FHE Ideas: Preparing to Serve a Mission

Song: I Hope They Call Me on a Mission (Children's Songbook, pg #169) (Download the song here / See and hear the music here)

Scripture: D&C 133:37

Lesson Ideas:

• If you or your spouse served a mission, find pictures, letters, souvenirs, etc and display them for your children to see. If you served in another country or spoke another language, consider doing a sort of themed night - try and make some authentic food, decorate, or even practice words from that language. During FHE, talk about your daily routine, the hardships you encountered, and the blessings you received.
• If you or your spouse didn't serve a mission, consider finding someone to come and talk to your family or combining your FHE with another family whose parent(s) served a mission and are willing to discuss it with your family.
• I know that the missionaries are very busy, but you might try inviting them over for dinner or even just to do a presentation for your family. You could have them talk about what they do on a daily basis, what the MTC was like, or what they did to prepare before their mission.
• Give each member of your family a missionary name tag and, if desired, have everyone dress in their Sunday best (white shirt and tie for the boys, modest dresses for the girls - what you would wear as a missionary). Practice going in pairs and knocking on your own door and pretending to be the missionaries. Discuss what it is you would say to try and present the gospel to someone you don't know. I thought about creating my own, but decided to see if I could just find any online. Here are a couple I found:
• Member Missionary Tag - click "save as" then put as many as you need into a word document. Print and cut!  
• Customizable Missionary Name Tags - You're able to change the name on the name tags and then print them out. Both Elder and Sister spots are available!
• Or just get a black piece of card stock and, using a white crayon, write "Future Missionary" or "Member Missionary" or whatever floats your boat. This is especially good for kids who can't read yet! :)
• Read through and discuss this article about 10 Practical Ways to Prepare to Serve a Mission
• Write letters to the missionaries in your area thanking them for their service. You could hand deliver them with a plate of cookies (or some other treat). If you're not sure who your local missionaries are, talk to your bishop or Ward Mission Leader.
• Discuss why it is important to serve a mission. Why we should be willing to share the gospel and why giving up our time to serve the Lord is important and beneficial. You could also talk about what we can do now as member missionaries to help the Elders and Sisters who are out there serving.
• If your children are older, you could watch (or find clips from)either "The Best Two Years" or "The Other Side of Heaven." Both are favorites of mine!