Food & Dinner Appointments - A Guide for Future Missionaries

THAT TIME I PANICKED WHEN I HAD TO BUY GROCERIES-

When I arrived in my mission (Minnesota) straight out of the MTC, all of the new missionaries went to the mission home in Bloomington and stayed our first night in the field there. The next morning we were given our area assignments and traveled to our new areas in various places around the state. After traveling for several hours, I was picked up at the meeting place by my new companion/trainer and a member of the branch where I would be serving (who was driving us). We still had another hour to drive to get back to our area. Since we were in a larger city and there was no regular grocery store in the small town where our apartment was located, they took me straight to a large grocery store. I was instructed to purchase my groceries for the week.

I remember this part very clearly. Groceries? Nobody said anything about buying groceries. I mean, of course I knew that I would need to buy my own food (and I mean really buy my own food, because although each missionary in the mission at that time had their own ATM card to access their funds, new missionaries didn't get their cards for 2 weeks). I don't believe that I was ever told to bring cash for initial expenses (they do tell you that now), but luckily I did happen to have personal cash with me.

I looked up and down the grocery store aisle like some sort of alien with amnesia...as if I'd never purchased (or seen) food before. I had no idea what to buy. I had no plan at all. I couldn't believe how much I was failing at something so simple!

Wait a minute - I had gone to college! I had successfully lived on my own for several years. I had shopped for my own groceries before, many times. AND, I wasn't even serving in foreign mission- this was the type of grocery store and the kinds of food that I was very familiar with. Still, I wandered around like a crazy person, not having any idea what to buy. My companion and the ward member were looking at me strangely. "Oh no," I thought, "I wanted to make a good impression, but they don't think I'm even capable of picking out my own food!"

I didn't realize it at the time, but I'm pretty sure that I was having a panic attack. Everything was spinning. The more I told myself to get it together, the less I succeeded in getting it together. My companion tried to help suggest things for me, but it didn't help because I couldn't seem to think straight! I finally managed to get a few groceries in my cart (I believe I bought a box of cereal, a jug of milk, a can of refried beans, and a package of tortillas) and then cringed during the whole (long) drive to our apartment. This was not the impression I had wanted to make. 

Depending on which mission you go to, you could have a different food buying experience. In some missions, all meals are included as part of the deal with your apartment. Or you may live in an apartment that is part of a family home and you may eat certain meals with them on a daily basis. In many missions, you prepare your own breakfast and lunch, and then dinners may be provided by ward members or others who volunteer to feed the missionaries in their homes. Some countries have lunch as their main meal, so you could have your meals with members at that time instead. 

Church members are asked to help feed the missionaries because it keeps the missionary's  costs down, but it also helps the members become more familiar with the missionaries (and helps missionaries to get referrals). Depending on your area, you may have dinner appointments as often as every day OR almost never. This affects you as a missionary, because the less you are being fed, the more you will have to cook/buy food for yourself. We were very excited to have a dinner appointment when we had one. It was always nice to have a meal made for us (that we didn't have to buy). Things sometimes got pretty ugly when we had to make all of our own meals every day. We'd often be running out of food or be really sick of eating the same thing 3x a day when that's all we could afford.

Missionaries get a certain amount of money for food (AND other expenses like shampoo and toilet paper) per month, and you don't get more money when you don't have many dinner appointments. So the same amount of money you would normally use to buy breakfast and lunches for the week/month in an area where you have dinner appointments every night will be the same amount of money that you will have when you transfer to a new area where they only have dinner appointments once a week. PS- Feed the missionaries in your ward at home, if you can! When you've been a missionary, you will appreciate it. Returned missionaries (RMs) are great a feeding the missionaries because we remember what it is like not to have them! :) 

The struggle is real! Here I am, posing with our kitchen cabinets (I think the only things edible in the photo are pasta noodles and peanut butter. There might be a small can of canned ham or something there, too. Most of the stuff in this cabinet are vitamins, cupcake liners, etc). This was in an area where we only had dinner appointments once a month or so, and it was getting close to our next MSF deposit (i.e., we were waiting to be able to be more groceries).

In this photo, one of my companions is posing with our before and after meals. We were running low on food and money (and dinner appointments). Someone (bless their heart) had given us a package of noodle-roni mix. We didn't have any ground beef or butter, so I couldn't really follow the directions. I made some sort of concoction with whatever I could find (including some ancient canned green beans that we found in the cabinet). It was so depressing and unappetizing, we couldn't even eat it. I think we just put it in the fridge and went to sleep without eating. The next day was our MSF day (the day we got our money to buy food, etc). It had been so long since we'd eaten anything fresh, we bought oranges and strawberries. When we came home with our groceries, we laughed about the concoction I'd made the night before and took this photo.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREPARE FOR EATING AS A MISSIONARY? HERE ARE MY 3 TIPS: 

PREVENTING FIRST-AREA GROCERY STORE PANIC-
To prevent a panic (like I had!) when you first arrive in your first area, have a general plan of what you will buy if you are taken to a grocery store on your first day. This situation might not come up for you - depending on the situation, time of day, and day of the week, you might not be able to go to purchase food for several days. There may be food in the apartment for you to eat already, meals may be provided, or your companion may share with you. But just in case, have a general plan. Even if its just eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the first week, at least you will have a plan for something to eat and you will have bought yourself time to come up with a better shopping list for the next week :) 

EATING THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE-
No matter where you serve a full-time mission, you are going to encounter situations where there are foods that you don't like or would prefer not to eat for other reasons (sketchy preparation, etc)....yes, even in the United States! You are probably going to have dinner appointments where you will be expected to be polite and eat whatever is offered. There are things that you can do to prepare for this situation without being rude. I have written an entire blog post on this topic - See my post "2 REALLY Important Things to START DOING right NOW if you want to SURVIVE EATING when you're an LDS MISSIONARY" by clicking here.

