I was surprised and confounded to read your comments about administrative problems and “unpious” missionaries. I knew of a couple of “bad” missionaries but never heard of zone leaders making companion changes. With regard to dedication and hard work, yes, there were a few “cruisers” but their companions usually moderated that. My experience, working with scores of Elders, was that the vast majority were dedicated to their work and followed the rules (especially considering the fact that these were 19-year-old kids who had grown up in the rebellious ’60s).

The “pious” issue – that an Elder was thrown into one camp or the other – simply wasn’t part of my missionary experience in Central America.

I haven’t been a practicing member of the church for many years (I’m even rather negative on religion as a whole), but I view my two years in the Central America Mission as one of the most positive spiritual and character-building experiences of my life.

Whenever my hard-boiled American cynicism threatens to get the better of me I just remember the faces of some very poor and humble Central Americans, Mormons and Catholic alike, to bring my feet back down to the ground.