Some weeks, you know exactly what you want to write home. Other weeks, you open the email and wonder how you can have been so busy without knowing what to say.

Here are 30 missionary letter prompts to help with those weeks. Pick one or two, write a few sentences, and see where they take you. You do not need to answer the whole list. Your family probably did not ask for a 30-question report!

Keep the audience in mind as you write. Something you would share privately with a parent may not belong in a group email or on a public blog.

Write About an Ordinary Day

  1. What part of your morning feels familiar now that used to feel new?
  2. What did you eat this week that you would like to remember?
  3. How did the weather change your plans?
  4. What everyday task have you learned to do differently?
  5. What sound, smell, or small detail reminds you of where you are?
  6. What made you laugh this week?

These are good starting points when you feel like nothing unusual happened. Describe one moment instead of trying to summarize the whole day.

You might write about a habit that kept evading you, something you keep forgetting to buy, or a task that finally feels normal.

Write About the People Around You

  1. What kindness did someone show you?
  2. What have you appreciated about working with your companion or someone else?
  3. When did listening help you understand a situation differently?
  4. What small act of service were you able to offer?
  5. Who taught you something useful, and what was it?
  6. What would you like to thank someone for?

Tell your part of the story. You can explain how grateful you were for somebody's patience without sharing their personal circumstances.

Write About Something You Are Learning

  1. What is easier now than it was a month ago?
  2. What are you still practicing?
  3. What mistake taught you something useful?
  4. What word or phrase did you finally understand?
  5. What question have you been thinking about?
  6. What did you try differently after something did not work?

You do not have to wait until you are good at something to write about it. The learning is part of the story.

For example, you could describe a conversation you understood a little better this week. That may feel small to you, but it gives your family a way to see how things are changing.

Share a Thought From the Week

  1. What scripture or teaching stayed with you, and why?
  2. What gave you a reason to feel grateful?
  3. When did you need to practice patience?
  4. What helped you return your attention to the day's work?
  5. What have you changed your mind about?
  6. What do you hope to work on next week?

Write these in your own words. You do not need to turn every experience into a finished lesson. Sometimes you are still thinking about it, and that is okay to say.

Help Your Future Self Remember

  1. Which photo needs a caption before you forget what was happening?
  2. What would surprise the version of you who had just arrived?
  3. What ordinary object has turned out to be especially useful?
  4. What would you explain to someone reading this years from now?
  5. What has changed since your last transfer or assignment change?
  6. What is one sentence you would use to remember this week?

Add the date and explain any unfamiliar abbreviations. If you mention something from an earlier letter, give a short reminder. A person reading the book later may not remember which story you mean.

Turn a Prompt Into a Letter

Start with what happened, add a detail, and explain what you noticed. Here is a made-up example using the question about something getting easier:

"I used to need help understanding every question at the shop. This week I followed most of the conversation myself. I still asked someone to repeat a sentence, but I felt more comfortable trying."

There is a paragraph! Add a greeting, another small update, and a closing if you like. Our weekly missionary email template can help you put those pieces together.

As the weeks add up, Letters Home helps keep the emails and photos in one collection. Those ordinary details can become some of the most personal parts of the book you read later.