COOKING AS A MISSIONARY-
You probably won't be served every meal that you eat, so you will need to know how to cook a few things, at least. If you're used to convinence foods or are used to preparing a few dishes that rely heavily on ingredients that are available in your hometown (but are not available in China or Russia, or wherever you serve!), that is going to be a problem. The blog post I mentioned in the previous paragraph also has information about how to learn to cook some basics that will work for your specific mission...here is the link again to that post. 

We also have a section on this blog of missionary tested recipes (all tested and rated for difficulty and deliciousness by my future missionary daughter), including:

twice-baked potatoes (click here) 

and creamy pesto-pasta (click here) 

There is no way to know what types of foods and cooking methods will be available/reasonable for your mission until you get your mission call, but having some basic cooking skills will help you feel more confident, no matter where you serve.

Best of luck to you in your future missionary food endeavors! Crazy food stories make some of the best mission stories!

5 Things Future Missionaries Should Know About WISDOM TOOTH REMOVAL

Pre-op Kendall

This week our daughter Kendall had her wisdom teeth removed! Another item checked off of our pre-mission to-do list! Hooray!

Here is Kendall post-op (she thinks she's smiling, but its more of a grimace), about 4 hours after having her wisdom teeth removed. She's modeling a DIY ice-pack made from tube socks. There is a link to the directions at the bottom of this post!)

I am not a dental professional, but I do have some general tips that might be helpful (based on our experiences)... You should always seek professional medical and dental advice that is applicable to your specific situation.

Here are 5 things that future LDS Missionaries should know 
about Wisdom Teeth!

#1- Not everyone needs to have their wisdom teeth removed before their mission (or at all)

Most people need to have at least one wisdom tooth removed. Some people don't have wisdom teeth - they just never get them! Or some people only get 1, or 2, or 3. It may seem strange, but wisdom teeth are kind of random. But if you are like many people, you will have 4 wisdom teeth start coming in sometime in your teens (or even as late as your 20's). Whether or not they need to be removed depends on the size of your mouth and a bunch of other factors. You won't be able to tell on your own whether or not (and when) you will need wisdom teeth removed, thats a call that is made by professionals! Check with your regular dentist to see if you are a candidate for wisdom tooth removal. An x-ray will be able to show them whats going on inside your gums and you may or may not be referred out to a specialist.


#2- Sooner is better, if possible

We (I) wanted my daughter to have her wisdom teeth removed as soon as possible, because you know
 me - I want to be prepared and we didn't want to have to hassle with it right before her mission. Several years ago she started having pain where all of her wisdom teeth are, so at the next dental appointment we asked about having them removed....they did x-rays and found out that the wisdom teeth hadn't even solidified yet - they were still "jelly". (That's some painful jelly!) They said that they couldn't remove the teeth until they solidified. She was about 16 at the time, so we had them re-check the wisdom teeth every time she went in for her regular cleanings, hoping that they would be formed. It took several years. At her most recent check-up 6 months ago, the wisdom teeth had finally formed and the referral was made...

Now, admittedly, we were planning WAY ahead for her mission, but I was still sort of stressed out about how long it was taking and what a hassle it was. I was legitimately worried at times that she would have to delay her mission because we might not be able to get the surgery done before her
(planned) availability date)...we were told that she might be able to have the surgery until summer and depending on whether they would need to do some additional procedures (because the wisdom teeth were up in the sinus cavities), there might be several months worth of follow-up appointments involved. This had the potential of delaying the date she could submit her papers by several months. 

It took 2 months to get scheduled for an initial appointment (consultation). 2 MONTHS - No, not 2 months until the appointment....2 months between when our dentist had referred us for the procedure and when we were approved to schedule the first appointment. We then waited months for the consultation appointment, and the for the pre-op appointment (the week before the surgery) and then of course she finally had the actual surgery this week.  

We had to travel to an oral surgeon in another city 1 1/2 hours each way (sometimes 3 hours each way if it was a high traffic time). So for the initial visit, pre-op visit, surgery, and the post-op visit (and thats just the basics required by this provider, assuming there aren't any complications), we did a lot of driving and we weren't given any choices for day/time, so she missed a lot of school. 

We had an unbelievably hard time getting these appointments scheduled and waited a very long time to get this procedure done, and we have excellent dental coverage through my husband's employer (a major medical/dental health insurance and care provider). Part of the problem was that they have recently changed how they handle outside referrals, and since they don't have a local provider who could handle the procedure, we had to travel and wait longer.  It took us about 6 months from when her wisdom teeth were identified as "solid enough" until the day they were taken out. And that was with us pushing to try to get it done ASAP. I am sure that not everyone will have such a hassle, but I mention all of this because it isn't always easy to just get in and get those wisdom teeth out. It took SO much longer than I thought it would to get our daughter's wisdom teeth finally taken out...I would be so stressed out if we had waited longer to start the process... We still have several months left until she can submit her mission papers, but if we had put off starting the process until closer to her availability date, it could have really caused a delay.

