The Helping the Missionary Christmas Post #1--Let's get this party started!

In my Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we send out missionaries. And in recent years, due to the Church's policy to allow young men to leave at age 18 (instead of 19) and young women to leave at 19 (instead of 21), there are A LOT of missionaries out there. Over 88,000 of 'em. Yes, you read that right. I myself am the mother of a missionary and this whole experience has been a life-changing one, one I will write about more often in the future.

But here's the thing I need to tell you and you and you.

• It's Christmastime.
• There are thousands of missionaries who will not get anything for Christmas this year.*

I have been filled with the fire of a loving mother, of a daughter of God, of a disciple of Christ to let EVERYONE know that we--you and me and your Aunt Matilda--can support these missionaries! It will take time, but we can do it.

You see, I am an Empath and I can feel the hope and the desire for the validation that a small gift or card or thought around Christmastime can give to these missionaries. I can feel their tentative yearning. I can feel their reaching out to me and I cannot ignore it. I don't know why I have been given this opportunity and I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR IT. But I am shouting it from Facebook's rooftops--
LET'S HELP THE MISSIONARIES.

First, I will tell you why we need to support them. Then, I'll tell you how.
Here are some of the reasons why we need to help them are these. Feel free to add your own reasons.

1. Missionaries are out there every day spreading the Gospel and deserve a little caring at the holidays. (And every day--but that's the topic of other posts.)
2. There are many missionaries that will get nothing because either their family and/or community have no means to give anything. Or these valiant missionaries have been abandoned or cast out of their family, usually for being members of the Church and have the audacity to want to serve the Lord. 
3. This is an important reason, so read it carefully: You will be blessed for helping missionaries. I am totally not kidding. You will find that life is smoother, sweeter, things will be lighter, brighter. It sounds almost magical. And you know what? It is. It's called serving and it completely and utterly rocks. 

So you're thinking, how can I get in on this awesome opportunity? Well, here's the way that will work now. And I'm hoping this thing takes off and we get every single missionary loving support every month. But today, let's focus on the now, shall we?

It's really simple. I promise.

Call your local mission home. Ask them how many missionaries need support. Organize some support.

The two first points are pretty easy. Make a call. Ask a question. But that last one--that organizing support one? A little trickier. But it is SO MUCH FUN! I have gotten people together by going to my neighbors, to my Facebook friends and my family. I don't have to buy all the things the missionaries need. But I can ask other people to ask others and together, all one happy, energetic, loving group we gather missionary Christmas stuff! So far, one person told me that she asked her whole family to bring an extra gift at their extended family get together and they're going to drop all that stuff off at the mission home. How cool is that? I had a woman who made darling crocheted hats for 10 sisters and the sister at the mission home was swooning about how much they would help the sister missionaries who were being transferred to Vernal UT and scared to death they'd freeze. And on and on. It has taken flight!

There is really no down side to this. It is a win win win win!

And let me ask you--as you're reading this--can you feel the Spirit? Can you feel the positive energetic vibrations affecting you? Can you feel how this opportunity to serve those who serve is so completely awesome?

Please share this post. We can still do so much good this Christmas season. And feel free to contact me. editorjenniferleigh@gmail.com

Let's get this party started!  And let's all have a super awesome Christmas!

*My friend's son is on a mission in Guatemala and in his mission alone, 150 missionaries had no gifts at all. The parents of some of the missionaries all pitched in and got gifts for all those missionaries. See? The need is HUGE.