Ideas for Preparing Missionaries

    OK, so I have been getting ready for my mission about a month and a half now.  Here is what I think are the best ways to prepare for your mission.  Keep in mind that I have not actually gone on a mission, this is just what I think is helping.

1. Lengthen your prayers.  This is all up to personal interpretation of how much you should pray, but I think that taking your time praying in the morning and night (as well as all throughout the day!) definitely makes you more aware of what you have, and forces you to be more creative with your prayers then the stock, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, thank you for all we have, please bless us, Amen".  Don't be afraid to ask him to help you or for guidance.  Heavenly Father is happy to bless us, and there is no shame in asking for blessings if it is in the right mind set.
2. Read your scriptures and understand what is happening.  No new information here.  If you were born into the covenant, then you have been told your whole life the importance of scripture reading.  Well it is true, and what is just as important as opening the book is understanding what is going on.  I consciously have to keep asking myself questions like, "Who is that?", "What are they doing?", "How did they get to this point?" otherwise I'll read a page or two only to realize that I have no idea what I just read.  
3. Go to the temple.  If your first temple experience is anything like mine, it would have probably been confusing because it is so much information, and a little different then what you might expect.  My first time honestly wasn't a huge spiritual epiphany like I thought it would be, but going repeatedly and often really improves your life and helps you feel a lot closer to the Lord.  I would also suggest going to the temple as soon as you can after getting your call, but that is up to you.
4. Sleep, diet, and exercize.  I love sleeping in, enjoying a burger and fries, and being a couch potato as much as the next person, but getting decent sleep, eating well, and exercizing help me feel better during the day, and get more done.  I also am doing this because I would like to lose some weight before I get my suits fitted.  The word of wisdom is really words for the wise, and it is one of God's commandments so you should be doing it anyway.
5. Prepare one day at a time.  There is a lot to do before you actually go to the MTC.  If you are going out of the country like me, you need to get a passport and you visa.  The power may be different where you are going, and you need to plan for that.  You need to get a whole bunch of clothes and other things.  You will probably need to get a few inoculations and visit the dentist.  The key thing to remember is to take it one day at a time.  It is easy for me to get overwhelmed with all the things you need to do.  You will have enough time to get it all done, again take it day by day, and DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.  Even if you have a few months like me, you don't want to leave everything for the last weeks.  Some of the shots you have to get have to be taken a month apart.  There is a lot to do, so don't panic, and don't blow it off.

    That's all I have got today, I'll keep you updated with thoughts and experiences as they happen.  Good luck.  The gospel is true, I just checked this morning.

Mission Blog!

    Hello everyone, this is Elder Luke Crossman, and I have been called to serve the Lord in the France Lyon mission.  I report to the MTC November 2nd, and I will probably be in France just after Christmas.  I have found a couple other blogs by missionaries in my mission.  I have enjoyed reading them, but I keep wishing that they would add some specific details or advice.  So I have decided to create this blog for those who are called to Lyon or to a mission in general, as well as just a place to respond to letters and such instead of doing an e-mail tree.  Hopefully I can put something of use on here that will help someone, but at the very least, it will be an easy way to write to everyone who cares to keep up with me. 
     Anyway, I feel incredibly blessed to have been called to France, I love this gospel, and I can't wait to do nothing but serve the Lord for two years.  Je vous amie tout le monde!