I was in my dorm room, snuggled in bed, and relying on the shaky wireless internet to watch General Conference, which is a biannual program that includes messages from the general officers of the church. Right as President Thomas S. Monson stood up to make an announcement, my wifi went out and I spent the next ten minutes having a war with my computer. I checked my phone, and read a text from one of my roommates who was at home watching conference with her family. She summarized President Monson's announcement by stating that 18 year old young men could now serve missions, when previously they had to be 19. Even more exciting was that now 19 year old women could serve missions, when it was formerly a distant 21 years of age! I tried to listen to the rest of conference, but the only thing on my mind was how my life was going to change because of this announcement.
To see President Monson's announcement (I watched it afterwards on YouTube when I finally had the internet working), watch below! It sends shivers down my spine!
May 10, 2013
It was my youngest brother's birthday, and it was also the day when I received a very important white envelope in the mail. After six weeks of waiting for my mission call to come from Salt Lake City, and a few months previous to that completing the mission application paperwork, the day had finally come when I would find out where in the world I would be serving my mission.
Sidenote: Why did I decide to serve a mission? (Excuse my self-centered moment here.)
- My mom served a mission in Scotland, and she has always encouraged me to serve one too. It is evident that her life, and my life, have been positively affected because of her decision to serve. A mission had always been part of my life plans.
- A mission is the only time in life where I can focus solely on my religion and on serving God without the worries of school or life.
- But most importantly, I decided to serve a mission because of my recently renewed testimony of Jesus Christ. I cannot imagine my life without the influence of Christ the Savior, and I hope to focus my my mission on spreading the joy that can come through Him.
Back to the story. I was working days at that time, and I had fervently instructed my brothers to call me as soon as the mail came each day to let me know if my call had arrived. The fateful day finally arrived, and I will admit that I could not focus much on work after I heard that the envelope had come.
I had several close friends come over, and as they arrived, each made a guess for where I would go. The closest person would receive a prize. I sat in anticipation as post-it notes were added to a map one by one until it grew quiet and the moment came to open the envelope.
Here's a picture play-by-play:
Opening the Envelope
I had a hard time flipping the paper so I could read it line-by-line.
Finally ready to read!
And the result is...... Kentucky Louisville Mission!
Trying not to cry as I find out the details.
The mystery was solved. This girl would be headed to the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission, speaking Spanish, and leaving on September 4th (which then seemed like eternities away).
Interestingly enough, my mission call said that I would be going to the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC), but I received a call stating that I would actually be headed to the Mexico City MTC to better learn Spanish. Booyah!
September 4th, 2013
The fateful day is fast approaching. As I sit here writing this, my room is empty and all that needs to be done still is packing my bags to leave.
My travel plans have me set to leave on Tuesday morning, bright and early, so that I can get to Mexico City with plenty of time to spare. Let me say, time flew by, but I can not be more excited or more nervous to get going.
I can't wait for you to follow me on my adventure!
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