2014-01-09-Facebook-Ardis Parshall-B H Roberts

Ardis E. Parshall

Upon assuming presidency of the Eastern States Mission in 1922, reporting steps to rein in missionary debt: "You see I am taking steps to become a very unpopular President in the Mission." -- B.H. Roberts

January 9 at 12:27pm

• Kent Larsen

IIRC he was already quite a popular figure before this point.

January 9 at 1:04pm

• Julia Taylor

What kind of debts would a mission have?

January 9 at 1:14pm

• Kent Larsen

I suspect he is talking about the debts of the individual missionaries.

January 9 at 1:15pm

• Ardis E. Parshall

Yes, it was personal missionary debts. If they didn't get their checks from home on time, they might need to borrow cash to tide them over until the money came. They also had to pay personally for tracts and other missionary supplies they ordered, and sometimes they needed tracts before they had money to pay for them. (Aren't you glad the Church has been able to change that detail of missionary life?)

January 9 at 1:17pm