Waiting For My Missionary

Well, you have two years of communicating solely through letters. That's a long time to write, so you better get good at it! Here are some tips to help you as you grow into a wonderful letter writer.

1. Be you! All your missionary will have to remind him of you will be your letters, so make sure that they are a fair representation of your personality. You wouldn't want him falling in love with a girl who didn't exist, would you? Of course not, so be you.
2. Don't write too often. Okay, I know that you want to write him every day. You miss having someone to talk to and hearing his voice. Every day, you think of something new to tell him! DO NOT write your missionary every day. Write him once a week at most. (I'll be honest, I don't think I could do anything less than once a week). Your missionary is supposed to be concentrating on his work, not on your letters. It's okay to want to communicate with him. As a matter of fact, supporting a missionary is a wonderful thing to do to help move the Lord's work forward - but writing too often may actually hinder the work and your missionary's growth and progression. Write wonderful letters once (or less) a week - but don't write more often than that.
3. Avoid being too romantic and lovey-dovey. We are girls, and we want so badly to know that our man is still in love with us... and we want him to know that we are still in love with him. How could we not tell him that we are dreaming of which temple we'll get married in, or that we are wishing he could hold us at night, or that we are longing for him to take us out to our favorite restaurant because they just got remodeled? It's hard not to share our day dreams with our Elders, but we must guard our letters against excessive romance. Once again, this has to do with concentration. Missionaries who are too focused on girls back home will not serve as whole-heartedly as their less-distracted companions. Be careful not to be "that girl back home" who ruined a mission through distracting letters. Not only will overly romantic letters make distract your elder; they may make him feel like a bad missionary for writing you. If he feels like your letters are moving his focus away from the gospel, he may feel the need to stop them. Don't put either of you in that situation. Show affection, but don't be overly-romantic. It's still okay to say that you love him, and it's still okay to say that you look forward to seeing him again (remind him that you still don't want him to come home early for you), just be careful of anything else.
4. Don't make demands on your missionary. I hate to break it to you, but he is probably busier than you are. There may be weeks when you do not receive a letter even if he promised to be faithful with his writing. Don't hate him or make demands. Don't threaten to stop writing if he doesn't ________________________________. This is petty and childish. If you have an issue with your missionary, then act like an adult and deal with it. State your case in a letter (without being too crazy) and allow him to respond. You may be misreading what his actions.
5. Ask questions. Sometimes, it's hard to know what to write in a letter, so ask your missionary questions that you would like him to answer. Examples may include: What is the weather like? Have you eaten anywhere interesting lately? What is your favorite thing about your companion? What is the coolest thing you saw this week? Are you teaching any investigators? Asking questions will ensure that you receive insights into his daily life while leaving out the guesswork on his end. You could even send a blank questionnaire that you make if you feel like he is too busy to write a good letter. It might even be fun for him to fill it out!
6. Develop alongside of him. Make sure to let your missionary know that you are growing spiritually as well. Quote a scripture that might make him smile, tell him about the lesson you gave in primary, or talk about the testimonies from fast and testimony meeting. Speak on gospel terms about the things that you are learning. He is sure to appreciate your spiritual thoughts.
7. Support him. Your missionary will have some weeks that will just be HARD. Make sure that your letters are uplifting and happy. Give him something to look forward to when he reads your letters. Send him happy quotes. Let him know that you are praying for him. Let him know that you are proud of him, and that he is doing the right thing. Remind him of the importance of missionary work. He needs to know that the Lord is behind him, and he may forget at times, so make sure to remind him in your letters.
8. Bear your testimony. Missionaries bear their testimonies all the time. Sometimes, they'd like to hear someone else's testimony! It doesn't have to be long or elaborate, but try incorporating parts of your testimony into your letters. A testimony has great strength, and your missionary will appreciate your sharing with him.
9. Decorate! Use colored envelopes, draw pictures, use stickers! Be creative. Your missionary will appreciate it!

Writing letters can be difficult at times, but it can also be fun and romantic. Don't forget to scan your letters before you send them so that you have a copy even if it gets lost in the mail. Plus, then you can make copies for scrapbooking and stuff. Good luck and happy writing! If you would like to contribute to this section of the site, email me at waiting4mymissionary@gmail.com .