Mission Call/Pre-Mission Advice

            I received an email that a new package had come for me while I was in the middle of grocery shopping. I was only expecting one package—my mission call! I was so excited that I think I started dancing and jumping up and down in the isle at Walmart. Later that afternoon, I was able to open among family and many friends. I didn’t feel scared or anxious about where I was going. I felt excitement and joy. The moment came where I slowly started to rip it open, and it felt so surreal. I’d waited so long for that moment, and it was finally happening. I was so surprised when I was called to the Florida Tallahassee Mission because that was a place that had never crossed my mind. I’d thought I would go somewhere on the eastern side of the U.S. map and speak English, but that was as close as I got. I immediately had the biggest smile on my face and knew it was going to be an awesome mission. I love the beach, I prefer the heat to the cold, and I love discussing religion with people who are already familiar with the Bible. I have since then felt so many confirmations that this is where I am supposed to go. I know it will be hard, and I will need to rely on the Lord, but I am so ready and willing to work and serve there. If you are preparing to serve a mission (and you should be, no matter what age you are—I heard senior missions are a blast), there are some things I would recommend you start doing now.

I started attending mission prep in my stake when I turned 16. I loved going out on splits with the sister missionaries, and I served two “mini-missions” in high school, where I was able to live with a pair of sister missionaries for 3 to 4 days and experience everything they did. This helped me learn that no matter how old I was, or whether or not I had a name-tag on, I could be a missionary. Also, in my mission prep class, my teacher invited us to start praying for our future companions, mission presidents, trainers, and the people we would serve. Pray to love them. Pray that they will be strengthened in whatever difficulty they are going through. As you do this, you will have a special connection when you finally get to meet them.

I love missionary work, and I want to be a missionary throughout my entire life, having the privilege to bear testimony of Christ. I know He lives and loves us. Through Him, all things are possible. I challenge you to begin building a relationship with Him, to ask for strength to share the tender feelings in your heart with others. You can do hard things.