A deep dive into who the Mintakan starseeds really are, their soul purpose, mission, as well as 30 clear signs you might be one incarnated on Earth.

Almost a decade ago, I began the process of starting my mission papers. I remember anxiously texting my bishop, going to doctor’s appointments, and begrudgingly getting my wisdom teeth out. On a more spiritual level, I started attending temple prep classes and reading Preach my Gospel. I received my endowments. I finally submitted my application. I remember confidently checking the box indicating that I would like to learn another language. Although I would never admit it at the time, I prayed I would get called somewhere cool and foreign to impress my friends (although when they asked I would coyly say I wanted to go “wherever the Lord called me”). I became insufferable to my poor family as I ran to the mailbox every morning hoping my call had arrived. My call finally showed up in the mailbox on Christmas Eve. I waited six more hours to open it so that my older sister could be there with me. I was so anxious about the whole ordeal my mom swept me into the car to run mindless holiday errands with her in hopes that I would calm down before opening it. I had recently graduated high school and frantically texted my classmates to be there with me when I opened the letter. This was quite customary for my graduating class since I had graduated from high school in Utah County and the majority of my peers were also LDS and considering missions. When I arrived back home to rip open the white folder my dad had placed under the Christmas tree my house was buzzing with teenagers from Timpanogos High’s 2013 cohort. I honestly have no memory of opening my call. I think I blacked out. I’ve watched the shaky video my little sister filmed of me opening the letter. When I watch it back I hear the shock in my voice as I read “Guatemala City Central Mission- Spanish Speaking.” Immediately after opening my call the anxiety set in. I remember feeling so confused- isn’t this exactly what I wanted? Isn’t an exciting, foreign mission exactly what I had prayed for? Wasn’t I the person who submitted my papers? Didn’t I check the box indicating I wanted to learn a foreign language? The reality was that after the initial excitement and attention from submitting my papers wore off, the fear set in. The reality of what I had signed up for felt crushingly intimidating. Eighteen months felt like an eternity. I had dropped out of eighth grade Spanish, why did I think I would be able to learn it now? What if my companions didn’t like me? What if I didn’t make it? My deepest fear, although I would never admit it at the time, was that I would come home early. The shame and fear became paralyzing. The three months between opening my call and getting on a plane headed for Guatemala City were some of the longest, hardest months of my life. Truly, I felt like I was just white-knuckling my way through. I cried the entire way to the airport. Looking back all these years later, I wish I could hug the 19-year old version of myself who was boarding that plane. Whether she realized it or not, she had become swept up into the cultural pressure and shame that can often accompany missions within the Church. If I could go back and give her advice, these are the things I would tell her: 1- It’s okay if you don’t serve the whole 18 months (no really, it’s okay). So much of my anxiety was caught up in worry that I would return home early from my mission. I feared the whispered conversations speculating about why I came home. I worried, deeply, about what other people would think of me. While I wish I could tell the 19-year-old version of myself that no one cares if you come home early, I know that (unfortunately) there is a lot of pressure to stay in the mission field and a lot of shame to navigate if you don’t. What I would tell a missionary leaving for the mission field is, it’s okay if you come home early. Really, it’s okay. Yes, some people might judge you. But at the end of the day, the people whose opinions matter won’t. Your mission call says it is anticipated that you will serve for 18 months (or two years) but it isn’t a contractual obligation. There are countless unforeseen circumstances that could cause you to come home before that. No matter what your reason may be, if you come home early it’s okay. No one knows your circumstances and what is best for you better than you do. This will be one of many instances in your life where you make a decision that other people may not understand, but that doesn’t mean that decision is wrong. Stand in your power and rely on your relationship with your Heavenly Parents. I promise you that, while it might feel like the end of the world right now, as time passes this will too. 2- You don’t need to “lose yourself in the work” in fact, it’s better if you don’t. Every young missionary in the field has heard the phrase “forget yourself and go to work” or been counseled to “lose yourself in the work.” I remember feeling this pressure to an extreme as I entered the field, especially during my training. I would feel guilty, embarrassed, or even shameful if I caught myself feeling homesickness because (in my mind) I wasn’t “losing” myself enough. Your Heavenly Parents called you to serve a mission. By trying to lose yourself or forget about the background that shaped you to who you are, you are showing up as a less-genuine version of the person who got called on this mission in the first place. It’s okay to still be a human being while you’re a missionary. It’s okay to feel sad, angry, disappointed, frustrated, or homesick during your mission. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad missionary, it means that you’re human and you’re having a very mortal experience during your time serving. By allowing yourself to feel all of these emotions, you also open yourself up to feeling joy, excitement, humor, relief, and the ability to form genuine relationships. You can’t selectively numb emotions, by choosing to recognize and process the hard emotions, you open yourself up to the happy ones too. There is room for all of it and feeling it all doesn’t make you a worse missionary (in fact, it makes you a better one). The Lord called YOU to be a missionary, not a robot. 3- The relationships you build on your mission will be the most important part. Focus on the people and let the other stuff go. I remember feeling so stressed about mission transfers, contacts, memorizing sections of Preach my Gospel, challenging people for baptism, and so much more during my mission. If I could go back, I would tell myself to focus less on the little details and focus more on the relationships I was building on my mission. Eight years after my mission, I don’t remember if I hit every bullet point I wanted to during that important lesson- but I do remember the people I was teaching. I’ve forgotten about the ways I embarrassed myself by messing up my words in Spanish- but I remember my companions who were so kind in helping me learn. Truthfully, I don’t even remember if some of the people I taught joined the Church after I was transferred away from their area, but I do remember the stories they shared with me as we huddled around their kitchen table. Eight years after I first got my mission call, I can confidently say that the relationships matter the most: my relationships with my companions, the people I taught, other missionaries in the mission, my Savior, and my relationship with myself are what matter. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t obsess over the details. People have their own agency and will choose their own path here in this life- your mission is just a wonderful opportunity to learn about Christlike love. Make the most of it. Lots of love, (former) Hermana Wise

