Resources
Missionary Resources
Practical tools and guides for every stage of a mission — for people preparing to serve, for missionaries who have just received a call, for the families following along at home, and for countdowns and mission tracking once the mission begins.
Preparing to Serve
Mission preparation, mission papers, the mission call, packing and the MTC — the guides written for future missionaries, gathered into their own hub.
View Mission Preparation GuidesLDS Mission Preparation Checklist: Everything to Do Before You Leave
The whole runway in one place — from the year before you submit a recommendation to the morning you leave for the MTC.
Read the guideHow to Prepare for an LDS Mission
Less a list, more the advice: the habits, skills and expectations that make the first three months in the field easier.
Read the guideLDS Missionary Age Requirements: Current 2026 Rules
The current age ranges for every kind of missionary service — young men, young women, service missionaries and seniors — with the handbook section each one comes from.
Read the guideHow Much Does an LDS Mission Cost?
There is no single worldwide price. How the contribution is actually set, what the mission covers once you are there, and a planner for your own savings target.
Read the guideLDS Mission Papers: The Process, Timeline and What to Expect
There is no stack of papers any more. Here is what the recommendation really involves, and the timing rules that decide when it can be submitted.
Read the guideThe LDS Mission Call Process: From Papers to Your Call
Who decides where you go, how long the wait usually runs, and what actually arrives when the call comes.
Read the guideLDS Missionary Packing List
Everything worth packing, in the order you should buy it, and the things most missionaries wish they had left at home.
Read the guideWhat to Bring to the MTC
The quick answer first, then the detail: what you actually need on arrival day and what can stay in the suitcase.
Read the guide
After Receiving Your Mission Call
You know where you are going and roughly when. These are the things with deadlines attached — and the ones your family will start asking about first.
- 10 min read
What to Do After Receiving Your Mission Call
The call answers where and when. This is the order to do everything that follows, starting with the parts that have deadlines.
Read the guide - 6 min read
Mission Call Opening Ideas
From a kitchen table with three people to a room full of them — how to open a call in a way you will actually want to rewatch.
Read the guide - 7 min read
LDS Missionary Farewell Talk: How to Prepare One
It is a regular sacrament meeting, not a send-off. Here is how to write a talk that fits it — and one that you can give without notes falling apart.
Read the guide - 7 min read
MTC Packing List
A packing list for the MTC specifically — including which bag each thing should be in on travel day.
Read the guide
Set the mission up before you leave
Once you have a mission and your dates, add them to Missionary Tracker and share the join code. Your family follows the countdown, your serving area and your updates in one private place from the day the mission starts.
For Missionary Families
Following a missionary, sharing updates without anyone becoming the family switchboard, countdown ideas that last the whole mission, and keeping several missionaries straight at once.
- 11 min read
LDS Missionary Daily Schedule: What a Typical Day Looks Like
The current sample schedule from the Missionary Standards — hour by hour, including preparation day and Sunday, and what a mission president can change.
Read the guide - 7 min read
How to Keep Track of an LDS Missionary's Mission
The dates worth writing down, how to follow areas and transfers, and how families keep everyone in the loop over eighteen to twenty-four months.
Read the guide - 6 min read
LDS Missionary Countdown Ideas for Families
Jars, paper chains, wall calendars, photo projects and apps — countdown ideas that survive the whole mission, not just the first month.
Read the guide - 6 min read
How to Share Missionary Updates With Family and Friends
Group chats, email lists, shared albums or a shared profile: what each one is good at, and what quietly falls apart after six months.
Read the guide - 8 min read
Best Apps for LDS Missionary Families
Countdowns, maps, messaging, shared albums and time zones — which kind of app solves which problem, and where each one runs out of road.
Read the guide - 5 min read
How to Keep Track of Multiple LDS Missionaries
Overlapping dates, three time zones and areas nobody can place on a map — how families keep several missionaries straight at once.
Read the guide
Free Missionary Tools
Free to use in any browser — no account, no download, nothing to install.
Missionary Countdown Calculator
Create a free mission countdown and shareable countdown image. Enter the mission start and expected return dates for days served, days remaining, percentage complete and the halfway date.
Create a CountdownPrintable Mission Countdown Map
Generate a printable mission countdown map with one numbered square for each mission day. Choose a supported country or state, use the exact mission dates, and download it free as a PDF or high-resolution PNG.
Create a Countdown MapMission Directory
Find an LDS mission and explore its location, map, local time, climate and preparation resources.
Find a Mission
Inside the app
The calculator answers today’s question once. If you would rather those numbers kept themselves current, that is what the missionary countdown in Missionary Tracker does — alongside the map of where they are serving, the local time and weather for that area, and updates shared with everyone following the profile.
Explore Missionary Tracker’s features for the complete picture, or read how it compares with the other tools families use in best apps for LDS missionary families.
Keep their whole mission in one place
Create a missionary profile, share the join code with the people who care, and let everyone follow the countdown, serving area and updates together.
Free to download on iPhone and Android.