For the Love of Snails

Missionaries love getting mail, and Haley has made it easy to send them something a cut above the usual. 

Check out all the super cute stuff she has created to bright up your missionary's mail box.

 The Snail's Mail!!!

For the Love of the Snails                            

 

My love for "snail mail" started about three years ago while my (now) husband was in Italy for 2 years. During this time, we were in the dreaded long distance relationship. He left when I was 18 to serve a mission for our church. I know that this time away was a crucial part of our relationship. I missed him, of course, but knowing that we would marry when he returned kept me sane (well...as sane as it gets).

I know, I know. Married at 20 years old? We must be crazy, right?! Let me tell you how we met. :) At the ripe age of 11, my parents moved my family from Las Vegas, Nevada to teeny, tiny Idaho Falls (of 60,000 people. Yeah, get a grip, Haley.). I remember driving through the town when we first moved there and passing the zoo. The camels were out near the road so the drivers could view them. These camels were the oldest, ugliest things I had ever seen, and their lumps looked like they were falling off their backs. I couldn't help thinking, "Where in the world have my parents taken us?!" I swore I'd die before I ever liked this town.

That was before I walked the halls of Sandcreek Middle School and met Chris. He had longish hair that kinda flipped out at the ends, and a really cute freckly nose. But let's get real, I was 11. It was a total crush. But a crush that never really ended.

Fast forward 10 years. I'm now 21, happily married to my middle school sweetheart for one year, and we've got 3 little pets. Our "babies" we like to call them. :)

During his mission, Chris wrote me a letter every week. A real, live, handwritten letter. With like...paper and a pen. We could email as well, and we did, but he could only email once a week too. So the rest of the time he would write letters.

Boy, did I love my mailbox more than I had ever loved it in my life.

I want my customers to be able to share that same feeling with someone they love and care about. The products that I sell here at The Snail's Mail are to help promote using a little more ink (pen ink, that is), and a little less technology when communicating with those that we associate with.

When is the last time you talked via snail mail? It's so much fun! And I know that your recipient will greatly appreciate the gesture.

Let's use a little more of our pens, and let these snails get some exercise.

Click here to order your Snail Mail set today!!

 

 

Simply Kiki's - Whimsical Custom Jewelry

 

We are so excited to welcome

Simply Kiki's, owned by Missionary Momma Krista Morgan,

to the Missionary Momma Mall! 

She hand makes the cutest necklaces, bracelets and key chains.  The possibilities are endless!  She can customize any of her pieces with a photo, flag, map, hand written message, artwork, whatever you can imagine!  The best part - they are so affordable!  (Prices start at only $5.95!!!)

For those of us with a little less imagination, she has put her own creativity to work and come up with some really great designs.  There are 15 different CTR designs, and 15 different "I am  Child of God" images.  Click on over to the MMMall to see all the lovely choices!

After years of providing daycare in her home,  in 2014 Krista decided to embark on a new adventure.  With her youngest now in school (and oldest on a mission), she wanted a business she could run from her home that was flexible, and FUN!!

Of her new venture, Krista had this to say, "The thought of creating special gifts for others was appealing, kind of like a birthday and Christmas everyday!  Life is always full of so much, well, LIFE!  I wanted to create jewelry that could capture all of that. With these pendants it's limitless, fun pictures that fit each unique personality, inspirational quotes, images to celebrate a holiday, cheer on your team, honor your missionary and so much more.  Being on a tight budget it was important to me to offer a durable, great quality item that would fit in all budgets.  The pricing of these allows you to have a special one created or collect many to wear on all sorts of different occasions."

 

 Krista is a RM and a MM! She said, "My missionary is our oldest, of 7 kids.  She's currently serving in Starkville Mississippi within the Alabama Birmingham mission.  Her service is almost complete and will be home on March 5th of this year! (WooHoo, I can actually say...THIS YEAR!) I served in the Paraguay Asuncion Mission and my husband served in the California San Diego mission.  We feel so blessed that our amazing daughter made the decision to sacrifice 18 months in service of others."

