What I Wish I'd Known Before My Mission

John Bytheway has a series of "What I Wish I'd Known Before" books, but What I Wish I'd Known Before My Mission is the only one that I own. Like my other mission books, I had read portions of this before I left, didn't finish it, and didn't pick it up again until now. I am so glad I decided to finish it! My favorite thing about this book is the memories it brought back from my own mission. It has such an air of openness and honesty about what a mission is like.

One of the things I liked most about this book is that the author does not try to take the place of the MTC. In fact, his goal is to help enhance the missionary's experience by preparing him/her with the right frame of mind. The book makes the reader excited to serve a mission and to begin serving the Lord. The book takes the missionary through the stages of missionary work, from preparing to leave, to the MTC, to the mission field. He helps prepare the missionary for each stage.

The book is filled with John Bytheway's classic humor, but even more important, it is filled with personal experiences from his mission to support the things he says. The reader has no doubt that the author loved his mission. This book will certainly help missionaries prepare themselves effectively and work to gain the right attitudes for their missions. I highly recommend it and I think few, if any, will be disappointed by it.