Missionaries: Email Your Mama!

Saturday, I start getting excited for your email.

On Monday:

I start hopefully checking my email at 720a.m.

I start anxiously checking at 8 a.m.

I start worrying at 815a.m.

I consider calling the mission office to find out if you’ve been hospitalized at 8:25 a.m.

 

… thought I’d let you know how your mom’s brain works …

 

My missionary loves his mom. I realize that he is almost 16 months into his mission and has gotten into the groove as a missionary. He knows what he’s doing and is busy doing the Lord’s work. For him, he knows he’s good.

 

But I don’t!

 

Almost 16 months in, I still worry until I get that weekly email—is he okay? I let out a huge sigh of relief once I read his weekly email. Then, when I see nothing more than a quick outline of his week, with no personal particulars, I want to sit him down and pull every last detail out of him!

 

I KNOW that he is busy. I appreciate his days are full of serving and teaching. Emails and letters are the last thing on his mind … unless he is the one receiving them!

 

Our missionary has also shared that sometimes he does not know what to write. He’s a missionary, doing missionary things, same as the week before and the week before that.

 

This blog is for you, our beloved missionaries!

 

WRITE to your parents! We want details about your thoughts and your struggles. Share your successes and your failures—just share!

 

Have you had a week of cancellations and lots of knocking? Then share what you do to keep your spirits up as you continue to knock doors, hoping someone will want to hear the message you are there to share.

 

Do you sing?

 

Do you and your companion swap knock-knock jokes?

 

One of my favorite video clips from our missionary’s mission is actually of one of his early companions. Our missionary isn’t even in the video! Our missionary and his companion were standing at the door to an appointment. No one answered their numerous knocks on the door, despite the very loud Mexican mariachi music blaring from the windows.

 

My missionary filmed his companion doing a quick silly dance as they fruitlessly waited on the porch. Why do I love this video so much? Because my son’s laughter at his companion’s antics shows that they were a team as they faced adversity. My son had a friend in this companion, even during difficult times of disappointing struggle.

 

Missionaries, what are the goals you’ve set for yourself? I am inspired to stretch myself out of my comfort zone when I talk with someone who has set high goals for themselves. Something about their enthusiasm, excitement, and hopes for themselves ignites the same within me. Share your goals!

 

A missionary’s greatest joys come when they see a life turned around because of the gospel. Please, please share those experiences with your loved ones back home. We are sacrificing too! We are giving up time together with you and our knees ache from the many, many prayers said on your behalf. Please share the incredible joy you experience as you see a life turn to God. Share the changes you see someone experience as they turn away from worldly habits of anger, addiction, and bitterness and embrace the peace and joy that our Savior offers.

 

Our missionary shared the number of weeks one of his investigators went without smoking, despite a strong addiction to tobacco. Every week, we’d cheer aloud as we read of another week of victory for this man. We pray for this investigator by name because we have shared in his journey. All of us have weaknesses to overcome, how wonderful it is to have people pray for your success against adversity!

 

How wonderful for us to see answered prayers and to be inspired by his weekly count to try to add another successful week in our own battle against Satan! We have never met this investigator, yet we feel joined to him in fellowship because our missionary loves him and has shared some of his journey with us.

 

Honestly, for this missionary mama, my missionary could write that he’s started to use a different brand of toothpaste and I’d want to know more detail. Why did he change? Does it work better?

 

I just miss the details of my son’s life and I love to see his joy as a missionary. He loves his time as a missionary and despite the lack of enough detail (for me!), his love for the Lord and others comes through each and every week.