There is a lot to think about before a missionary leaves. Packing, travel, goodbyes, and all the things you suddenly remember the night before. Somewhere in that list, it is worth making a small plan for the emails and photos that will come home.
You do not need a complicated system. Choose who will save the updates, decide what can be shared, and try sending one letter with a photo before you rely on the process. Here are a few things to work through together.
Talk About Staying in Touch
Start with the communication instructions for the missionary's assignment. For missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Church has guidance about communicating with family and friends. Follow the applicable standards and your mission leaders' direction.
Then talk about what your family hopes to hear. Let your missionary know that you would love the ordinary details too. They do not need an amazing story every time they write.
Try not to promise every relative an update each week. Plan on trying to send one general email that everyone can enjoy.
Pick Someone to Save the Letters
It helps to have one person responsible for checking that the updates arrive and the photos are saved. Otherwise, everyone may assume someone else is doing it.
That person might be a parent, a sibling, or another trusted family member. Choose someone who is happy to manage the collection and follow up if gaps start to appear.
Decide Who Can Read the Updates
Before forwarding a letter to the entire extended family, talk about what your missionary is comfortable sharing. The same goes for putting an update on a public blog.
A few questions can make this much clearer:
- Who should get the regular emails?
- Should someone review an update before sharing it more widely?
- Are there details your missionary wants kept within the family?
- What should happen when a letter includes someone else's story or photo?
You can change the plan later. Starting with an agreed audience just means nobody has to guess or feel awkward if something gets shared that wasn't meant to be shared.
Save Something From Before the Mission
The story starts before the first email from the field. Take a family photo, write down the departure date, and invite your missionary to leave a short note about what they are looking forward to.
You could ask what feels new, what they hope to learn, or what they want to remember about home. A paragraph is plenty. It may be fun to read it again after they return.
If you keep a mission call or travel document, keep it safe. If you are planning on sharing it, remove personal identifiers and sensitive details from it.
Try the Collection Before You Need It
If you are using Letters Home for ongoing email collection, complete the sender setup and verification steps in the app. Then follow the instructions to send a sample letter with a photo.
Check that the letter appears, the date looks right, and the photo opens. This is a much nicer thing to figure out while you are sitting together than after somebody is far away and short on time.
Also choose a place to keep original photos and a separate backup. A clear folder name is enough to get started.
Your Quick Checklist
- Check the communication instructions for the assignment.
- Choose who will organize the letters and who can help.
- Agree on who can read and share updates.
- Save a pre-mission photo, date, and short reflection.
- Set up the collection and send a sample email with a photo.
- Choose where to keep originals and backups.
- Remind your missionary that an ordinary update is welcome.
That is a good start! You can see how Letters Home collects emails if you would like help keeping everything together. We also have a weekly email template for anyone who likes having a starting point when it is time to write.