STARTING your Mission Papers? 15 things to do WHILE YOU'RE WAITING

If you're starting your mission papers, you're probably really excited and can't wait to get your mission call. The process of mission application paperwork can take a while, though, can't it? You need a bunch of appointments and you have a lot of paperwork to fill out. You may have to wait a while until everything is done. Or even if everything is filled out, you may still have to wait until you're close enough to your eligibility date in order to actually "submit your papers." A lot of the pre-mission process is waiting and being patient. Don't waste the time you have- it helps to be productive and get things done! You can't control everything, and there are a lot of things you can't do YET (like pack) but there are some things that you can do while you are waiting. Here is a list of 15 things that you can do while you are waiting to submit your mission papers (or waiting for your mission call!)

1. PLAN & BUDGET FOR MISSION PURCHASES: 

Start thinking about what items (like clothes or scriptures) you will likely need to purchase for your mission and plan how you will pay for them (can you get a part-time job? Babysit or mow lawns? Ask for some items like luggage or shoes for Christmas or your birthday?). You can plan out the basic things you will need (which is mostly clothing) ahead of time, though you will likely need to purchase some mission-specific items later on. Here are some of our posts about how to plan ahead for what clothes you will need and how to budget and/or spread out those purchases if you are on a tight budget: "Why you should buy some of your mission clothes before your call arrives" and "Planning & Budget for your Mission Clothes Purchases - A Guide for Future LDS Sister Missionaries"  (that last one is specifically geared toward the ladies, but the same principles apply to guys)

Some missions require the purchase of specific items (like a bike, a phone, or other electronics) or clothes (like a winter coat or snow boots) that you just won't know about for sure until you get your mission call. In the meantime, a lot of the items you will need to have are pretty much the same no matter where you will serve, so you can start purchasing some things ahead of time if you want to. See our blog posts for ideas..."10 Items You can Actually Buy BEFORE you Get your Mission Call" and "5 MORE Items to Buy - Even if you Don't Know Where you Will be Serving"

2. MAYBE GET A PASSPORT?: 

You may go to a foreign country or you may serve in the United States. You won’t know until you get your mission call. However, you might want to consider applying for your US Passport now. I talk about this in our blog post "3 Reasons to Apply for your Passport BEFORE You Receive your Mission Call." True, depending on where you are called, you might not need it for your mission, but it’s one less thing you will have to worry about later if you do go to a foreign country, Besides, even if you don’t serve in a foreign mission, a passport is a good thing to have. A US Passport is a valid form of government ID that can be useful for travel (even if you don't go out of the country)

3. TAKE CARE OF SOME OF THE SMALL THINGS - 

Once you actually receive your mission call, you'll probably be in a flurry of preparations (telling everyone, buying things, saying goodbye, etc). You'll probably have to do a million little things (like assemble your photo album or make your pedigree chart) that you could actually do NOW, while you're waiting to submit your papers (or waiting to get your call). Buy a little photo album and print some photos to go in it. You can always add more photos later. Make your pedigree chart (see my post about this here) that you will be using to teach about family history. Get an address book and start filling out the info you want to take with you. Get a sewing-kit and make sure that you have what you might need (and take out anything you'd never use). Make your own stationary (that says "Sister ________" or "Elder _________"). Set up a blog. Make a list of your passwords/Pin numbers for your accounts. You know, all of those details that you aren't going to have much time for later on. I talk about some of these things in our blog post: "5 Things you can Make NOW for your LDS Mission" 

4. TEMPLE PREP CLASS - 

Talk to your Bishop about upcoming temple-prep classes. Unless you have already received your endowment, you will probably need to wait to get your mission call before you get your regular (adult) full-use temple recommend and receive your endowment, but you can take the temple-prep class before you have your mission call. However, how far in advance you take the temple prep class is up to your Bishop, so check with him. 

5. MISSION PREP CLASS - 

If your ward or stake offers Mission Prep classes, those are recommended (and might even be required by your Bishop/Stake President, so check on that!)

6. MEET WITH YOUR DOCTOR RE: HEALTH ISSUES - 

Meet with your doctor to discuss any health problems or anything else that could pose a problem when it’s time to actually submit your medical papers. Things like obesity (being overweight) or underweight can affect your mission eligibility (see our post about missionary health requirements here). Other health issues like asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, menstrual concerns, anxiety or depression, acne, or ingrown-toenails CAN prevent you being eligible for a mission IF they are uncontrolled (for example, if you have diabetes that is not being controlled by medication and/or diet that would be a big problem. If you have diabetes that is well-controlled, that is totally different). They don’t want you to be in a potentially dangerous health situation or limited in the work you can do as a missionary, so anything that can be fixed or controlled needs to be taken care of - ahead of time. If you have any health concerns that are not currently “under control,” then make a plan with your doctor to get them under control. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to serve a mission, it means that you want to be pro-active and get things fixed that need to be fixed. 

