From the Mission Field
Real Life Felt Scary and Meaningless—Did I Need to Extend My Mission?
Many missionaries worry about the transition from the mission to real life, and some probably feel like staying on the mission would solve a lot of their worries.
I loved serving as a missionary. Though it was taxing and difficult at times, I will be forever grateful for all the experiences I had, the people I met, and the Spirit I felt. I loved putting on my name tag every morning to represent Jesus Christ.
As I approached the end of my mission in Belgium and the Netherlands, I naturally wondered what my life would look like once I got home. I had plans for work and school, and I was excited to start a new chapter of my life.
But I was also nervous. I wondered if anything else in my life would be as meaningful as my mission. What if the rest of my life paled in comparison to my missionary service?
A Mission Extension?
Part of what I loved so much as a missionary was having a well-defined purpose: to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”1
I worried that I would be purposeless and aimless when I got home and wondered:
Should I extend my mission to hold on to that purpose for just a little bit longer?
Whatever the reason, I know that many missionaries worry like I did about the transition from the mission to real life. And many wish that they could stay a missionary forever.
I had heard of people extending their missions before, but I was not aware of the Church’s policy for mission extensions until I came home. I learned that the General Handbook of the Church states, “Missionaries and their family members should not request early releases or extensions of service for personal convenience.”2
The handbook also says, “Service missions for young missionaries do not exceed 24 months for men. These missions do not exceed 18 months for women.”3
This struck me. I used to think that extending your mission was a good way to show that you were committed to your role as a missionary, but I realized that life beyond being a missionary was important too.
God’s Plan for Our Lives
God’s plan is one of eternal progression. He does not want us to become stagnant. He wants us to become more like Him and to receive all the blessings that He has to offer (see Moses 1:39).
Part of God’s plan for His children is to learn, to become self-reliant, to serve in His kingdom, and to marry and have families of our own. As a missionary, I felt like I could do some of those things, but I certainly could not do them all.
I could not attend college or have a job as a missionary. I definitely could not be a wife and mother. If I stayed a missionary, I would actually stunt my spiritual growth because I would not have the chance to progress and become more like Heavenly Father.
A mission is a great foundation for the rest of your life. My mission gave me skills that I used to study hard in school, to work hard, and to persevere when life is hard. I learned to study and teach the gospel simply. A mission prepared me for the adjustment of living with another person when I got married. Most importantly, a mission taught me to trust in the Lord and to turn to Him in times of happiness and hardship.
The Transition Home
So how do we make the transition home a positive one? I remember being so happy to see my family again. But I also remember feeling like I still belonged back in Europe.
The next few days and weeks were a transition, but I started to adjust to post-mission life. I tried my best to keep up with my scripture study and daily prayer, I started a new job, and I visited the temple often. I still missed my mission, but I was able to find a renewed sense of purpose that drove my decisions and motivated me to begin my life again.
Thankfully, Church leaders understand that this transition is often difficult, and they have prepared the way to help a missionary’s transition home go smoothly. The Church’s My Plan for Returned Missionaries manual is a wonderful tool for missionaries to use as they come back home. It provides a template to create goals and plans, and it encourages missionaries to pursue education, employment, and marriage as those opportunities are available. This manual helped me be OK with moving forward, and I know it can help you too.
The Lord has asked us to serve Him as we are able, but He also wants us to follow His timing and align our will with His. Missionaries, as you return home from your full-time service to the Lord, remember that this is not the end of your service to Him. It is only the beginning.
As we let our precious mission experiences push us forward, we too can receive the Lord’s praise in Matthew 25:21: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”