Writing a Missionary

 By Nikki Wilson

My little brother just got back from a two year mission to the Billings, Montana mission. For the past two years, almost every Sunday, I would sit down and write him an email that he could read on Monday. That time spent writing each week meant so much to me. When I first started writing to him, I struggled with knowing what to write. So I suggested to him that we each share a scripture that described our week or that especially meant something to us that week.

We started doing that and it was amazing how the scriptures we shared with each other brought the spirit to both of our lives. I like to read my scriptures daily but by searching for a scripture that was just right for the week and taking the time to write about why it touched me, brought the spirit like never before. Soon my brother and I formed a bond through our letters that we didn't have before he left on his mission and the spirit was stronger in my life.

This sent home the difference between reading something and the act of writing about something. The light bulb went on in my mind about why we are urged to not only read the scriptures but write about what they mean to us in our journals. You would think with me loving to write and all that journal writing would be easy for me, but it's not. But writing a missionary motivates me a bit more and I feel it helps just as much.

Since my brother has been home and I am not writing him anymore, I've felt an emptiness in my life. Just small empty space, but one I want to fill none the less. So I have found another missionary to write. And I believe I will continue to write missionaries as long as I can because of what a blessing it is to my life and hopefully it blesses the missionary I write as well.

If you know of a missionary you can write, I urge you to try my theory. Not only will that missionary be so happy to get mail, your life will be blessed!