Senior Missionary Series - After You Get the Call

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

06 Jun 2008 10:00 AM

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 six copies-several different people will require a copy, including your mission president, so to keep from having to run in every few days, just get six the first time around. Not every post office has passport facilities-you'll want to check and see which office near you can help you. You will fill out all the needed paperwork there as well. You'll also want to get another, nicer, picture taken to go on your missionary plaque, which will hang in your church building until your return.

If you are learning a foreign language, and are local to the Missionary Training Center, you will go into the MTC for your language lessons. All the needed materials will be provided to you, and you'll spend hours each week studying. If you aren't local, you will have your lessons by phone, weekly with an MTC tutor. Once you arrive at the MTC, all your language training will be complete and you'll be focusing on the other tasks you must learn. This is, of course, different from the younger missionaries, who learn their language while in the MTC.

If learning a new language is frightening to you, remember that missionaries have been promised the gift of tongues. You will be guided by the Spirit and enabled to learn all the things you must in order to effectively serve the Lord.

Related Blogs:

The Need for Senior Missionaries

How Will You Know if You Should Serve?

Putting in Your Papers

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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