ONLY 17 MORE DAYS!  (Or 346 if you’re us…) Any missionary mom knows exactly what that statement means!  We’re sharing a few ideas for welcoming, reflecting, remembering, and adjusting for your missionary.

WELCOMING:
While at the airport I love to watch for returning missionaries and their exuberant families. One friend recently greeted her Hungarian missionary with these cool black t-shirts sporting Hungarian phrases. $5 t-shirts at Hobby Lobby, Google translate (double check your translation with a former mission companion or native speaker) and a Cricut will do the trick! (You could also just purchase iron-on letters at any craft store.)

REFLECTING:
A month before my nephew came home from serving in Denmark his mission president asked him to reflect and record his thoughts about his mission.  He organized it by writing a section about each area he served in, assigned a scripture to it, recorded experiences he had with each companion, and lessons learned. What a great way to remember, appreciate, and grow from your mission experience! (and it also helped him prepare a great homecoming talk)

REMEMBERING:
Give your missionary something special to remember his/her mission.  These cool map prints are available for framing from this Etsy shop for locations within the United States or this Etsy shop for anywhere worldwide.  My kids gave my husband one of his mission for Christmas last year.

ADJUSTING:
And finally…. helping your missionary adjust to post-mission life.  Before my daughter returned from serving a former mission president told me, “You know, the landing is harder than the take-off!”  While some may not seem to struggle at all, for many returned missionaries it is a difficult period of adjustment.  Here are some great articles for parents and returned missionaries:

The Returned Missionary – Ensign November 2001 – Elder Perry
Home From a Mission – Ensign June 1991
When “The Best Two Years are Over” – Ensign December 1978
Ten Tips for Parents of Young Adults – Ensign July 2014

 

Shari