The above photo is of Krista (aka Hermana Fish) when she was serving in the Paraguay Asuncion Mission back in the day.  The bottom photo is of her with her family today.

Krista has a real passion for what she does and it shows!  She said, "One of the funnest things about making these pendants is getting a glimpse inside other peoples lives, their celebrations, their sorrows, and their loves, hobbies and quirkiness.  I love seeing where people's missionaries are serving, the pictures their cute little ones have drawn and images of the amazing miissionaries their moms are wearing close to their hearts..  They've also been used on wedding bouquets, (a picture of a missing loved one or pictures honoring their own parents love and devotion). A recent one I made was for a new mom, it had a baby footprint in the color of the November birthstone along with her precious little one's name.  Another great use is for business logos.  Our Orthodontist has had some made as gifts for the moms and teens that come get braces on.  My sister is a manager of a trampoline park and she loves wearing her custom made pendant with their logo, another great way to advertise a business."

Click Here to See all the Fun Stuff from Simply Kiki's!

Life Size Missionary

What we Do

Have the presence of your missionary at any time and in any place. Our Life-Size Missionaries are printed and cut to life-size, and are ready to stand in family photos, be at weddings, or just be placed around the house as a reminder of your loved one!  Great for families, grandmas, grandpas, significant others, brothers, sisters! 

Lifesizemissionary.com is your source for life size cutouts of your missionary!  They offer life size cutouts in cardboard for a more temporary use or foam board for a more permanent use.

Upon placing an order with lifesizemissionary.com, your product will be custom manufactured in Salt Lake City, UT, in a state-of-the-art print and finishing facility.  Lifesizemissionary.com only uses the finest materials, and print with ink containing no VOCs or solvents.  Their larger than life print presses can quickly tackle any size order, and their production staff is ready and able to fulfill your order and get it on its way.

As each product is custom, it will take a day or two for them to process your order, but rest assured they’re on top of it!

Orders are shipped via UPS-- each package will be identified with a tracking number which will be emailed to you once it is assigned.  You can always go to www.ups.com to find where your package is it, but as a general rule, areas west of Utah take 1-2 days via ground, and areas east of Utah can take 3-5 days to arrive.

Why We Do It

Our story is simple:  We want to make sure that loved ones are never missed as they serve their missions.  From holidays to weddings and any event in between, we want to make sure that those who are out are remembered and able to feel connected to events happening at home.

Who We Are

Lifesizemissionary.com is an offshoot of one of Salt Lake City’s largest large-format print houses.  We operate out of a 17K square foot facility in South Salt Lake City where we operate with the latest state of the art equipment.  Lifesizemissionary.com is run by a family of returned missionaries, all of whom had important life events happen while out on their missions, and all who were allowed to “participate” via life size cutouts of themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

What Else we offer

 

Outside of life size cutouts, we also offer good luck and welcome home banners, Vinyl Saying Quotes and life size wall graphics. 

 

 

Days To Serve

First and foremost, I am incredibly grateful to be a guest on the Missionary Mommas Blog. I met Heidi and many other women in your group about a month ago at the LDS Missionary Expo and immediately felt welcomed into your community. You are all truly amazing women who stand for what is good in this life and I am grateful to associate with you. 

Heidi asked me to give some background on how Days to Serve came about and then share my story. Earlier this year, in April I was meeting with a great client I had met two years prior about replacing and remodeling the front door of her home. While going over the design and just talking about things in general the topic came up that her son was leaving on his mission in a few weeks to the Dominican Republic. She mentioned he was not being himself and struggling with leaving. This might sound familiar to some of you. Through our conversation I felt impressed to share my story with her in hopes it would help in some way.  After sharing the experience she immediately called her son Hunter to come up stairs and meet me.  She then asked  me to share the story again with him. Up until this point I had only shared this experience a few times and had always felt reserved in sharing such a personal experience that changed my life.  After sharing it with him and discussing it with Patti, she said, "you really need to write this experience down and share this with missionaries and their families".  I was flattered by what she said and decided to write it down that night. Before I left, I told her I had wanted to have some emblems made to give out as gifts to family and close friends. She thought it was a great idea and wanted one for Hunter. I gladly obliged when I had some items made.

