This is very exciting to me! I really want to serve a mission with Susie one day. And for those not in the know, missions are expensive. The younger version of the missionary set pays a fixed $400 a month into the pot, regardless of where they serve, and, voila, they are good to go. $400 for living expenses is pretty reasonable these days (and the church will also help pick up the tab if necessary), so serving a missionary for a 20 year-old is, from a cost perspective, a slam dunk.
For the couple missionaries, however, the historical stance was that all costs are borne by the couple. This makes saving for a mission rather cumbersome, especially since retirement savings alone is a daunting task in a day of lower rates of return on investments and ballooning healthcare costs.
I'm elated to know that my housing will now be fixed! I'm elated to know that there is more flexibility on length of service (though I don't understand 23 months versus 24 months). I'm elated to see the Church doing something about all of this because it recognizes that, firstly, they WANT more couple missionaries and, secondly, they NEED more couple missionaries.
With a fixed cost set, I now can better get a handle on what a mission would cost and how to save for it! Yay!
Wed Sep 07 2011 06:20 Staples Easy button, Mormon style:
I just read the most interesting article: Link to LDS Newsroom