A mission is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to serve the Lord. It is a time when they move away from home, leave behind all earthly cares, and dedicate that portion of their lives entirely to the service of the Lord. So what do you do if you are left behind while a missionary goes out to serve? It really depends on the relationship that you have to that missionary.
I have written to a few friends who served missions. I wrote to them maybe once a month, not very frequently. I didn’t want to distract them from their focus on the work. I made sure that all my letters were positive and focusing more on serving the Lord, rather than focusing on what I was doing, while they were out. I enjoyed writing to the missionaries. I was very careful not to send too many letters or to do anything that would distract them from focusing on their missions.
However, when my sister went on a mission I wrote her every week. I also write to my brother, who is serving in Belize (I would tell you the mission, but he was just switched to a new mission—so I don’t know). I write on a regular basis every week. I do tell them a little bit about what I am doing, but I don’t give them much detail. As a family we have decided not to worry them unnecessarily. We didn’t write my brother or my sister (who were out at the same time for about six months) about the cancer testing that my dad had to undergo, until it was over. (He was fine, incidentally.)
My mom sends a package for each of the holidays. My brother doesn’t expect to receive the packages. He has been fortunate to receive all of them, but sometimes they can come six months later. I will send a card, but mostly I email. I think that we should encourage and build up the missionaries that we know, but we should also be careful not to distract them from their purpose.