Two by Two: Finally an RM ... What Now?

Most returned missionaries feel a lot like this
when they get home,

So for all the RM's out there that are wondering what's next ...
"He had been home ten days. … He still sometimes thought in German, forgot and used German words, which made people smile. At first he had been lost without a companion and the daily routine of missionary work, but in the last two or three days there had been moments when he had to think about his mission to remember it, as if it were possible to forget the whole two years.

… At first he had thought that everything and everyone … had changed, but then he realized that it was himself, and that change was proof of what had happened to him on his mission, how he was new, which he couldn’t have understood in Germany. (Douglas H. Thayer, “Elder Thatcher,” Under the Cottonwoods and other Mormon stories, Provo, Utah: Frankson Books, 1977, pp. 79–80)

Top 10 things to do your first week back

from a Mormon mission

Full Article Here

1. Take some time to rest.

2. Spend time with your family.

3. Reconnect with old friends — especially those who aren't LDS!

4. Ease into — don’t dive into — old hobbies and media habits.

5. Go to the temple.

6. Don’t be idle.

7. Set meaningful goals for yourself.

8. Eat your favorite meal from home.

9. Visit the dentist and doctor.

10. Take advantage of chances to share your mission experiences.

When “The Best Two Years” Are Over

BY JANET BRIGHAM

Full Article Here

“A returned missionary should still serve, still plan for each day, still keep himself clean, still share the gospel. The only thing that changes is that he doesn’t go tracting,” says Elder Featherstone.

More common than a conscious abandonment of missionary habits is an unconscious lowering of one’s personal expectations. A young woman convert who served a health mission in South America describes her experience: “At first, I felt this depression, this terrible weight on me, because I had quit studying. I was getting out of tune with the Spirit. Then I began spending mornings studying my institute lessons and the scriptures. I had felt so empty; but studying again made me feel so good.”

Elder Carlos E. Asay, member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and executive director of the Missionary Department, “Returned missionaries can’t afford to lose any of their good missionary habits. If they don’t hold on to them, they’ll be throwing away two years of precious training!”

Elder Hartman Rector, Jr., member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and president of the California San Diego Mission, tells his returning missionaries to check themselves periodically on “points of positive affirmation”:

—I am morally clean. I live by Doctrine & Covenants 121:41–46.

—I sustain the general authorities and stake and ward leaders. I keep my eye on the prophet by reading what he says and then following his counsel.

—I pay a full tithe.

—I live the Word of Wisdom.

—I observe the Sabbath by using the day for “uplifting, inspiring activities,” and by not buying.

—I am honest in my dealings with my fellow men.

—I daily read, study, and ponder the scriptures.

—I daily pray with earnestness. I pray for specifics, and I pray with humility.

—I set worthwhile goals and actively work to achieve them.

—I hold a current temple recommend and attend the temple regularly. I wear the temple garments with honor and reverence. I will be married in the temple and will raise my family in the Church. I will do all in my power to have all of my family united together in the celestial kingdom.

6 Things You DON’T Need to be Happy

Full article here

1. To be Married.

2. Money and Stuff.

3. The Approval of Others.

4. Ideal Circumstances.

5. A Perfect Past.

6. Control of the Changes in Life or even in Your Body.

It’s almost certain that at some point in your life, something will happen to you that you have no control over. There are actually a lot of things that you can’t control.

Here are just a few:

What other people say
What other people do
What other people think about you
The weather
Your genetic inheritance (I inherited a history of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Yay!)
Whether or not you will get cancer, heart disease or some other disease
When you die
Gas prices
Who is in your family
Your age
Traffic or other people’s road rage
God’s will
Here are some things that you CAN control:
How often you smile
How you react to other people
Your integrity
How well you are prepared
How grateful you are
Your own interpretation of events that happen
Whether you compare yourself to others or not (wouldn’t recommend comparing yourself to anyone)
How much exercise you get
How much sleep you get (this may be debatable)
How you interpret your past
How you live in the present
The goals you set for the future
How much you commit yourself to
Your creativity
The amount of information you share with others
The books you read
Whether or not you watch TV
The type of and amount of information you consume (thank you for consuming this)
When you ask for assistance from others
Whether or not you believe what other people tell you
How often to share your love
How often you pray
Your connection to God