Missionary Mom Tip #2: Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures

On March 12, 2025, I posted the following on my social media and shared tips about pictures.

Eliza comes home in a week - just 7 days!! Here is Tip #2: Pictures

For Christmas I got a digital frame and I finally set it up. My thought was to have Eliza's mission pictures loaded and surprise her with it when she comes home, but oh what gladness the digital frame has been for Lance and me already! I only wish I had done it earlier. Literally, it has been so fun to see her silly poses and faces, the food, the beauty of her surroundings, her mission pals, and new friends ready for baptism and dressed in white. 

This is a new joy for me and a happy tip to share - get a digital photo frame to showcase your missionary's pictures.

We've heard it before, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

There are countless stories contained in Eliza’s pictures that I don't even know about. I look forward to knowing the stories, the experiences, and more about the friends, people, and places. I hope she is ready; she has thousands of pictures to tell me about.

While my daughter, Abbey, was on her mission (2017-19) she had a digital camera and a lot of SD cards, which a few times got infected when she would go to an internet cafe to download pictures to send home in her emails. Things changed, so by late 2019, Andrew and now Eliza, have been able to take pictures on their phone and can easily upload them to Google photos to share with others. It is so spectacular for the family back home to easily see the pics.

I'm including a few of my favorite missionary pics of them.

Other picture tips:

* Send pictures from home to your missionary. They enjoy seeing what is going on back home.

* Before memory fades, label the images, digital or printed, with people's names and places. (I still need and want to do this with my husband's mission photos, too.)

* For soon-to-be missionaries, it is my understanding that the picture uploaded at the time of submitting mission papers is the picture that will be used for your entire miss.

* I printed some 4x6 photos of my daughter's companions and some of her mission friends. I had them hanging on her bedroom wall  

If you have a missionary serving right now, do they also use a digital camera or just their phone camera?

What photo tips would you share?

Running out of Google photos storage seems to be an issue for missionaries. My missionary too.

Any tips on organizing digital photos?

Missionary Mom Tip #1: Make connections with moms who also have a child in the same mission

The following was shared on my social media March 11, 2025. 

I was saying a prayer and thanking Heavenly Father for the opportunity I have had of being a missionary mom. I was feeling grateful for so many things. Including making connections with other moms from the mission and the joy that has brought me.  I was impressed with the thought of doing a daily countdown and sharing a missionary mom tip or something that's helped me find joy in this journey. I'll never get to be a missionary mom again.This season of my life is ending. So why not share some things I've learned along the way that might help someone else. 

Only 8 days until Eliza comes home and tip #1 - Make a connection with some of the other mothers in the mission. 

When my first child left, there was no video chatting or regular phone calls.  We introduced ourselves to each other when taking our missionary to the airport and exchanged phone numbers. If one mom received a picture of their child from the flight or layover to the mission from a random, kind stranger, it was sent to our new group of missionary moms. We all get excited and happy. Closing in the gap just a bit with a recent goodbye to a child.  

When Eliza left, I met two moms early that morning at the airport whose sons were going to the same mission. We’ve become friends, and now our group of missionary moms has expanded. We share lunch dates, pictures, and support through our GroupMe. At our last lunch, one mom suggested that as we introduced ourselves to the new moms, we show a picture of our Elder or Sister. Which was awesome for all of us to see. We were connecting that some of our children are in the same district or they did splits together or enjoyed a p-day adventure together. Now, when I see Eliza's pictures, I better recognize and know who the other missionaries are and even know their mom's, too! 

For me, a connection with other mothers helps with the loneliness or sadness of having a child gone AND is another way to feel joy when your child is away serving and teaching others about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I'm grateful for missionaries and their mothers. 

10 Days Until My Missionary Returns Home!!

On March 9, 2025 I made a post like this on my social media. I was beginning a 10-day count down of Eliza returning from her mission on March 19, 2025. Wahoo!!

So much excitement and gratitude!!

In 10 days, my amazing daughter will be coming home after serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France!

I am overflowing with delight and gratitude as I think about the many lives she's touched and the many that have touched and blessed her life. This includes companions, leaders and teachers at the MTC, terrific mission leaders, senior missionary couples, members in the branches and wards, all her fellow missionary pals, the many people she met and were willing to talk to her, and all those who would listen to her share and teach about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

The faith, strength, and love she's exhibited over the past 18 months have been such an inspiration to me. I can’t wait to welcome her home, hear her stories, see her notebook of miracles, and see the incredible person she’s become through this experience.

I’m so proud of her and grateful for the service she’s done in France and Belgium—what a beautiful journey it has been!