If you don't have dental coverage (or your insurance doesn't cover any or enough of the procedure), you may also have financial concerns about getting your wisdom teeth removed. It isn't cheap. Dental/medical offices are well aware of this problem, and they regularly offer payment plans and may even have assistance programs to help. Don't feel embarrassed if this is the case for you - like I said, most people have to get at least one wisdom tooth removed (usually more) and not everyone has dental insurance (or good dental insurance), so this is a common thing. Talk to the billing department about options that may be available for you. The best case scenario will always be having PLENTY of time to prepare (i.e., don't show up at your dentist office the day you want them to sign your mission papers and say "I don't have insurance but I need my wisdom teeth out, like today." If they have a payment plan or something like that, you will want to -and need to - plan ahead, my friend)

As always, if there is anything (such as a financial concern) that is preventing you from moving forward in serving a mission, your best resource for counsel is always your Bishop. Let him know you are having difficulties and he may have some helpful suggestions for you.

#3- You don't want to have your wisdom teeth come in during your mission - trust me

Many years ago, a certain missionary (me), got her mission papers signed by a dentist who thought that I'd probably be okay with not having my wisdom teeth taken out before I left. Whew! Great news! Except that my wisdom teeth started coming in (with a vengeance) while I was in my 4th area (I think about 10-11 months into my mission). I ended up needing to have them removed during my mission. My companions (I had two at the time) and I missed a lot of days of work and I was in pain for a long time (before and after). Looking back now, I'm surprised that I wasn't sent home because of this. This is why they want your wisdom teeth out before you go. You work so hard and sacrifice so much to get out there in the field, you don't want anything messing it up if you can prevent it by taking care of things like this ahead of time. Missing days of work doesn't just affect you, it affects your companions, your investigators, and the ward/branch where you are serving.

This is one of my mission companions and I (I'm on the right), a few days after having my wisdom teeth removed

#4- It's usually not that big of a deal

It's a hassle to have wisdom teeth taken out, whether you have some sort of a local anesthetic (like I did) or you have to be fully sedated (like my daughter was). My daughter was very nervous about the surgery, but she was joking in the pre-op room and woke up in the post-op wondering if they had done the surgery yet. You're out of it for the surgery (to various degrees), and you don't do anything but lie there. It's the after-care that is sort of a hassle (endless rounds of gauze-changing, rinsing, various medications (Kendall has 5 different kinds of prescriptions on different schedules), icing your face for certain intervals, sitting upright for a certain number of days, etc. But you're soon over it and you'll back to normal-ish in a couple of days. It can take longer, depending on what procedures are done and whether or not you have any complications (like dry-socket) afterward.

Kendall had a more extensive than normal procedure, so it was about 6 days before she was able to function semi-normally (could pass for back to normal, swelling about 50% gone and able to go to school but still couldn't drive because of the pain meds) and then finally about 9 days after the surgery she was totally back to herself - swelling mostly gone, off the pain meds, and able to drive herself to school, etc.

#5- Take it as an opportunity to practice being a missionary

As I mentioned before, a certain full-time missionary (me) got her wisdom teeth removed during her mission, so she went into the procedure literally wearing her name tag. I vividly remember the nurse that was inserting the IV asking me about what missionaries do (clearly just trying to distract me from the IV situation, but I was not going to let that opportunity pass me by!). My mouth was already numb, but I proceeded to enthusiastically explain exactly what missionaries do - including what I'm sure was a very garbled but heart-felt re-telling of Joseph Smith's first vision. The next thing I remember was my companions were trying to escort me out into the waiting room and then out to our car. I was very upset by this, because even though the procedure was over, I seemed to think that they hadn't done the procedure yet! As they tried to guide me down the hallway, I kept trying to swat their arms away and tried to refuse to leave. Come on guys- I was right in the middle of teaching a first discussion!!! LOL

You don't have to be a full-time missionary to use getting your wisdom teeth out as an opportunity to gain some missionary skills. Getting your wisdom teeth out (or any other dental or medical procedure)  helps you gain 2 skills that you will NEED for your full-time mission: #1- Doing things you don't want to do. This is TOPS for mission prep, in my book! You are going to have to do things you don't want to do as a missionary (such as talking to someone who is super intimidating, being in awkward situations, having awkward conversations with people, eating foods you don't want to, keeping up a positive attitude even when people are being mean to you, dealing with members who aren't doing things the way you think they should, dealing with companions or other missionaries who aren't following the rules, etc etc etc).  It could be any of those things or a million other things, you will have to deal with things you don't want to deal with. It's part of missionary work. And you will need to get used to that. So consider this practice. If you need to get your wisdom teeth out, just "man up" and do it....AND #2- Taking responsibility for yourself. Get the medical/dental care that you need. Make sure that you are prepared for the post-op stuff (you have jello and applesauce and ice-packs) and follow the doctor's orders. Of course your parents or roommates can help you out as needed, thats great, but be pro-active about making sure that everything is taken care of ahead of time. Be as self-reliant as you can in your situation. It's part of becoming an adult.

Here is that double-ice pack photo again! 