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This blog post is featuring a collection of care package ideas for every month of the year (plus a few bonus ideas for birthdays and "hump day"). We have at least one idea for every month (plus birthdays and "hump day"), with links to the original source if you want more information. But first, lets talk about some of the practical matters re: sending care packages... TIMING- You'll want to take into consideration that it's going to take a while for your package to get to your missionary (especially if they are in a different country), so you will want to look into delivery estimate times and try to plan ahead. For example, if you are in the United States and your missionary is also in the United States, you can send a package through USPS using "Priority Mail" and it should arrive in 2 to 3 business days (there are other -cheaper- shipping methods, but they do take much longer). If you have a specific day that you need the package to arrive by (such as a birthday or Christmas), then I would plan ahead to have the package arrive at least several days early. It's better to be on the safe side, since there can be delays (especially around Christmas). If you are shipping to a foreign country, it will take much longer for a package to arrive. The USPS website's "Postage Price Calculator" can give you an idea of the cost for a package and an estimate for how long it will take a package/letter to arrive (enter your zip code and the destination country). Again, this is an estimate, because the delivery time can vary a lot, especially in remote areas. So shipping early is key. RESTRICTIONS- If you are shipping to a foreign country, I recommend finding a message board or facebook group where parents with LDS missionaries in the same country as your missionary share tips because you will be able to find ideas and information about shipping to that particular country. When you ship anything to a foreign country, there can be a lot of restrictions about what can be sent (both because of policy and because of practicality). For example, a particular country might not allow certain types of food to be sent. Another county might allow food, but it isn't a good idea to send certain types of foods (like chocolate that can melt). If you try to ship restricted or illegal items (like fireworks), they would be confiscated and could potentially cause problems for yourself and/or for your missionary, so be sure to get the facts about what is allowed and not allowed. The USPS has information about shipping to foreign countries, and they also have all of the customs forms that you will need to send packages overseas. The last time I sent a package to an overseas missionary was several years ago, but unless it has changed recently, you actually have to go to the post office to mail foreign packages (you can't usually just click & ship from home). OTHER IMPORTANT SHIPPING ISSUES- Other common issues related to sending packages to foreign countries include theft and additional costs to your missionary. Theft is a significant problem in some countries where customs agents will open and inspect your package, confiscate restricted items, and may decide to keep things that they want for themselves. Even if your missionary is serving in the United States and the package won't go through customs, packages can be stolen from doorsteps. So if you try to send anything of value such as money, a camera, or even shoes, they might never make it to your missionary. I've heard that in some countries, if you need to send shoes to your missionary, it's best to sent the shoes in seperate packages on different days (because one shoe is not very appealing to a theif). Of course, there is always the chance that one of the packages could be lost forever and you missionary might be walking around with only one shoe! :) Please be aware that customs agents can and will open packages and inspect everything inside. So if you have wrapped items (like a twelve-days-of-Christmas gifts kind of thing), they may open all of the gifts to see what they are. COSTS- It costs a lot of money to send a package anywhere, even within the same country. The farther away, the higher the cost. Also, a heavier package costs more (an exception to this is if you are able to do a flat-rate box through USPS, which allows you to pay the same price no matter how heavy the box is, but there are restrictions and you must use a specific box (that you can get for free from USPS). So you definitely need to factor the cost of shipping plus the cost of the items inside to determine the actual total cost of sending a care package to your missionary. What many people don't realize is that additional costs to the missionaries can happen when they are required to pay customs fees when picking up a package in their country. Depending on the contents of the package, they may be required to pay high fees (basically custom taxes), and that money comes out of the missionary's support fund (food allowance). Imagine if they had to pay $100 to pick up a package that cost you $50 to send them? That would be devastating to their budget. For all of these reasons, you will definately want to learn everything you can about what is allowed (or will result in fees) and what you shouldn't send to your missionaries particular country. Alright, now that I've totally stressed you out, lets get on to the care package ideas! You may need to adapt to your situation and you definately don't need to send a package every single month (especially if your missioary is in a foreign counrty