This is one of the most important things to do as a missionary. The people you teach and work with will probably be the thing you will want to remember most. Don't count on your amazing memory - keep records!
- Start writing in your mission journal before you even leave. Write down your feelings while you're getting ready to leave. Write down what it was like to open the mission call. Write about your setting apart. Write about how excited you are to leave and how terrified you are of the next 18 months/2 years. You may even want to write down dates and who was present at these events. These will be a lot of fun to read in the mission field and will keep you going on those hard days.
- Write in your journal EVERY DAY of your mission. Even if you don't follow any other piece of advice, follow this one. My brother-in-law challenged me to do this. I didn't do it my first couple of months, but after that I did. Even if it was one sentence, I would write something every day. Don't try to write everything down. It's a lot easier to write everything you want though when you stay caught up. I'm SO glad I did this. I love looking back and reading my journal. It's a lot of fun and brings back tons of memories. There are plenty of things I would never have written down and remembered if I hadn't been writing every single day.
- Write at least one entry in your mission journal after you get home. Write about what it's like being home again, things you miss, things you are struggling with, things you are happy and excited about.
- Keep a copy of your patriarchal blessing and your farewell talk in the front of your journal.
- Write names down! Including last names. Believe it or not, you will forget some of them. I had a spot at the front of my journal where I wrote down the names of everyone I taught (investigators and less actives). You could also have a spot for certain members you want to remember. It may be a good idea to put this list in two places in case you lose one. My husband wrote his list (including addresses and phone numbers) in the front of his Preach My Gospel, and then lost it. That list is gone forever. Like I said above, the people you teach will probably be the thing you will want to remember the most. Don't lose them.
- You might guess that my mission journal is one of my most prized possessions now and yours will hopefully be the same. Don't let anything happen to it! It'd probably be smart to scan/copy all of it when you're all done.
- Take LOTS of pictures. And not just of you and your companion being silly in the apartment. ;) Take lots of pictures of investigators and members. Don't wait until the end of the transfer or you will probably miss someone. (Yes, I know this from experience. Believe me, I will always regret not having a picture of some of the people I worked with.)
- If you don't already have a camera, I would recommend one that comes with its own battery. Those batteries last a lot longer and are less of a pain. If you already have one with AA's or whatever, just make sure you have a back-up set with you at all times.
- The way I sent pictures home worked really well. My dad bought me two memory cards that were each small enough for all the pictures to fit on one CD. This made it really easy to get them transferred onto a CD and send it home. Then I could use the 2nd card while I waited for the CD to get home. Then after hearing from my mom and dad, I could erase the pictures off the first one.
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