TIPS THAT CAN HELP YOU FEEL BETTER AFTERWARD:
If you end up needing to have your wisdom teeth removed, you may need to ice your face for a certain period of time (follow your dentist's instructions for how long). If so, here is something that might help - we made 2 of these double ice-packs (as seen on Kendall above). Click below to link to the website with directions. We made 2 because we could keep one ready in the freezer while the other was being used. You can open it up and replace the ice-packs in the same socks with cold packs, but that seemed like a lot more work than just making two complete sets of them and rotating the whole things in and out of the freezer...

Click here to link to the directions for making these double ice packs

In general, you don't want to drink anything with a straw for a while and you won't really be able to chew for a while, even after you fell better. (Even after 12 days, Kendall can still only chew very soft foods like chicken salad and well-cooked pasta). Kendall was also told not to eat anything cold or hot/warm for the first few days (everything had to be room temp). You might get different instructions for your situation. You will definitely want to follow your doctor's instructions re: when you can start eating certain foods, but if you need some ideas for foods that you may be able to eat after your surgery, here is a list that we came up with:

It might seem fun to eat jello and ice cream all the time, but both Kendall and I noticed that we got really tired of eating only sweets after the first day or so, so be sure that you have lots of savory options available to eat. When you're on an all jello & applesauce diet, it starts to sort of feel like you can't eat anything "real" because you can't chew and everything is really sweet. For Kendall, she was really craving meat after a week, but still couldn't eat much, so savory things like mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and refried beans were favorites (after the first few days).

Best of luck to you! 

4 ways to PREPARE to be an LDS MISSIONARY - during General Conference!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold its semiannual General Conference (worldwide conference) every year on the first weekend in April and the first weekend in October. This Conference is broadcast worldwide, for the entire world to watch. This is our chance to listen to living Prophets and Apostles (as well as other leaders) deliver the messages that are important for our modern times and circumstances.

Every member of the Church is asked to participate by watching the sessions of this Conference (both Saturday and Sunday). Anyone (including those who aren't members of the Church) can watch the Conference sessions if they want to. This General Conference replaces our regular church meetings on those weekends. There are 4 main sessions (Saturday am, Saturday pm, Sunday am, Sunday pm), plus any other General Conference meeting that may be happening (General Women's Conference, Priesthood Session, etc).

General Conference is now broadcast at many Stake Centers, online at lds.org, on BYU Channel, or on YouTube (Mormon Channel). Of course, if you aren't able to watch all of the sessions live, you can always watch (or read) them later online on lds.org.

What does General Conference have to 
do with missionary preparation?

Although you've probably seen General Conference before (or at least parts of it), thinking about your future mission may give you a different perspective on General Conference this time, and taking some steps to make General Conference more meaningful this Spring (or Fall, depending on when you are reading this!) will help you in preparing to serve.

Here are 4 major things that you can do at the upcoming General Conference to be better prepared to serve a full-time LDS mission:


#1- Watch all of General Conference & be aware of FEELINGS
That's right, watch ALL of General Conference this time! Even if you have a conflict with work or other obligations that will prevent you from watching it live, you can watch, listen to, or read all of the General Conference talks at your convenience anytime after the Conference is over on lds.org. Don't just watch - take notes! You will be doing a lot of studying on your mission (at the MTC, but also in your daily personal & companionship study, trainings, etc) and it's always good to practice. Taking notes helps with retention and can also help you remember things that were important to you while you were listening to the talks. If you are prepared and prayerful, you will be able to feel the promptings of the Spirit as you watch (or listen to or read) General Conference. Be aware of feelings that you get- perhaps a feeling of peace, an impression that you should do or change something, a feeling confirming that something that was said is right, or a warm feeling in your heart/chest. These are feelings that the Spirit can bring. Being able to recognize when you feel the Spirit and being aware of the teachings of living Apostles and Prophets will help you now (and later if you serve a mission).

#2- Have questions, seek answers
Have some questions in mind and look for the answers to those questions during General Conference. You may have some questions weighing gon your heart now (such as "Does God want me to serve a full-time mission?" or "How can I really know that the Book of Mormon is true?" or "Do I have a good enough testimony?"). NOW is the perfect time to seek out the answers to those questions. When you are a full-time missionary watching General Conference, you will likely be seeking answers of a slightly different nature (such as "How can I help this certain investigator gain a testimony of the Restoration?" or "How can I be a better instrument in the hand of the Lord in finding people to teach?"). The questions you have and the answers you are seeking may be different as a future missionary and a full-time missionary, but the process is the same (as explained by Elder Uchtdorf, below)...

#3- Anticipate questions and practice answers
This is my favorite way to prepare to serve a mission - thinking about possible questions or concerns that could come up while listening to the talks and considering how you might respond. As you listen to the talks, pretend that you are a already missionary or that you are watching Conference with a non-member friend. What questions could they have about what is being taught? How would you answer? This doesn't mean that you need to know all of the doctrine perfectly or memorize the perfect answer to every question, but having a general idea of how you might respond can help you feel more confident and prepared...

Say that one of the speakers mentions the law of tithing. You could try imagine what questions a non-member friend or investigator (on your mission) might have. Basic questions could be things like, "What is tithing?" "Will I have to pay tithing?"  "How much is tithing?" You probably already know the answers to these questions for yourself, but you may have to think about how you will answer them in a way that a non-member will understand (keeping in mind that they might not be familiar with terms like "tithing," "Bishop," or "fast offering"). Simple explanations are usually best. If you can't explain it simply enough that a primary-age child could understand you, then you could use some more practice.

