10/08/2026
An Open Letter to My RM
Hi. It’s me.
I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but you don’t have to have everything figured out just because you came home from a mission.
I know people look at you differently now.
“Returned missionary ka na.”
Your family expects you to have a plan.
Members expect you to stay strong.
Some people expect you to always be spiritually strong, always positive, always ready to serve.
And sometimes, even you expect too much from yourself.
You came home carrying more than just your suitcase.
You came home with memories of people you taught, prayers you offered, companions you loved, people you couldn't save, lessons you learned, and experiences you may never fully explain to anyone.
And now, suddenly, everyone asks:
“What's next?”
School?
Work?
Marriage?
Family?
Calling?
Career?
And somewhere between all those questions, you quietly ask yourself:
“What am I supposed to do now?”
Maybe you feel like you're not doing enough.
Maybe your testimony doesn't feel as strong as it did in the mission field.
Maybe you struggle to pray like you used to.
Maybe you don't read your scriptures every morning anymore.
Maybe you are tired.
Maybe you're trying to figure out who you are outside the name tag.
And maybe, sometimes, you feel guilty because you think a returned missionary shouldn't struggle this much.
But please remember this:
You were never called to be perfect. You were called to serve.
Your mission was not a test that ended when you were released.
It was preparation.
The Lord didn't send you home because your work was finished.
He sent you home because there is another part of your journey that still needs to unfold.
Your mission may have taught you how to teach others.
But life after the mission may teach you how to trust God when you don't know what to teach yourself.
Your mission may have taught you how to recognize answers to prayers.
But life after the mission may teach you how to keep praying when the answer doesn't come immediately.
Your mission may have taught you how to help people find their way back to Heavenly Father.
And now, perhaps, the Lord is teaching you how to find your way again.
So, RM, don't be too hard on yourself.
You are not less faithful because you are struggling.
You are not less worthy because you are still figuring things out.
You are not a disappointment because your life didn't immediately become what everyone expected it to be.
And you don't have to prove that your mission was successful by having a perfect life after it.
The fruits of your mission may not always be visible.
Maybe someone still remembers the testimony you shared.
Maybe someone still prays because of something you taught.
Maybe someone decided to stay in the Church because you listened to them.
Maybe someone who once felt forgotten still remembers that a missionary cared.
And maybe the greatest evidence that your mission mattered is not what happened during those two years—
but who you are becoming because of them.
So take your time.
Pray.
Rest when you need to.
Repent when you fall.
Start again when you feel lost.
Go back to the temple.
Open your scriptures even when you don't feel anything.
Talk to Heavenly Father even when your prayer is simply:
“Father, I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Please help me.”
He already knows.
And He hasn't forgotten you.
You don't need to become the RM everyone expects you to be.
Become the person Heavenly Father is helping you become.
Your mission ended.
But your discipleship didn't.
There is still a life to live, people to love, mistakes to make, prayers to answer, covenants to keep, and miracles you haven't seen yet.
So, to every returned missionary who is quietly struggling behind the smile—
you are doing better than you think.
Keep going.
Your name tag may be in a drawer now.
Your white shirt may be hanging in the closet.
Your area may be thousands of miles away.
But the testimony you gained there?
Take it with you.
Because perhaps the greatest mission you will ever serve is the one you are living right now—
the mission of becoming who God knows you can be.
You are still His.
You are still loved.
You are still needed.
And your story is far from over.
Keep the faith, RM.
The Lord who called you then
is the same Lord who is walking with you now.
— The Guide
