It may not seem like an opportunity for service, but ask any missionary what one of their favorite things in the world are, and they’ll say letters.
As a senior in high school I was seriously considering the possibility of going on a mission when I turned twenty-one. My older brother had recently left on his own mission to Japan, and the thought of experiencing a different country or at the very least, a different culture within the United States, intrigued me.
Being a self-proclaimed introvert, the mere thought of tracting door to door terrified me. Putting myself out there for possible rejection was not something I longed to do.
When expressing these feelings to my dad, he gave me a great suggestion: try writing to a missionary (one besides my brother). We had about four or five ward missionaries out in the field at that time.
Like most other decisions in my life, I put it off for a while. It nested in the back of my mind, however, and every once in a while I’d pull the thought out and see how it fit. Most of the time I’d put it back and wait for a while longer.
Turns out someone else had a different plan for me.
One day I received a letter in the mail from an Elder Aaron Ashby from the Billings Montana mission. I had no idea who he was, nor how he’d gotten my name. Turns out his companion Elder Evans was a young man from my ward. A package Elder Evans received from his family had included a tape of a Sacrament Meeting the youth had put on, and I was one of the speakers. Elder Ashby thought I sounded pretty cool and wanted to get to know me a little better.
Talk about a spiritual nudge. I immediately showed my dad, who smiled as though saying, “See? I really do have good ideas.” That very day I wrote this missionary back.
A few days later I received another letter filled with even more surprises. As it turns out Elder Ashby wasn’t really Elder Ashby. He was so nervous about writing me he took his middle name and his companion’s middle name and stuck them together. Elder Ashby was really Elder Helser from Arizona.
I laughed, and promptly wrote him back, thus beginning our eighteen-month friendship. He had been out only six months and his enthusiasm was awesome. I learned so much from this young man, and even got to meet him at the end of his mission.
Writing to missionaries didn’t stop there for me. As I went off to college there was a bulletin board filled with missionary names and addresses at the local institute. My group of friends each picked out two or three of them to write, wanting to help with their morale (missionaries LOVE letters). I met two new friends with whom I shared many letters.
Whether it’s I especially recommend it for those young men who plan on going on a mission. Don’t be afraid to ask any and all questions. You can learn so much from their personal experiences. Young women might try to find a sister missionary to write to gain a woman’s insight into the experience. Keep a copy of the letters you send them as well (I wish I had done so).
Either way, you’ll find yourselves blessed by their letters, and they will greatly appreciate yours.
It’s been several years since that first letter came to my mailbox, but I still treasure the memory of my good friend and have kept every letter he sent.