If you aren't confident in answering questions about certain aspects of the gospel, a great resource for you is "Preach My Gospel" (which all full-time missionaries use, but anyone can purchase and read). Part of this book is for missionary training and study, but part of it contains the actual lesson material that they use to teach non-members. It will be very helpful for you to become familiar with these lessons.

You can purchase this book online at lds.org (online store) or at DeseretBookstore for around $5.00. If you serve a full-time mission, you will be given a copy at the MTC, so you don't need to buy one ahead unless you want to. 

You can read the entire thing online here

Another great resource for learning to answer questions is the "Gospel Principles" book, which is the manual for the Gospel Essentials Sunday School class (a class designed for investigators, new members, returning members, etc). You will probably be attending this class (or possibly even teaching it, as we often did in my mission) as a full-time missionary. Sometimes future missionaries start attending this class as part of their preparation for their mission (check with your Bishop or branch president to see if this is appropriate for you).

You can buy this book (about $3.00) or read the whole thing online at lds.org here 

I was the Gospel Essentials Sunday School teacher in my YSA branch before I left for my mission and it really helped me A LOT. We didn't have Preach My Gospel back in those days, so beside reading the scriptures, this was the thing that really helped me solidify my gospel knowledge. It covers most of the basics of the Church and the gospel, so its a great resource for a future missionary. This is the exact material that investigators will be learning in Sunday School during your mission (with you in the class with them, in most cases), so becoming familiar with the material can be very valuable to you as a missionary. I recommend going through this book, chapter by chapter (each chapter is a different lesson topic) and seeing how familiar you are with the basic gospel principles. See if you feel comfortable with answering the questions in each section. If there are areas where you feel less confident, you could spend more time studying that topic and the related scriptures that are provided.

For example, one of the lessons in Gospel Principles (Chapter 6) is about the Fall of Adam & Eve. This lesson covers the basic principles and teachings surrounding Adam & Eve and the Fall. If you read over that lesson, you will see that in every section there is a suggested question (for the teacher to ask the class members). As you read through the lesson, pretend that you are answering those questions, such as "How does the Fall provide opportunities for us to become like our Heavenly Father?" in the presence of people who aren't very familiar with the gospel. How could you answer this question in a way that they could understand? 

WORRIED THAT YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING? 
As a future missionary, you haven't received the level of training that the full-time missionaries have. It's perfectly alright to say, "I'm not sure about how to answer that, can I get back to you tomorrow?" or "I'm not really good at explaining this, but I have some friends who are missionaries who are really good at teaching people about this...would you like to get together with them later this week?"

Asking a friend to wait for an answer isn't a weakness. Sometimes full-time missionaries do this, if it is a sensitive topic or they really don't know how to answer. They will study and get back to their investigator. You could study the answer yourself, or ask parents, a leader, or the full-time missionaries if you aren't sure how to answer a question.

Referring friends to the missionaries isn't a weakness, either. Some people try to answer all of their friend's questions and get really deep into doctrine. This usually isn't a great idea. Even though you might be knowledgeable, this isn't necessarily the best thing for your non-member friend. Milk before meat. The best scenario is turn their questions over to the full-time missionaries, who are authorized to teach to gospel and invite people to be baptized. When a friend is asking a lot of questions, its okay to answer of course, but your goal should be to transition them into meeting with the full-time missionaries (NOT impressing them with your knowledge of Kolob). Milk before meat.

#4- Invite a friend! 
Missionaries are always INVITING - inviting people to learn more, inviting them to read the Book of Mormon, inviting them to pray, inviting them to attend Church, inviting them to be baptized, etc etc). If appropriate, find a friend or two to invite to watch some (or all!) General Conference in your home OR at your local Stake Center. Inviting anyone would be great, but the best candidates might be non-members, less-active members, or members who find it difficult to watch Conference in their own home. You could even plan a lunch, a potluck, or a picnic for in between sessions.

If you have invited a non-member friend, practice "anticipating questions and practice your answers" (from #3 above) while you are watching, in case your friend(s) ask any questions. If they don't ask any questions on their own, you could find out what questions they might have by asking something like "How did you like it?" "What was your favorite part?" or, "Was there anything they talked about that you didn't understand?"

Try out these 4 easy ways to practice being a full-time missionary at the next General Conference and let us know how it went! 

MISSIONARY RECIPE - CREAMY PESTO PASTA (EASY)

Food is a big deal for most missionaries! My future missionary daughter is practicing some recipes that she hopes to use on her own mission (she can submit her mission papers this year), and we're passing what she learns along to you!


If you haven't seen them yet, here are some of our other posts about missionary cooking and dinner appointments - check them out here:  "Missionary Recipe - Twice-Baked Potatoes (enough to last 1-2 weeks!)" and  "2 REALLY Important Things to START DOING right NOW if you want to SURVIVE EATING when you're an LDS MISSIONARY"

Today we have another recipe that would be great for a missionary to have in their cooking repertoire: CREAMY PESTO PASTA

This recipe is easy enough for any person who can boil water. The sauce is made from a jar of alfredo sauce and pre-made pesto sauce, so the most difficult part is cooking the pasta (which is just boiling dry pasta), BUT it tastes fantastic! I'm not a huge pesto fan, but I have to admit that combining with the alfredo is really tasty.

