Hobson, BS, DDS, MSMarch 18, 2026
I am an early return missionary. When I served, I simply didn't have the emotional strength to deal with the regular rejections incurred during knocking on doors! Which is how most of my time was spent. I recently made a visit to the chapel in Canada which was the appointed gathering place any time a visiting church authority visited. When I attended a sacrament meeting there, I started getting choked up, and by the time the meeting was half way through, I was visibly sobbing. And had no clue what was going on. As I thought about things further, I realized that 63 years before, President Henry D Moyle had stood at that pulpit and clearly stated that no missionary will ever rise to a greater height in his life than he does on his mission. I was feeling like a failure at the time, and that thought had lain there in my subconscious for over 60 years! In researching the internet, Moyle made that statement widely during his time in the first presidency when speaking to missionaries. I've obtained bachelors, masters, and doctoral degees. I've been blessed financially over my life. I've been successful in many other areas of endeavor. And I'm still struggling to come to terms with the conflicts created by Moyle's statement those many years ago! This comment is not intended for publication, but I'm open to talking with anyone interested in the topic. I don't believe that my experience is unique, and would like to contribute to others who are also struggling with an early return.
Elder Russell CannonMarch 18, 2026
Many missionaries that need to come home early take advantage of the opportunity to transfer home as a service missionary. They can complete their 24 or 18 months while still living at home. Their schedule can be flexible to accommodate doctors and counseling appointments. They continue to help others come into Christ by serving them with loving kindness as the savior would.
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L.S.March 19, 2026
One of our granddaughters returned home after 7 months. Of her mission. She had amazing experiences as she served as a church service missionary to complete her 18 months at home. She became very close to the other service missionaries, and gave a wonderful returned missionary talk in her ward when her time was complete. She is a confident college grad now, married with a bright future!
David C Hobson, BS, DDS, MSMarch 18, 2026
I am an early return missionary. When I served, I simply didn't have the emotional strength to deal with the regular rejections incurred during knocking on doors! Which is how most of my time was spent. I recently made a visit to the chapel in Canada which was the appointed gathering place any time a visiting church authority visited. When I attended a sacrament meeting there, I started getting choked up, and by the time the meeting was half way through, I was visibly sobbing. And had no clue what was going on. As I thought about things further, I realized that 63 years before, President Henry D Moyle had stood at that pulpit and clearly stated that no missionary will ever rise to a greater height in his life than he does on his mission. I was feeling like a failure at the time, and that thought had lain there in my subconscious for over 60 years! In researching the internet, Moyle made that statement widely during his time in the first presidency when speaking to missionaries. I've obtained bachelors, masters, and doctoral degees. I've been blessed financially over my life. I've been successful in many other areas of endeavor. And I'm still struggling to come to terms with the conflicts created by Moyle's statement those many years ago! This comment is not intended for publication, but I'm open to talking with anyone interested in the topic. I don't believe that my experience is unique, and would like to contribute to others who are also struggling with an early return.
Elder Russell CannonMarch 18, 2026
Many missionaries that need to come home early take advantage of the opportunity to transfer home as a service missionary. They can complete their 24 or 18 months while still living at home. Their schedule can be flexible to accommodate doctors and counseling appointments. They continue to help others come into Christ by serving them with loving kindness as the savior would.
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