where the cost is much higher). Here is at least one idea for each month of the year, followed by a few extra ideas: JANUARY- "NEW YEAR, NEW START" CARE PACKAGE LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE This is a cute idea for a low-cost care package containing practical items like toothpaste, mints, etc. FEBRUARY- "VALENTINES DAY CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE Check dollar stores for inexpensive holiday-related items and decorations MARCH- "ST PATRICK'S DAY CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE Green-themed care package for St Patricks Day - basically, just anything that is green (note- I'd be careful about putting soap like the IRish Spring shown in a box with food. Even though it is wrapped, it is strong smelling and -trust me - all of the food items like gum and mints will taste like soap. I know this because this has happened in my 72-hour kit. If you really want to include the soap, I would double-wrap the whole package of soap it in thick zip-lock bags like freezer bags). APRIL- ''EASTER CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE Several ideas for Easter. You could include any Easter-ish items, but its nice to have a gospel theme if you can, as in the 2nd Easter care package shown above. MAY- "MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE This is a May-themed care package with the popular May 4th "MAY the Fourth be with you" Star Wars theme. Here, they include snacks with the labels changed to make them Star Wars related. JUNE- "BOX OF SUNSHINE CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE This sunshine-themed care package would be good for anytime in the summer, but it could also be sent in the winter as a sort of cheer-up. PS- Some countries have the opposite seasons than in the United States, so if your missionary is serving in Australia, for example, it might be winter there when it is summer here. JULY- "4TH OF JULY CARE PACKAGE" LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE I'm pretty sure that fireworks are illegal to send anywhere, even within the United States, so this care package is fireowrk themed, but shouldnt contain any actual fireworks - it's just firework themed. Fun items like pop-rocks candy would be a good idea. Be sure to check whether it is appropriate to send nation-related items like American flags, etc., before you send, in case they might be prohibited. AUGUST- "BEAT THE HEAT CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE "Cool" or "ice" themed items SEPTEMBER- "FALL CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE Fall themed items like nuts and other snacks with fall-themed flavors OCTOBER- "HALLOWEEN CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE NOVEMBER- "THANKSGIVING CARE PACKAGE" LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE This is a really cute idea for a thanksgiving dinner in a box. Is your missionary in the United States and probably going to eat Thanksgiving dinner with a family in their area? Don't worry - they will still want this food! You can't have too much Thanksgiving! DECEMBER "CHRISTMAS CARE PACKAGE" Here are 3 different ideas for things to send to your missionary for Christmas. A common theme for a lot of Christmas care packages are things that can be enjoyed over time - either small gift or envelopes that are opened over time (days or weeks). Don't feel like you need to send regular Christmas presents (like you would normally give them back home). In fact, it's better not to. They don't have room for extra items in their luggage, so unless they specifically tell you that they need new shoes or a new dress, I would recommend sticking to small practical & consumable stuff like post-it notes, chapstick, socks, ties, snacks, makeup, etc. Here is a garland with envelopes that are opened like an advent calendar: LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE Here is a paper Christmas tree and "ornaments" featuring photos of family and friends back home. This is a great idea because it can be put up weeks before Christmas and kept up on display for a while after Christmas, so it has a lasting impact (while also being low cost). The missionary can eventually throw away the paper tree, but keep the photos with him in the next transfer. LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE Stocking filled with inexpensive gifts like candy, etc (for most people, a stocking would be in additional to the main gifts, but for a missionary this is a very appropriate gift by itself) LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE Please try to remember your missionary's companion when sending a care package, but ESPECIALLY at Christmas. It doesn't need to be something major, anything small will be appreciated. Some missionaries don't get much mail or any packages from home. Some missionaries don't get any sort of support from home, so it can be really meaningful to get something from someone who cares - even if they don't know you. HUMP DAY CARE PACKAGE: "Hump Day" is the halfway mark for Missionaries - for Elders that is the 1-year mark (halfway through their 2 year mission) and for Sisters that is their 9-year mark (halfway through their 18 month mission). It's just kind of a fun thing to recognize that they are halfway through. Here are some fun "hump day" care package ideas: LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE BIRTHDAY CARE PACKAGES: LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IDEA HERE HAVE FUN PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR CARE PACKAGES! YOUR MISSIONARY WILL LOVE THEM!