My daughter Kendall (a soon to be missionary) has tested this recipe for us and rated it based on taste
and difficulty:

DIFFICULTY: 2/10
DELICIOUSNESS: 8/10

Here are the brands Kendall used, but you can use any brand

Kendall's version (shown here) included

chicken and spinach, plus a squeeze of fresh lemon juice 

(she highly recommends the lemon juice)

Kendall says, "If I have access to these ingredients where I serve my mission, I can see myself making this all the time. I could eat this pasta for several days in a row and not be tired of it"

Here is the recipe (basically just the instructions!) which is printable (either on your home printer or you can print it as a 4x6 photo, which makes a convenient size for putting in a small photo album for recipes). You could also save the photo and email it if you have a missionary in the field! 

MISSIONARY RECIPE - TWICE BAKED POTATOES (ENOUGH TO LAST 1-2 WEEKS!)

Whether you are a future missionary, a college student, or just an adult, it is a good idea to know how to cook some basic things for yourself. Today my daughter Kendall (who will be submitting her mission papers this year) is trying out a recipe that won't necessarily be appropriate for every mission/missionary, but it will work for a lot of missionaries!

I've asked her to give it a try and rate the recipe based on difficulty and deliciousness.

This recipe is for twice-baked potatoes. This sort of thing might not be what you think of when you think "missionary cooking"... It is a bit work to make them - nothing too difficult, but multiple steps and will take several hours to complete (mostly cooking and freezing time). This recipe wouldn't be great for a missionary who doesn't have any spare time on p-day or who is in area where it is too hot to turn on the oven (or doesn't have an oven). This recipe would be great for a missionary who has some time to spare on a p-day (maybe on a rainy day when there isn't nothing planned with the other nearby missionaries, or if there are no other nearby missionaries). It might seem like a bit of a hassle to go to all of this trouble for one recipe, BUT, the beauty of this recipe (especially for a missionary) is that you prepare it once and you have pre-made food ready to heat up for the rest of the week (or even 2 weeks, depending on how many you eat at once).

Often during my mission I would prepare a meal (like spaghetti) and I would put it in the fridge and eat that same spaghetti for every meal for the next few days. That got old. But it was still much easier than needing to keep cooking new things every meal.

These twice-baked potatoes are freezable, so you make a big batch at once and pull as many as you want out of the freezer when you want them (reheat in the oven or microwave). So, yes, you will need a couple of free hours to get these made, but not all of that is hands-on time (some of it is waiting for the potatoes to bake, waiting for them to cool, etc). So you could make these while you are writing letters or cleaning the apartment.

This recipe will make about 30 half-potatoes (varies depending on the size of potatoes you get in your 5-lb bag). A meal-sized serving is probably 2-3 potatoes (again, depends on the size - and how hungry you are! I know some Elders who could eat 6 or 7 of these without batting an eye). So if you eat these for lunch every day, these could last you a week or two. If you and your companion both eat these every day, or if you eat them for multiple meals per day, they won't last as long of course. But still, that will cover a lot of meals.

Kendall made these potatoes for the first time today, using only the recipe (no help from mom). Here are some photos I took during the process:

And here is the finished product! We had some of these potatoes for dinner and everyone loved them, even picky little sisters.

Kendall rates this recipe a 5 for difficulty (1 being the easiest, 10 being the hardest). She rates this recipe an 8 for "deliciousness" (10 being the most delicious thing she's ever eaten). 

Here is what Kendall (a college student and soon-to-be-missionary) has to say about this recipe: 

"There wasn't any part of the recipe that was hard to do, but there were a lot of steps. While I was making this recipe, I kept thinking 'I will never make this again, it's too much of a hassle'...but when they were done they were delicious and I realized how many meals worth of food I had made at one time. It would have taken just as long to make 1 twice-baked potato as it took to make 30 of them. A missionary could eat for a long time if they made this recipe once"

Here is the recipe, which is printable (either on your home printer or you can print it as a 4x6 photo, which makes a convenient size for putting in a small photo album for recipes). You could also save the photo and email it if you have a missionary in the field! 

Thanks for joining us today, we will be reviewing more recipes soon. In the meantime, please see my other missionary prep blog posts, including tips for purchasing mission clothes and other items, getting your passport, and more information on eating as a missionary!

How to Keep Inexpensive Jewelry from Turning Your Skin GREEN

For more information about the kinds of jewelry that would be appropriate for a missionary, see my blog post "10 ITEMS TO BUY NOW (before your LDS mission call arrives)" which includes information about jewelry for Elders and Sisters. 

For the most part, missionaries will probably not be wearing expensive jewelry (find out why in the blog post mentioned above). It isn't easy to find inexpensive jewelry (sometimes called "costume jewelry", though that doesn't mean the same thing as jewelry for a costume) that is nice looking. I've had the best luck online, but you also may have success at local stores.

Cheap jewelry like necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings are inexpensive because of the materials used to make them. Sometimes they are a low-quality metal or a low-quality metal coated in a thin layer of a better-quality metal. Sometimes they are plastic coated in metallic spray paint. This is why they are cheap. It doesn't mean they are bad, but things that are inexpensive might not last as long (because they are lower quality materials) and with metal especially there is a risk of the materials turning your skin green (or blue, purple, black, etc). This is because of a chemical reaction with your skin, which isn't harmful, but it doesn't look great. The more you sweat, the worst it will probably be. It will usually wash off (may take a bit of scrubbing). 