Pretending that you don’t have a health problem so that you can “get away with” going on a mission is not a good idea. It's not good for your health and it will be hard to have the Spirit with you as a missionary if you are being dishonest. Health problems (including mental/emotional concerns like anxiety or depression) tend to get worse under the extreme stress of missionary life.  Do whatever you need to go get things under control, with the advice of your doctor. Certain kinds of issues take a significant amount of time to resolve (or get under control) with medication or treatment. You also may have to wait for referrals to specialists (that can take months), so its best to get this started ASAP so there isn't a delay (or more of a delay) in receiving your mission call*

You can meet with your doctor at any time (sooner is better), but the medical paperwork for a mission requires that you are examined within 6 months of submitting the paperwork. That means that if you plan to submit your mission application on October 1st, you could meet with your doctor to complete the medical portion of the paperwork anytime in the 6 months leading up to October 1st. However, if you have health concerns that will need to be resolved or monitored, you will want to wait until you have everything under control before you have your doctor actually fill out the paperwork for your mission application.*

For example, we have a friend who knew she needed to lose some weight to meet the BMI requirement. She intended to do so, but had her doctor fill out the medical paperwork several months before the goal was achieved. The doctor was not aware of the BMI requirement (it is not specified on the medical paperwork), so in the absence of any health issues, he completed the paperwork and gave his approval for her to serve. It wasn't until months later (about 2 weeks after her papers had actually been submitted) that my friend discovered that there was a problem. Although she had gotten her weight to an acceptable level in the months since her doctor filled out the paperwork, all the missionary department saw was the weight listed (by her doctor) at the time of the appointment. She was contacted and informed that she would need to get her weight within the required range before her application could go any farther. Though she had already taken care of the weight requirement, the missionary department did not know that. They only had the information that was on her medical paperwork. The correction was quickly made, but instead of receiving a mission call that week as she had hoped, my friend had to wait longer to get her mission application approved.

My daughter has a weight-loss goal that she will need to achieve before she submits her mission paperwork in a few months (so that she will meet the BMI requirement). She has been working hard. Anxious to get her paperwork going (even though she isn’t quite 19 yet), she wanted to make an appointment with her doctor to do her medical paperwork. She is on track to lose the required amount, but I pointed out that (as with the example of my friend that I mentioned) the weight written on the form at the time of her appointment will be the weight that is seen by the missionary department when they review her application. No matter how much weight she loses between now and then, the number the missionary department will see is the number on her medical form that is filled out by her doctor. For that reason, she is meeting regularly with her doctor to monitor her progress, but is waiting to have her mission medical paperwork completed until the goal (and the BMI requirement) is actually met. 

*There may be some cases in which your doctor may indicate that treatment is in progress and will be completed on a certain date (prior to the mission availability date) and depending on what the issue is, that might be fine. For example, if you are on a course of prescription acne medication that will be completed before your mission availability date, that is different than an issue that has not been controlled or will require additional medical appointments or treatment while you are serving. Some treatments and certain types of health issues might required additional paperwork or verification. With weight loss, all I can say is that it's easy to SAY (or even really believe) that you will lose 20 lbs in 3 months, but actually doing it is another thing, so I would recommend getting weight issues under control with the help of your doctor before you do the medical paperwork.  

7. IMMUNIZATIONS-

Keep immunizations up to date (some immunizations require a series with a specific timeframe, so best to keep up). You will probably need additional immunizations for your mission, but keeping up with regular immunizations is helpful so that you don't get behind. 

8. GET DENTAL ISSUES UNDER CONTROL- 

Have regular dental check-ups/cleanings and dental work as needed (you don't want to wait until the last minute and find out that you need a bunch of work done (which could delay your mission papers). If you haven't had a recent dental check-up/cleaning, you may want to schedule it now. You will need your a dentist to sign-off that you don't have any dental issues that could be a problem on a mission, but if you haven't been seen recently (like on your regular cleaning schedule), they will likely want you to come in for an exam. If you wait to schedule an appointment until you need mission papers signed, you might wait weeks or months to get in). If you have had a recent dental exam and there wasn't any problem, the dentist may (or may not) feel comfortable signing the form for you. So allow plenty of time and schedule an appointment now if you need one. 

