by 1. Taking pictures of my converts baptism forms
This is what a baptism form looks like. Every convert has to fill this with their personal information, address, phone number, date of birth etc. It is a treasure trove of information. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t take a picture of everyone of them for my converts. With the information, I could call my converts all the way from America. In the future, I can pinpoint their address so that I can visit them and they are a good souvenir of every convert so that you can always remember them.
2. Giving my old scriptures to the members
The normal thing to do when you have an old pair of scriptures or some scriptures that you have filled and are looking for new ones is to leave them laying in your apartment or to throw them away. There is a better option. It is to give your old scriptures to the members. It is really hard for members to get new scriptures sometimes and the notes that you have taken in your scriptures could help them with their study.
3. Taking more videos/having a better camera for taking videos
During my mission, I took over 1,300 but I took very few videos. I wish that I had take more videos of the scenery and of everyday life and that I had a better camera to take videos. I had an 8 GB memory card which is hardly anything. Something I could have done is bring more memory cards from the US or I could have bought more in Africa which is possible in most cities. I could have also brought a better camera that was waterproof and more durable like a GoPro because I had two cameras that broke on the mission and that was super annoying.
BTW, I have a YouTube channel where I posted all my videos from my mission. Its https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBYv5zEDFlD7ulJJGADBtJw?view_as=subscriber
4. Having Facebook and getting everyone’s Facebook information
The African people use Facebook a lot. It is easier to get their Facebook contact than their phone number because their phones always break but their Facebook stays the same. I wish that I had used Facebook early on on my mission. I didn’t use Facebook until about my 12 month mark. That means that for 12 months I didn’t get anyone’s Facebook info and subsequently, I have lost contact with all of the members and my converts from the first 12 months of my mission. You need to get everyone’s Facebook info and friend them ASAP so that you can continue talking to them after you leave your area.
On the mission, become super close to the members and take their contact information, take their phone numbers so you can call them using WhatsApp later, (WhatsApp is used by everyone in Congo/Cameroon), take that and stay in touch with as many people as possible, if you don’t have one persons contact information, get it from someone else, talking to the members and people you taught on the mission after the mission back in the us is the best feeling ever, it is the best feeling ever to talk to the members all way back in the US.
