I Hope They Call Me On a Mission.

Missionary service has been something I have been fortunate enough to witness a lot in my young life. I may not be great at sharing the gospel with my friends and family, but I have a testimony of it. I know that there is an indescribable joy felt when you see a family member or close friend be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The picture above describes full time missionary service perfectly; two years may seem like a whole lot of time, but in the eternal scheme of things, it is a short blip of time. But what great miracles and blessings you will witness in that short span of time, and those two years(or 1 & a half) can change someone's ETERNITY. How incredible!

Besides the great blessing of my mother's conversion that changed my life, I was able to witness better for myself the outcome of missionary work through the conversion of my uncle. My uncle, wasn't a member of the LDS Church but he was religious, and I recall him coming over and talking to my mom about the church he was attending frequently. One conversation that stuck with me was when he told my mom that he felt like something was missing. My mom and I knew exactly what that was! We as a family invited him to come to church with us and he did! As he started coming regularly, my parents offered him the opportunity to take the missionary lessons. The missionaries befriended him quickly and encouraged him, they truly cared about him; it was amazing to see the impact these young boys had in MY family's life. I was able to witness the joy of the gospel impact someone so close to me, you could see his happiness; even amid the struggles he had as his baptism day drew closer, you could tell he had peace. After a few weeks of having the Elders over in my home and participating in my uncle's process of learning the gospel, I was able to attend his baptism, confirmation and his receiving of the priesthood, and in a few short months he and his newly wedded wife will be able to be sealed together for time and all eternity in the temple. All of this happened because a few 19 year old boys gave two years of their life to be an instrument in The Lord's hands. His conversion truly strengthened my testimony and has helped me to see how important missionary work is.

I've never had a strong conviction to serve a full-time mission, I've never truly considered it nor have I prayed about it, and that is my fault. With the missionary age drastically changed for young women to serve at 19, I will admit I felt a soft nudge and a faint desire to serve and knew that there was an important reason behind it, but I whisked it away quickly saying 'oh no that's not for me'. I always thought I would go to school and get married and start a family, that was my "mission". But maybe The Lord needs me for something more? Maybe I'm supposed to find a lost friend? Maybe one of my spirit sisters or brothers are waiting for me to search them out? I don't have an answer to these yet, but I will tell you this: I'm considering serving a mission now.

I have seen the blessings of baptism in many of my friends and acquaintances' lives, but more importantly, I have seen it in my family: my mother and two of my uncles. I attended a confirmation recently and I felt the spirit so strongly through that blessing and his testimony. I was able to SEE his joy. I know that joy. I want more to know that joy. This small experience truly has impacted me.

I am not saying that I will serve a mission, that's for The Lord to decide when the time comes, but I realize that withholding myself from this possibility will affect more people than just me, but it will affect families I don't even know yet. We'll see whether The Lord will need me in the mission field, but I'm going to prepare myself as if He has called me to it already. 

~"I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountain or plain or sea; I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord; I'll be what you want me to be." Hymn 270 (I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go)