Senior Missionary Series: What Will I Eat in the Missionary Training Center?

Regardless of age, missionaries, when entering the MTC, wonder what will be on the menu. Young elders might worry that they won’t get enough to eat – those guys can eat like horses. Missionaries with dietary restrictions might worry that their needs won’t be met. No matter what your concerns are with food, there’s an answer at the MTC cafeteria. What will you eat? Whatever you want. The cafeteria is set up to accommodate a wide variety of tastes and dietary requirements. You’ll find fresh fruits and vegetables, good hearty soups and tasty breads. You’ll also find hamburgers, pizza, and … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series: Entering the Missionary Training Center

You’re on your way! The day has come to enter the Missionary Training Center. Young elders and sisters enter on Wednesdays, but seniors, whether couples or singles, enter on Mondays. You were set apart to be a missionary about a week ago, and now you’re ready to really begin your missionary experience. When you arrive at the MTC, you’ll see many other tearful families saying goodbye. This is a time of sorrow and also a time of joy as you go off to serve the Lord. Perhaps your children have come with you, bringing along your grandchildren. This can be … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series: Your Farewell

The time has come for you to pack up and leave home. Perhaps it’s still a week or two out from your departure. But sooner or later, you will get the phone call from your bishop, asking you to speak in sacrament meeting before you go. In years past, whole sacrament meetings were devoted to the young man or woman who was leaving. The program was made up entirely of members of their family, their mothers often told funny stories about their childhoods, and the missionary’s favorite musical numbers were performed. Afterwards, the ward would converge on the missionary’s house … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series: What to Wear?

When you receive your mission call, you will be sent a booklet that contains information specific to your area. Inside will be a picture of your mission president and his wife, general things you should know about your field of labor, and a list of items you should prepare to bring. Possibly the most studied part of this booklet is the list of clothing that should be brought. Missionaries are asked to dress conservatively, in Sunday-type dress most of the time with the exception of their once-weekly preparation day (known as P-Day) when they may dress more casually as they … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series – After You Get the Call

You’d think that with all the preparation you’ve done to get to this point, once the call arrives, you’re done. Ah, but you’ve just begun. In your mission call packet, you will find forms for your doctors to sign. You will need to take these in to your health care providers, who will attest to your overall health. You’ll send them in to the Church, along with your Visa application if going out of the country. If you are going international, you will need to go into the post office and have your passport picture taken. It’s best to get … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series: What If I Don’t Like My Call?

Once in a while, when a missionary receives their call and they learn where they are to serve, they are disappointed. Perhaps they took two years of high school Spanish and are all set to serve in a Spanish-speaking mission, and they end up in Oklahoma. Maybe their hearts were set on Canada and they are called to Japan. Whatever the case may be, there are times when the calls we are extended aren’t what we’d hoped for. As a senior missionary, you do have more say in your call than a young elder or sister has. Every effort is … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series: Receiving Your Call

Now that you’ve submitted your papers, it’s time to wait for that all-important moment when you will receive your call. In days past, when all the forms were filled out longhand and send in through regular mail, it would take quite a while for your call to arrive. Now that everything has been made electronic, you will get your call in as little as a week, but generally around three weeks. Your call will arrive in a 10X13 white envelope with the Church’s address in the upper left corner. When you open it up, the first thing you’ll see is … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series: Putting in Your Papers

It used to be that mission papers were filled out by hand, but not so any more. With the progression of technology, you now apply for your mission online. Your bishop will give you the website address, and he will go in and authorize you to be a user on that site. This way, no one can just hop on the site and play around. Only persons seriously sending in their papers can have access. Once on the site, you’ll be asked to fill in all your personal information, and then you’ll be asked a series of questions about your … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series – Who Will Take Care of Your House?

One additional piece to the puzzle in deciding to serve a mission is figuring out what to do with your home while you’re away. You’ll be gone for a year to eighteen months or so, depending on the type of mission you choose to serve, and your house will need proper care while you are away. Granted, there are many missions for seniors that now allow the seniors to remain at home and serve in their own communities, but for the purposes of this blog, we’re going to assume that you’ll be leaving your home. First, you will want to … Continue reading

Senior Missionary Series – Doctor Visits

After talking things over with your bishop and stake president, you’ll want to schedule your doctor visits. The Church needs to make sure you’ve been given a clean bill of health before sending you out in the field. Your dentist – you’ll need to make an appointment to see your dentist. Your teeth might feel fine right now, but you may have some cavities just waiting to happen. Your dentist can tell you which teeth are starting to decay and take care of them now. It’s much better to do it this way than to get clear out into the … Continue reading