WAITING for your Mission Call - a guide for future LDS Missionaries (Mission Calls part 2 of 2)

This post is part 2 of 2 (the previous post was "How Mission Calls Happen & How to Get Started" and you can read that here if you missed it!)

Today we are talking about WAITING for an LDS mission call to arrive...

Waiting isn't ever fun...but waiting for your mission call is a whole different level. This is more than waiting for Christmas. This is more than the anticipation of the latest episode of your favorite show. This is more than waiting for Shamrock Shakes to come back. This is a big deal - and the bigger the deal, the harder the wait. You're waiting to find out where you will be living for the next 18 months-2 years. You might be in the next state over, or you could be in a foreign country that is very different from your home. There are currently 407 different missions and you could be assigned to any one of them. You're waiting to find out which language you will learn/speak for the next 18 months-2 years (will you be assigned to speak English or one of the other 50+ languages that LDS missionaries speak?). You're waiting to find out where the Lord has assigned you to labor. No matter where you are assigned to serve, you will be given that assignment by the Lord through his Apostles and the Prophet/President of the Church. You're waiting to finally, finally know where you will serve the full-time mission that you have been planning and preparing for a long time - for months, for years, for your whole life (or maybe even longer!). It's not like waiting to get your phone bill in the mail - you're waiting for a letter that will change your entire life.

HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO GET YOUR MISSION CALL? 

You may have heard stories of prospective missionaries getting their mission call 1 week after they submitted their "papers" (application), or you may have heard stories of prospective missionaries who waited months for their call to arrive. I haven't been able to verify that anyone received their call within 1 week, but I guess that it is technically possible - however, not very likely because mission applications need to be reviewed and screened for any issues before the the missionary is assigned, then the actual assigning is done only on certain days, and then there is the time involved in getting the call envelope together & sent out to you (which unless you live in SLC, should take several days). Overall, you'd have to be very lucky and happen to apply during a slow time and have everything work out just perfectly to get your call within a week.

Personally, I waited about 5 weeks for my call to arrive. However, things are a little different now than they were in my mission days, because everything was done on paper and through the mail at that time, so that slowed the process down a lot. Now most things are done electronically, so the (overall) process of mission applications/assignments can be done more quickly, though you will still receive a physical envelope in the mail with your mission assignment. Today, the standard time-frame between when your application is submitted (complete) and when you receive your mission call letter in the mail is between 2-4 weeks. But just because you don't have your mission call in 4 weeks, doesn't mean there is a problem. Many of the young adults that I know who have submitted their papers in the past year have received their call within 2 weeks, but there have been a few who have waited a month or even longer. There are a lot of factors involved, so there is no guarantee that you will receive your letter within a certain time frame. So even if your friend (who submitted their papers the same day as you) already got their mission call to Zimbabwe two weeks ago, you may still be waiting a while for your letter.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE....IS SOMETHING WRONG?

If it's been more than a few days or even a week since you submitted your mission "papers" (application), you might be starting to get a little anxious. You know that the process is going to take a little while, but you keep checking the mailbox - just in case! Each mail day that goes by, you get a little more inpatient, because each day that goes by is one day closer to getting your mission call. And with each passing day, it is more likely to be there in the mailbox.

But what if it's been a couple of weeks (or 3 weeks, or a month)...and you've had nothing but junk mail and bills in your mailbox? I'll bet you're starting to wonder if there is a problem. You might start to have doubts creep into your head. Maybe my application was rejected? Maybe they don't want me? Maybe I'm not supposed to serve a mission? Don't worry, if there is a problem (like an error in your application or more information is needed), the missionary office will let you know. You can also check the progress of your application on the website - (check with your Bishop or Branch President to find out how to do this).