Note: This post was originally published in 2010. In addition to helping those that are in need, serving others will teach your kids empathy, responsibility, and team work. Win-win! Here, I’ve listed 10 simple mission project ideas to get you started. Tweak them to fit your family and community. 1. Make cards and deliver them […]

*Since publishing this post, I have also added a file that says Missionary Family, and a version of each that excludes the keychain wording in case you can’t find a keychain that will work. A…

Open When letters are a great way to send encouraging words with your missionary that they can open any time then need them.

Wondering what extras for missionaries will help your missionary be more comfortable, healthy and happy? I'm here with all of the 100 recommended extras to send with your missionary! After your son or daughter get the mission call comes the momentous task of purchasing everything they need AND then packing it! In the Missionary Portal, If you want to make your missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as comfortable, happy and healthy as possible...check out these highly recommended extras for missionaries.

Easy missionary gift -12 Days of Christmas features a tag with a missionary scripture plus a coordinating practical gift. So fun!

Preparing for a mission? Or just thinking back about your mission? What would you've done better? Here is what I wish I knew before I served a mission.

"A missionary leaves their family for a short time, so that others can be with their families for eternity." This ornament makes a wonderful gift for missionaries or the family of a missionary who will be missing them during the Christmas season. This print was designed by Celeste Comm and printed at a professional photography print shop. Ornaments are printed directly onto aluminum with 1/8” rounded corners. All ornaments are finished with a glossy top coat. Ornaments are waterproof, UV resistant, and manufactured from 100% recyclable metal. Each Ornament is double sided, with a hole drilled through it and includes a red ribbon. Ornaments measure 4 x 2.75 inches. You will receive a proof within 2-3 business days of payment via Etsy message. Proofs are NOT sent via email, facebook, etc... Your order will NOT be printed until after you approve your proof. For current production/turn around time, please see shop announcement. For questions, please use the grey ASK A QUESTION button at the top of the right sidebar. All designs and photos © copyright 2009-present Celeste Communications. All Rights Reserved.