Many missionaries who leave as missionaries have girlfriends who stay at home anxiously awaiting their return. The duration of an LDS mission is two years and that is a long time. When your missionary leaves for his mission, it is important that your girlfriend continue to learn and grow, because the missionary will experience tremendous growth (emotional, spiritual, and intellectual) while on his mission. Here’s a guide to what you can do while your missionary is away.
-Going to college: Take this time to immerse yourself in your studies and focus on your educational goals. The school is a great place to improve your knowledge and advance towards the career of your choice. By being in college, you will learn a lot about responsibility, and by getting involved, you will also get to experience how much fun college life can be.
-Socialize: Just because your missionary is gone doesn’t mean you have to stop socializing. You still want to hang out with friends and meet new people. This will help you stay connected to people and prevent you from spending a lot of time alone. It’s also okay to date other guys who ask you out. Your life is not put on hold while your missionary is gone.
-Work and save money: get a job and save some money. Avoid going into debt. If you plan to marry your missionary when you get home, it is important that you save some money, especially since your missionary will spend these two years volunteering and has no income.
-Support your missionary: write your missionary letters, since this is the only form of communication that you are allowed. Make sure his letters support you and encourage you to continue working hard as a missionary. You can also send small packages and gifts; this is always something missionaries enjoy receiving. Let him know that he misses him, but that he is very proud of the great job he is doing.
While your missionary has been gone for two years, don’t put your life on hold. Go to school, go out with your friends, get a job and save some money. This is a great time to grow and develop as a person and move towards your potential. If you sit and wait, you will miss out on many great opportunities.