If you want to prevent this from happening on your skin in the first place, you can do some prep work now.

For necklaces that have any metal (even if it is just at the clasp part in the back), you can use a clear gloss spray paint to coat the metal so it doesn't actually your skin. Here are a few examples- you can find these near the regular spray paint in most stores, or in a craft store. I had both of these kinds, so I tried both and they both worked great. You want to be sure to get GLOSS (not matte), because gloss will keep the shininess of the metal.

Here is a necklace that we found on Amazon for about $9.00 here (please note, I am not the seller of this item and do not receive any compensation for this post or clicks, this is just a necklace that I happened to buy that I am using for an example. I'm only posting a link to where I purchased it in case someone is interested in buying the same one)

I couldn't tell any difference - the paint was totally clear and it wasn't noticeable at all. I tried this on several necklaces. I laid them down on a piece of cardboard and sprayed the metal chain parts on one side, then when it dried I flipped the necklace over and sprayed the other side. 

My daughter wore one of the necklaces to church and had it on for 9 hours, with no skin discoloration. (She had worn this same necklace before I sprayed it and her skin had turned totally green under the necklace that time).

I would suggest concentrating on the parts of the necklace that go around the sides and back of your neck. It is okay to spray the decorative part of the necklace, but it is possible that you might see globs of the paint if you over-do it. 

I've read that you can do similar things with clear nail polish if you have cheap-ish earrings or rings (the clear nail polish is easier to apply to small areas than the spray paint and you can be more precise).

This probably won't be a permanent fix, but from what I have heard the coverage provided by spraying necklaces can last up to 6 months. This may depend on the climate on your mission and how much you sweat. Nail polish on the inside of rings or on the posts of earrings will probably only last a few weeks or months, but you can do that more often if you have clear nail polish with you.

(Please note - I am not responsible for your jewelry or any damage that may incur. I tried this myself and it worked great for me on several pieces of jewelry, but I am not responsible for your personal decisions and possessions. Use your best judgement)

5 MORE things you can BUY NOW, even if you don't know where you will be serving

If you are a careful planner, a frugal person by nature, or are simply trying to work within a strict budget (or all three!), you will probably agree that purchasing mission necessities over time is one way to alleviate the stress of making all of your missionary purchases at one time... Even if money isn't a concern, trying to find the exact things that you need in a limited time frame isn't easy...

While you will want to wait until your mission call arrives to start making certain purchases (like weather/climate appropriate clothing and accessories), there are some things that you can start purchasing ahead of time (as you prepare to submit your mission papers or as you are waiting for your mission call to arrive). Making some progress in purchasing what you will need might even make the waiting a little easier...

But wait- What if you decide not to serve a mission after all? No problem - all of these items that I recommend will be useful for anyone in college and/or adult life in general! You should wait to purchase anything that would only be needed for your mission (such as snow boots or an international power-adapter) until after you have your mission call and know for sure that you will need it.

I recently posted about 10 things (beside clothes) that you can purchase before your mission call arrives (because you will need these items no matter where you are assigned to serve). In that post, I discuss missionary bags, cameras, towels, address books, jewelry, luggage, and more!
You can read that post here ->

Today I'm back with FIVE MORE IDEAS - 5 things that you CAN purchase ahead of time for your LDS Mission, even if you haven't received your mission call yet!

#1- LAUNDRY BAG(S)

I recommend buying 2 different laundry bags - one for whites and one for colors/darks. These take up very little room in your luggage and you will definitely need them, even at the MTC. You probably won't have washer & dryer inside your own missionary apartment in most areas (and you might not even have them in your apartment building at all), so these are for transporting your clothes to the laundromat, the member's house who lets you wash clothes on p-day, etc. Between p-days, these also serve as a laundry hamper (to hold your dirty clothes until the next time you can wash them)

For my mission, I took 2 mesh bags (one dark blue and one white). They worked really well, but sometimes the white mesh can be awkward when you have to lug your whites to the laundry mat. I always had to situate my whites to make sure nothing "unseemly" was showing.

For my daughter's mission we have purchased 2 bags - one is dark blue mesh (just like the one I had during my mission) and the other is white breathable nylon (not see-through). We found these bags on Amazon, so I'm including the links if you're looking for these same type of bags (I don't work for Amazon or get anything for clicks, this is just what we bought):

Link to this specific laundry bag for about $6 on Amazon here

Link to this specific laundry bag for about $6 on Amazon here 

Although the blue bag is shown with white clothes inside, I would recommend this for darks/colors. You will want to keep your whites and darks/colors separated for washing (this keeps white shirts, slips, garments, bras, etc whiter longer. Washing whites with colors is NOT a great idea).

If you already have laundry bags at home/college like this (and they're still in good shape), save a few bucks and bring them on your mission!

#2- LANYARD

I've seen several people suggest getting a lanyard for the MTC, because you are now required to use swipe cards to open doors while you're at the MTC. Keeping your cards on a lanyard keeps them handy.