After getting my kids to bed that night I began writing down my experience in greater detail. I felt the spirit as I wrote the experience down. I felt peace and gratitude just like I felt that day in Alabama where I served my mission.  I sent the story over the next day to Patti not knowing she was an editor for many large corporations. Without any expectations from me, PJ Hatch-Beck edited my story for grammatical errors and other minor changes and sent it back to me. I appreciated the gesture and told her she could share the story if she felt impressed. But Patti had a different idea.......

About a week went by and she called me back and said what an affect the story had on her son, and his preparation to leave on his mission. She then told me again that this story needs to be shared. So after a combination of ongoing pep-talk conversations with Patti, and some whacking on the head accompanied by impressions from the spirit, I began to feel that there was a higher power at work. Heavenly Father was working through Patti to get me going on this project. I had been so busy with my typical work schedule in construction that starting another company was just not in the cards for me at the moment. But this continued to evolve whether I liked it or not. Heavenly Father shared the message with me, and now it was my turn to share the same message with his missionaries. The Lord is hastening his work, with the increased number of missionaries in the field. I really started catching the vision of why this message needed to be shared, and why now.

Many missionaries are struggling just like I did. They need something to help solidify their decision to serve a mission, just like I did. Many need a change of heart, just like I did, and still do sometimes.  It made sense why this needs to get out there. It was not about money, it was about the cause. 

My wife and I had made plans over the two years to build our next home, but it seemed that every direction we turned, we hit a wall. We began to look at heaven and wonder if building our new home was the right thing to do. It wasn't. On a Sunday after church, my wife and I talked and decided to go a different direction. This was a hard decision, but it was the right decision. The down payment we planned to put down on our house was to be used for something else. We felt we needed to take that money and invest it into what we now call Days to Serve.  We somehow knew it was going to be okay.

Ever since, my mind has flooded with ideas of ways to share the message, and create items that would act as a reminder to anyone who received the gift. I would go to bed vary late, and wake up very early to research how to get this company started. The name came naturally as it was part of the original message given to me. I then began designing the way I wanted everything to look, from the logo, to the graphics on the website, to the products. It continues to evolve. It has been fun to be creative and build something with meaning.

It has now been seven months since I first met with Patti and shared my experience, and we now have missionaries all over the world wearing the gift of Days to Serve. We had no idea what to expect when starting this, all we knew is we had to do it and we are incredibly grateful we did. We completely took an "if you build it, they will come" approach to Days to Serve. (which is normally not a great way to start a business) but we had to believe the outcome would be good.

This is what I know. Heavenly Father knows us all personally. He knows what we need, and knows what we need to do, even though we might not always understand it at first. I know now He wanted me to pay it forward and share this gift with others. I know this with absolute certainty. I had prayed and knew this is what I needed to do. As it says in the last scripture in the book of Second Nephi, "for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey."

The story that inspired "Days to Serve"  

It was a typical morning in the mission field where we got out early to share the gospel with the people we hoped to find that day. I had only been out serving the people of Alabama a few months as a new missionary and I still thought of home, family, friends, and the experiences I might be missing. I longed for the excitement of my young life and it was incredibly hard for me, as it is for a lot of new young missionaries. Homesickness seemed to swallow me whole at times and I wrestled to have an optimistic attitude. In my heart, I knew I was where I was needed, sharing the Lords message, and yet part of me was still home. My parents had made significant sacrifices for me to be there and I did not want to let them down. I had been praying morning and night for anything to help change my young heart and solidify this monumental decision of serving a mission. It was a struggle having one foot in the mission, and one foot home with those I missed and loved.

After much pleading and prayer with the Lord, this confirmation was received. On this particular morning while following our typical mission routine, my mission companion and I were biking down an old country road in Decatur Alabama. I was pedaling as hard as I could to get to the destination we had planned to proselyte the night before. I had a clear lead in front of my companion as I hugged the side of the road with no sidewalk and only about ten inches of space to ride. In a flash my attention was captured by a reflection of light off an object lying on the ground that quickly passed beneath me. I felt compelled to stop and examine what that object was and I turned around to find it. My companion had not yet caught up with me so I had a moment to contemplate what it was that I held in my hands. I imagined this object to be some kind of decal that had fallen off of a car, but looking at it in that moment, and aware of my prayers and willingness to receive an answer in any form, I knew this was an emblem meant just for me. 