A good friend of mine has been preparing to serve a mission for a while. Over the past year, she has worked several jobs at a time and has worked very hard to get everything ready so that she can serve. Several months ago, so she met with the Bishop and Stake President and the mission paperwork was sent in. She actually ended up submitting her mission papers multiple times. Each time that her papers were sent in, about a week would go by and then she would get a call from the Bishop or Stake President. They would tell her that they'd been notified that there was an error in her application (such as the Bishop signed something on the line she should have signed and vice-versa) or that the missionary office had questions about some aspect of her application and needed more information. Each time, the information was given or the mistake was immediately corrected and the mission paperwork was quickly re-submitted. Imagine my friend's level of anxiousness each time that she had to have her mission papers re-submitted, knowing that each time there was an issue to resolve, she was being delayed in receiving her mission assignment. After the most recent time that her mission paperwork was submitted, she anxiously waited as a week went by...and then two weeks... This time, she heard nothing from her Bishop, Stake President, or the missionary office. So she felt hopeful that there would be no further problems with her application and hoped that her mission call would arrive in the mail any day.

I was able to talk to her about this whole situation during a visit a few weeks ago. I was impressed with how she spoke of how waiting longer than expected to leave for her mission (or even receive her mission call!). She said that she felt like she is now more prepared (mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially) than she had been a year ago or even a few months ago when she had originally submitted her papers. She spoke of how she would rather wait to serve where the Lord needs her, even if it means waiting longer than she had planned. I was so impressed with her maturity and patience.

Then another week passed. And another 2 weeks passed...still, no mission call.

On Sunday, I heard that she had still not received her mission call (I believe it had been about 5 1/2 weeks since her most recent application submission, which I think makes it almost 3 months since her original submission!). Imagine the doubt and worry that my friend must have felt! I don't know what was going through her mind, but a lot of people would be thinking, "Am I even supposed to serve a mission? Maybe they don't want me! Maybe it's not meant to be?!"

Later that night, my daughter and I cut some flowers from our yard and dropped by our future-missionary friend's house. We told her that we were proud of her and that she shouldn't give up - every day that passes is just one day closer to getting her call, no matter how long it takes! And like she had said, its better to wait to go to the place where you are needed. I told her that I'd just found an old journal from before my mission and had read the entries where I'd submitted my mission papers, when I was waiting for my mission call, and when I received my mission call. At the time, it seemed like the process was taking FOR-EVER, but now looking back after all these years, it sort of seemed like it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The very next night, she called me. After a very long wait, she had finally received her long-awaited mission call! HOORAY! I've asked my friend to share some insights and tips about how she survived waiting for her mission call (MUCH longer than she was expecting to wait!) and we will be featuring that information in an upcoming blog post.

In the meantime, just trust in the Lord's timing. If he has a certain place that he wants you to be at a certain time, that is the most important thing, even though it can be really hard to wait.

Here are some tips for friends and family members of anyone who is patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for their mission call...

TIPS FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF FUTURE MISSIONARIES: AVOID ASKING ABOUT THE MISSION CALL- I know this might seem weird, but try to avoid asking "did it come yet?" whenever you see them. This is the pre-mission equivalent of asking a full-time missionary if they've "had any baptisms yet?" or the same sort of thing of asking a single person "when are you going to get married?" Of course you are curious and don't intend for your question to be hurtful, but they have probably been asked that question a dozen times or more every day (by every person they know) and for some people, it can make it harder to have it brought up all the time.

That doesn't mean you don't want to know about their mission and congratulate them when the time comes. If you simply want to know if they have received their mission call, try this - instead of directly asking about their mission call, ask "How are things going?" or "What's new in your life these days?"... if their mission call has arrived, trust me - they will absolutely take the opportunity to tell you. If it hasn't, they can make conversation while being secretly happy that you didn't ask them about their mission call (like everyone else does).

GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT- Tell your friend or relative that you are proud of them, that you support them, and that you are happy to help them if they need a distraction (maybe go get some frozen yogurt or go to the beach together?). It's hard to wait for that big white envelope in the mail. Help them make the wait a little easier.