Even after the MTC, I think that a lanyard will continue to be useful throughout your mission, as well. You don't have to wear the lanyard during your mission, but just having your apartment & car keys on a lanyard can make things easier for you. I lose my keys A LOT - they are always around (between the couch cushions or deep inside my bag), but having them on a lanyard actually makes them a lot more find-able! You do not want to be panicking because you're late for an appointment and you can't find your keys in the apartment (or you're standing in the rain because you can't find your keys under everything inside your bag). A lanyard makes your keys "bigger" (less likely to slide between cushions or hide under your scriptures) and also makes them more convenient to hang up in your apartment.

Here is the lanyard we bought for my daughter's mission: 

(We bought this lanyard on Amazon, but it is no longer available)


Here is a simple style that I found on Amazon that is more gender-neutral
and would work for either Elders or Sisters
(again, I don't work for Amazon or get anything from them for clicks or purchases,
I just happen to shop on Amazon a lot!)

Colorful lanyard options on Amazon for about $9 here 

And another feminine option: 

Feminine floral pattern lanyard for $11 on Amazon here 

#3- SCRIPTURES

Every missionary needs a set of scriptures (in book form). Even if you will be serving in a mission with digital technology like smartphones or tablets, you will need to have an old-school set of scriptures. You will need all 4 standard works - The Book of Mormon, The Bible (Old & New Testament), the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine & Covenants. There are several options - you can get a "Quad combination" - an all-in-one set where all 4 standard works are together in the same book OR a set of 2 books with a "triple combination" (Book of Mormon/Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price in one book) and the Bible in a separate book). To make things more complicated, there are also options for size and color). Whatever type you select, they do need to be the official scriptures from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because you will be using standardized scripture references in your study and teaching.

One thing to consider when selecting a size for your scriptures, is what you will be using them for. No matter what, you will use scriptures in English (assuming that is your first language) for personal study. If you will be speaking a foreign language, you will receive copies of your language-related materials (scriptures, etc) in your mission language at the MTC. You should not purchase mission-language materials for yourself - they GIVE them to you at the MTC.

I served my mission in the U.S. (English-speaking), so in addition to my personal and companionship study, I also used the same scriptures for teaching investigators and less-active members. You will be passing them around for people to read during discussions. So the mini scriptures are not really ideal for this (many people don't have great vision). I found that "triple combination" and "Bible" (2 separate books) worked best, because you could pass them around for different people to read different passages in the lesson. If I had only needed them for personal study, a smaller quad set might have been better for me.

You can find new LDS Scriptures for sale here

Scriptures also come in a variety of price ranges, depending on the materials used. You do want quality, but at the same time, you maybe don't want to go overboard and buy the most expensive scriptures in the world because your bag could be stolen or your scriptures could get soaked in a rainstorm.

An even-cheaper option is to bring the scriptures you already own (if they are in decent condition). Some people think its important to have a special separate set that is only for your mission, but thats up to you. I don't think it's necessary.

#4- FLASHLIGHT

Your first nights in the MTC will be little disorienting, and if you try to get up early to beat the crowd to the showers (or have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night), you can use a small flashlight to help you find your way without waking up all your roommates. After the MTC, it's still a good idea to have a small flashlight in case the power goes out, or you lose your watch behind the couch. You don't need anything huge or expensive.

Here is an example of a low-cost flashlight available here on Amazon for about $5

If you already have a small flashlight at home, you can bring that one instead of buying a new flashlight! Everything you have on your mission will eventually be "used" - not everything you bring has to be brand new.


#5- SEWING KIT

Every missionary needs a basic sewing kit. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. It's good to have several colors of thread (especially neutrals like white, black, gray) in case you need to repair a hem or sew on a button.

Basic sewing kits like this are available everywhere, this one is on Amazon for about $8

#6- MISSIONARY REFERENCE LIBRARY

According to section vii in "Preach My Gospel," the only missionary-approved books (besides "Preach My Gospel" and the scriptures, of course) are: "True to the Faith," "Jesus the Christ," "Our Heritage," and "Our Search for Happiness"

These books are all separate, but together they are known as the "Missionary Reference Library" (or sometimes just "Missionary Library"). You can purchase these books as a matching set (such as this set of paperback books) available on Amazon here for abut $20 (for the set):

And of course they are available at Deseret Bookstore and other places. BUT, you don't NEED these books for your mission. You aren't required to have them. And every missionary apartment you go to will probably be swimming in them. Many of your companions will have copies that you could borrow (if you ask first!). And you may even have access to digital copies of these books if you have smartphones or tablets in your mission.

If you are worried that you will run out of things to study without these books, seriously- don't worry about that - you will always have more to learn about the standard works (scriptures) and Preach My Gospel. Your WHOLE mission. You will be searching the scriptures and Preach My Gospel like crazy.

But if you still want the missionary library books, go ahead and buy them! If you don't think you will want to take the whole set, you could choose just one or two to buy (they can all be purchased separately). If you live near a Deseret Industries thrift store, they always have these books for sale (cheap). Again, they do not need to be new copies. They will be "used" as soon as you start reading them, so if you want to purchase these, save yourself some $ and buy used.

Personally I took a used copy of "Jesus the Christ" (my favorite) with me on my mission, but I also read some (or all) of the other 3 (using copies that were left behind by other missionaries who didn't have room for them in their luggage). Honestly, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on these, because if your suitcases won't close on transfer day, you're going to leave these behind instead of sacrificing something essential like a pair of shoes. For my daughter, I recommend that she doesn't take them with her. But do whatever works for you!