NOM

From Facebook Mormon stories Podcast community

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My son on a mission in Jamaica told us that as of today the missionaries are no longer allowed to ride bicycles. He also mentioned that this is a world wide mandate. All missionaries will be either walking or they will have a car. Has anyone else heard this? This seems like kind of a big change. Also, anyone have any insight why the church would do this? Safety? Insurance reasons?
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What do you make of it
True, false and why

Meilingkie wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2017 10:40 am From Facebook Mormon stories Podcast community

Quote
My son on a mission in Jamaica told us that as of today the missionaries are no longer allowed to ride bicycles. He also mentioned that this is a world wide mandate. All missionaries will be either walking or they will have a car. Has anyone else heard this? This seems like kind of a big change. Also, anyone have any insight why the church would do this? Safety? Insurance reasons?
Unquote

What do you make of it
True, false and why

Perhaps bicycle helmets clashed with wearing a full suit and tie. Or maybe there were too many clashes with missionaries and safety issues leading to some stern recommendations from Kirton and McConkie law firm.

Corsair wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2017 11:22 amPerhaps bicycle helmets clashed with wearing a full suit and tie. Or maybe there were too many clashes with missionaries and safety issues leading to some stern recommendations from Kirton and McConkie law firm.

The liability for a person on a bike is going to be much smaller than it would be for a car. I've seen how these kids drive and I don't want to be anywhere near a lot of them when they are behind the wheel. End of the day, they are kids and kids are not known for good driving skills.

In the vast majority of cases, the church only does something if there is a clear monetary reason. I'm just not seeing how this could be a cost savings.

My mission would have been impossible without bikes. Maybe they want to slow the missionaries down to make sure they won't have any spare time for thinking. Or maybe they'll dip into their billion$ to buy Avalons for everyone.

Avalons???

Meilingkie wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2017 12:45 pmAvalons???

Toyota Avalon. The preferred vehicle of the mormon GA.

https://www.toyota.com/avalon/


I just saw a companionship of kids in their mormon uniforms riding bikes this past Sunday in the heart of the MorCor. If there's a bicycle ban, you'd think that the poor kids within sight of the COB & CAB would have heard about it.

Sounds to me like the goofy mormon-rumor-mill is going off on FaceNeck...

https://www.toyota.com/avalon/

(I had to look it up)

Only two companionships in our mission had cars. The rest of us were on bikes. If true I don't think they're going to be purchasing vehicles all over the place, I think the bike areas just became walking areas.

I'm sure it has to do with liability. The same reason missionaries aren't allowed to go swimming. Too many injuries or deaths.

I'm guessing this is not a new universal policy. The church newsroom and/or KSL would be covering it.

This has been implemented in my area. Someone was trying to donate bikes and was turned away. The missionaries have a vehicle (equipped with speed measuring gps and they are punished with loss of driving privileges if they go too fast) They are also extremely limited on mileage and therefore rely on members to drive them around.

Thoughtful wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2017 9:35 pm This has been implemented in my area. Someone was trying to donate bikes and was turned away. The missionaries have a vehicle (equipped with speed measuring gps and they are punished with loss of driving privileges if they go too fast) They are also extremely limited on mileage and therefore rely on members to drive them around.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

We have an answer!

I've lived in areas that would be close to impossible without bikes.

Thank you, Thoughtful, for your wisdom and insight. Members are going to be expected to go all Uber, unreimbursed, of course.

When my brother served, he had to provide his own bike. I'm not sure whether that's been the case recently, however, if so this possibly isn't about saving the church money as much as keeping members busier with church.

There are 3 sisters serving our ward. They all have a strange style of dress, one slightly different from the other. Lots of pastel skirts and bright colored blouses.

They are on bikes. Unlike the elders who traditionally ride mountain bikes or ten speeds, the sister missionaries ride bright multi-colored beach cruisers with baskets and a clown horn. I think one bike even has streamers flowing from the handle bars. Add in baby blue, pink, and yellow bike helmets.

The three of them ride around all day and it's become a parade of bloomer wearing clowns!

The sister missionaries in my area always have beach cruisers.

I think that is mostly out of necessity. While I am not speaking from experience, my ex-wife went through a flowing skirt phase during our marriage she could ride a beach cruiser in a skirt.

Why don´t they all ride the Dutch Classic Omafiets

https://www.google.nl/search?q=omafiets ... pr=1#spf=1

Witnessed another pair of cycling missionaries in the MorCor again today.

One had decorated his bike with a Cadillac emblem. I'm sure that's somehow against the rules, right?