The silver plated emblem was simple; it was the number 740, no bigger than the palm of my hand.  I thought for a moment, and began repeating the number in my mind, 740. The thought then occurred to me there are 365 days in a year, and times two that is 730. THEN, I remembered, the date I was to be released from my full time duties as a missionary.  I had entered my mission May 10th, the year 1998, and my release date was May 20th the year 2000, EXACTLY 740 DAYS!

For just a moment time stood still, everything seemed so quiet. The spirit then softly whispered to me 'You have 740 days to serve your mission, and a lifetime to remember how you served, MAKE THE MOST OF IT!'

It was so random and simple, and yet very profound. As it says in Alma, “but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass”. (a) In that small moment I became keenly aware that Heavenly Father knew me and that he had answered my prayer in a way that I never would have expected. I knew He was aware of my allotted time to serve and was acutely aware of my struggles and heart ache.  Ultimately, Heavenly Father knew what was needed to change my heart. In a conference address many years ago, President Ezra Taft Benson once said, “When you choose to follow Christ, you choose to be changed”. (b)

My mission and life changed that day as I chose to rededicate myself to our Savior's work, and to follow Him more diligently. This experience has had a profound effect on the outcome of my life. I often refer to this experience and had I not been given this individual gift, I can only speculate about the honor in which I served my mission and the trajectory of my life going forward, and where I would be now. Until recently I have only shared this experience a few times. As more family and friends leave their young lives to serve missions as I did, it has been my sacred privilege to remind them of the short amount of time they have to fully dedicate themselves as messengers for the Lord.

For me, the number of days to serve was 740, but for others in their specific mission, it states that it is anticipated they will serve for a period of 24 months (730 days) or, 18 months (548 days) for sister missionaries. Whether it is more or less does not alter the relevance and importance of this personal and sacred call to serve. Every missionary needs to remember that as they set themselves apart from the world, they must give all of oneself, every single day and to do so is an honor and a privilege. They will NEVER have this mission and it's individual and particular capacities again.

I share my personal experience and pass on this message to our young missionaries that the Lord shared with me on that old country road in Alabama. Missionaries need to make every day count, one day at a time. When it is over, the returned missionary will look back on this time served for the rest of his or her life with great personal joy and gratitude for the tremendous growth and service that they willingly dedicated to "further the missionary efforts in proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." This individual dedication and whole heart effort will bless  numerous lives forever. Upon release, with name tag in hand, many with genuine understanding and sincere reflection may weep from what they have learned and experienced.  Our missionaries will have 'A LIFETIME to remember how they SERVED' and like me, they will forever be changed.

 

Josh Prazen                              

Served May 10th 1998 – May 20th 2000

Alabama Birmingham Mission

(a) Book of Alma 37:6
(b) Conference Report  -  October 1985,  pp. 4-5.
Edited by PJ Hatch-Beck - Linkedin proifle 

View the Days to Serve Collection @ www.DaysToServe.com

#Daystoserve

The Days to Serve Collection is available to purchase on the MissionaryMommaMall.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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If it Fits, it Ships! (Except for International, then there is a weight limit)

by Wendy Minks 

 

Sending packages to missionaries serving internationally can be tricky and expensive.  For many of us, the most efficient and affordable way to get something to our missionary is via an USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope.  These are only $5.50 to ship within the US and about $25 to ship them internationally.

 

 

When shipping these within the US there is no weight limit.  When you ship them internationally they can weigh no more than 4 pounds. 
 

They come in a few different varieties, and all ship for the same price:

1. The standard Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope.  These are made out of stiff, but flexible cardboard and are available free at most Post Office locations. They are designed to hold 8.5 x 11 documents.

