Some missions causing RMs to change political beliefs

Ah, one of the crown jewels of my journalism portfolio. (Although I wish there was a better headline. :S )

Some missions causing RMs to change political beliefs

This was the story I was maybe the most interested and motivated by out of all the stories I've ever done. I credit a lot of my personal political ideology to my mission, and it was fun to hear stories from other returned missionaries with similar experiences.

Thank you to everyone who was interviewed or otherwise contributed to this story!

I pestered my sources to send me photos, and I got a total of 10 photos. But of course, the newspaper can only use one. But, my blog has plenty of space! Here are the photos that were sent to me, and the suggested captions I wrote for them (some of the suggested captions are repetitive, just because it's meant to give enough information for the copy desk editors to write their own captions):

From Rob Charlesworth:

(the one that was actually in the paper)

Rob Charlesworth, who served in the Australia Adelaide Mission from 2007 to 2009, meets with some musical Australian Aborigines who were performing outside his apartment. Charlesworth, like many returned missionaries, came home from Australia with stronger political beliefs than he had left with.

Rob Charlesworth, who served in the Australia Adelaide Mission from 2007 to 2009, poses with friends from Thailand who he met in Australia. Charlesworth, like many returned missionaries, came home from Australia with stronger political beliefs than he had left with.

Rob Charlesworth, who served in the Australia Adelaide Mission from 2007 to 2009, smiles with his companion and a newly baptized family originally from Sudan. Charlesworth, like many returned missionaries, came home from Australia with stronger political beliefs than he had left with.

Rob Charlesworth, who served in the Australia Adelaide Mission from 2007 to 2009, smiles with his companion and a new convert, Michael from New Zealand. Charlesworth, like many returned missionaries, came home from Australia with stronger political beliefs than he had left with.

From Jamie Bowen:

Jamie Bowen and his companion pose with window washers on the 12th floor of the Garden Center in Cordoba, Argentina, the site of the Argentina Cordoba Mission office. Bowen was a registered Republican before his mission, but after returning home voted for Barack Obama for president in 2008.

Jamie Bowen imitates a giant Jesucristo statue in Chilecito, Argentina, as a missionary in the Argentina Cordoba Mission. Bowen is one of many LDS missionaries who comes home not only different in testimony and maturity, but in political ideology.

Blake Hardison (front row, fifth from right) and Jamie Bowen (front row, sixth from right) smile for the camera on their first day as a missionaries in the Argentina Cordoba Mission, in 2006. Hardison and Bowen both experienced changes in their political ideologies as a result of their two years representing the LDS Church in Argentina.

Jamie Bowen (back row, second from left) and Blake Hardison (back row, second from right) gather with other missionaries after their last zone conference together before returning home from the Argentina Cordoba Mission. Although Bowen and Hardison served in the same mission, their political ideologies were influenced differently. Bowen came home more economically liberal, while Hardison became a determined economic conservative.

From Rebecca van Uitert:

(one caption for both photos):
In 1998, Rebecca van Uitert was a young and enthusiastic supporter of Republican Sen. Bob Bennett, a senator who went on to vote for a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border (top photo, far right). But after serving among immigrants in California as an LDS missionary (botton photo, left), van Uitert's views were changed. She is now on the liberal side of the illegal immigration debate, working as an immigration lawyer in Chicago. Van Uitert is one of many returned missionaries who have different political ideologies after spending two years or 18 months in a place and culture far from home.