If you still have your wisdom teeth, check into getting them pulled ASAP (sometimes you have to wait a while until they are formed, so ask your dentist at your next checkup). Having your wisdom teeth pulled is necessary for most people, check with your dentist to see if you are a candidate. We have a blog post on this subject WISDOM TEETH HERE 

9. WORK ON YOUR NUTRITION - Consider how you can improve your eating habits to be more healthy. Just because you are a certain weight (overweight, underweight, or average weight) does not mean that you are necessarily healthy or unhealthy…but in most cases, people can do something to  improve their diet. Remember that the Word of Wisdom (the Lord’s Law of Health) is not just a list of “don’ts” - there are things there that we are specifically told TO eat. Check it out Doctrine & Covenants 89. In addition to the things specifically listed in the Word of Wisdom, any Sunday School lesson or General Conference talk about the Word of Wisdom will also tell you that you need to use your common sense about what you eat (how much to sleep, how much to exercise, etc) and that you should listen to sound medical advice. Basically, even though the Word of Wisdom doesn’t SAY you shouldn’t eat an exclusive diet of Twinkies and Diet Coke, doesn’t mean that it’s healthy to do so. If you are ignorant about nutrition, you might not know any better, but if you know better but do it anyhow, that’s not great. You are smart. Use your brain. Also, panicking and trying to find a quick-fix to weight issues is not a good idea either. Avoid fad diets and quick-fixes.

10. FOOD/DRINK ADDICTION? - An element of the Word of Wisdom is avoiding addiction. Many (but not all) addictions are food/drink/drug based. Of course I probably don’t need to tell you that it’s bad to be addicted to cocaine, but you may have a less-severe (but still significant) problem with being addicted to something like soda (whether caffeinated or not) or to fast food or energy drinks. It would be best to overcome any food/drink addiction before your mission, because you don’t want to be relying on an addiction to keep going as a missionary. You might not have access to the item you want (do they have a McDonalds in Mongolia?), but even if you do, should you keep it up if you know you are addicted? Any kind of addiction limits our agency. If you have to have a cola on a regular basis or you get anxious, or you need some fast food to keep motivated in the afternoon, that is a form of addiction. I’m just pointing out some common food addictions - there are others. Just ask yourself - is there a food or drink that if you had to be without it for the next 24 hours, you would be very upset? It’s not about “liking” the food/drink - it’s about physically craving the food/drink and needing it to feel like you can function. If you feel like you might have an issue with being addicted to pop or junk food or whatever,  but you aren’t sure, try going without it for 2 days and see how you do. If you find yourself getting anxious, constantly thinking about that food/drink, or unable to wait the whole 2 days, you might consider your dependance on that food/drink and make a plan (perhaps with your medical doctor?) to give it up. It might seem silly, but it would be better to handle a problem like this now instead of during the high-stress environment of a mission. 

11. START EXERCISING - Work on your physical fitness. Develop an exercise plan. It is recommended that you start a habit of exercising regularly for 1-2 years prior to your mission (1 hour of daily exercise is recommended). If you haven’t been doing that already, start now. Even if you think you don’t need to exercise to control your weight, that is not the only reason for exercising. You will need the physical stamina and endurance as a missionary. Of course, consult your medical doctor to make sure that exercise is appropriate for you. 

12. START TALKING TO PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW - 

Start talking to people. It doesn't have to be about the gospel. Just practice making simple conversation with people you don't really know (cashier at the grocery store, new person at church, etc). This might seem silly, but it will help you during your mission (when you are expected to talk to EVERYONE, all the time). The sooner you get comfortable with it, the better.

13. START STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES - EVERY DAY - 

Read the whole Book of Mormon from cover to cover (especially if you haven't ever read the entire thing before). Then read the other “standards works” (The Old Testament, The New Testament, The Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price). Then read the Book of Mormon again. 

14. BREAK BAD HABITS- 

Do you bite your nails? Say "like" with every sentence? Pick your nose? Eat with your mouth open? Try to overcome those bad habits now so that you won't have to deal with them as a missionary. You will have enough to deal with already. 

15. STAY WORTHY- 

Make sure you are keeping your baptism covenants and living worthily to qualify for a temple recommend. If you have any unresolved issues, please do yourself a favor and talk to your Bishop now. You will live a higher standard after you receive your endowment and after you are set-apart as a missionary. Don’t let it go on that long. Take care of it now. Better late than never, but EVEN BETTER SOONER!