 

 

2. The padded Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope.  These are plastic, bubble wrap envelopes and are about the same size as the standard ones above.  They are not usually available at the Post Office and can be ordered for free from USPS.com.  They are flexible and they protect the contents.

 

 

3. The legal size, Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope.  These are made out of stiff, but flexible cardboard and are not usually available at the Post Office.  They can be ordered for free from USPS.com
 

If you print and pay for the mailing labels online at USPS.com you will get free tracking and a small discount over the price you pay at the counter in the Post Office.  If you are shipping to an address outside of the US you will be directed through filling out the customs form online as well.

 

 

So, what will fit in one of these envelopes??  All kinds of stuff!  This legal size, flat rate envelope contains: 1 set of twin size sheets, 1 YW personal progress book, 1 YW pendant, 1 CTR ring (cheap distribution center variety), organic fruit snacks, sour belts(Hawaiian candy), post-it note tabs and one hand written letter. All for the low price of $23.50!

 

 

 

I was able to get all of this -

into this -

 

 

Here is a nifty trick I found on Pinterest.   I use this, or a modified version of it, ever time I send flat rate envelope package to my missionary. 

 

When you are shopping for your missionary think flat-ish, and not very breakable.  Here are some ideas for you:

• Artwork (small) for their apartment walls - Like this!   
• Gatorade drink mix packets
• Candy
• Seasoning packets like Taco Seasoning, Guacamole, etc.
• Beef Jerky or Slim Jims (or both if you are my kid!)
• A Cute Pillowcase - Like this!
• Colored pencils
• US Postage stamps.  (Letters home through Pouch Mail require a US stamp.)
• Fruit snacks
• Bookmark
• Inexpensive Jewelry - Like this!
  
   and this!
   and this!
  
• Calendar for the new year
• Personal care samples - lotion, shampoo, Bio Freeze, etc.
• Hot cocoa packets
• Window cling Christmas or other holiday decorations
• Priesthood line of authority cards - Like this!
• Paper nativity scene - Click here to download for free!!
• Stationary - post it notes, pens, notebooks - Like these from the Smudged Sisters!  
  
• A thumb drive for photos - Like these custom ones!!
• A Plan of Salvation magnetic teaching tool - Like this!
• A cookbook - Like this!
  
• The Ensign
• Cough drops
• Crazy socks - Like these!
  

 

You will be amazed by how much love you can fit in one of these envelopes!  Good luck and have fun!

Angel Momma Project

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! Missionary Mommas need to think like Walmart and the craft stores and get Christmassy EARLY.... especially if your missionary is overseas! We get so excited as we prepare Christmas packages for our missionaries. We want them to feel love from home!!!

It has come to our attention that there are a few of our missionaries that have companions that don't have the same support. Some missionaries are the only member in their family, and some families don't have the means to send packages or even letters to their missionary.

Now, I know what you are thinking...because I am have'n the same thought! And the answer is YES, we CAN help! After checking in with the Mission Dept in SLC, we have come up with a couple ways that MMs can help out!!!

We can donate to the General Mission Fund so that when there is a need, the Church can help. And we can send small packages for the Elders and Sisters on our "Needs Some Love" list. We'll include a few fun items such as CD's, stationery, bookmarks, pens, small treats, etc...

Sooooo....here's the plan...

There are several ways to be a part of this project!

1- Donate funds using the Paypal donation button on the MM Mall, in the pinned post on the FB Group or here on the MM Blog! Click here >>>>

2- Purchase a MM Angel shirt, available at the MM Mall... for each shirt purchased, $1 will go to the General Mission Fund and $1 will go to help put together and ship our packages.

3- Donate to the General Mission Fund by using your tithing slip.

4- Go serve the missionaries on YOUR area. Remember to take pics of your service to share with the group throughout December!

I am only one MM... alone I can only so much... but together as a group, 6500 strong, we can make a huge difference to the 25 missionaries on our list!!!

LET THE HOLIDAYS BEGIN!!! And to help get things started, here are some of our missionaries that are already celebrating... celebrating birthdays and P-Day, that is!!! ;)