thearmeniandispatch

[thearmeniandispatch]

the agm mission: first things first you've just been called to serve a mission in the armenia/georgia republic mission! what do you do? how do you feel? what is the next step?

congratulations on your mission call! as of june 2024, there are 449 operating missions worldwide! only about 0.03% of missionaries get called to this mission! there's so much fun & unique stuff about this mission! (even you've not been called to this specific mission, this might still contain some useful information.)

first things first, start working on your visa/passport/international driving permit asap! even if you've really got a fire under your butt, this is not a quick process. the church recommends expediting your passport, but that can cost about to $500 in some states, so if you want to avoid paying that fee, get to work now! before you can really even begin to do this, you'll need two things: a driver's license (valid for 6 months after your theoretical release date) & supplies for your passport.

next, start learning your language today! it may seem like that mtc start date is a long ways away, but it's not as far off as it seems. whether it's armenian, georgian, russian, or another language, start working on it asap. learning a language is not easy, even if you're really smart. I've been told a hundred times that missionaries have the gift of tongues & that it'll all work out in the mtc, but trust me, it's still not easy. some quick tips I have are: 1. if you're learning a non-latin based language (which is true of armenian, georgian, & russian), start learning the alphabet. it's a great starting place! 2. download some free apps to get going! duolingo, google translate, memrise, hellotalk, etc. there's going to be a handful of different ones specific to whatever language you're learning (for example, I used an app called writerussian to learn the letters & how to write in the cyrillic alphabet). after a couple weeks, you can maybe choose to pay for a program, but the church has recently introduced its own learning method called Embark that they recommend instead. this will be specifically tailored to you, your mission/language, your district, etc. you can find access to it in your missionary portal. 3. consume media in your "desired" language; watch movies/tv shows, listen to music & podcasts, try & read short sentences & paragraphs, etc. even if you feel like you have no idea what is being said, even just listening to the language will help you with understand, accent/pronunciation, etc.

start shopping & packing now! even if you don't plan on buying all that much, start now. the recommended shopping list on the missionary portal should get you the necessities, but armenia/georgia aren't great about foreign shipping. it costs a lot & it's not reliable. so that means you'll need to bring everything you need for 18 months with you. you can get things shipped to the mtc, but after that, you're on your own. I used packing cubes to fit as much stuff as possible. they're not my favorite thing in the world, but I do think they work pretty well! if you're going somewhere that has transfers often/you will get transferred to new areas frequently, I don't know that packing cubes are going to be your best option, but most missionaries from armenia/georgia report that they typically get transferred to new areas 3-6 times during their mission. I have shopping lists & packing tips, if you're interested in that!

lastly, don't stop learning! I know preparing for you mission & mission call have been laborious & time-consuming, but now is the time to keep on trucking. keep reading your scriptures, praying often, learning your language, filling out your missionary portal & doing the video trainings...don't stop now. it seems overwhelming, but any progress you can make between now & when you leave will benefit you in the mtc & in the field. study things you've never studied before, read all four books of scripture, listen to old & new conference talks, share your testimony frequently.

congratulations on your mission call! you will do amazing wherever you go! <3

if you are not a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, & are interested in knowing anything, please reach out to me or your local missionaries/ward! to learn more about the church, visit the church's website! if you are interested in contacting your local missionaries, find info on that here!

[thearmeniandispatch]

the BEST christmas song fr!! <3

i love being the ward chorister because i get to make everyone sing hymn 214 I heard the bells in Christmas day (the BEST Christmas song)

[thearmeniandispatch]

introductory: get to know me!

hello everyone! my name is hannah & I am a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. I am so excited to share that I have been called to serve the Lord as a missionary for the people of armenia/georgia republic! I am so, so deeply honored & thankful for this opportunity to serve Jesus Christ & strengthen my testimony through him. it will be my greatest blessing to serve His people!

I've yet to find a place that shares the kinds of information I'm looking for so I am essentially trying to be & share what I wish I had for online resources. from what I can tell, this is a relatively uncommon mission call; there are only about 3500 baptized members in the entire mission! even stranger (to me), is that I'll be speaking russian while I'm there, as opposed to the countries leading languages armenian & georgian. things I'm hoping to share about before leaving are: the paperwork & interview process, receiving my mission call, mission preparation (both clerical & spiritual), & home MTC experiences. if you have any other questions about the process or experience, please let me know!!

while I'll be trying to share information about my mission & experience specifically, I hope that this advice can help missionaries everywhere! I would love to hear your experiences as missionaries, what helped you, & what you learned! also, if you are from armenia or georgia, I'd love to hear about you & your country! (or if you have any tips on learning russian, please let me know, I'll need all the help I can get!)

if you are not a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, & are interested in knowing anything, please reach out to me or your local missionaries/ward! to learn more about the church, visit the church's website! if you are interested in contacting your local missionaries, find info on that here!