As of recent, my life's been a bit jam-packed. Over the summer (in between my travels), I had been working on filling out my LDS mission papers. The process involves doctor's and dental check-ups, interviews, and a photo-shoot along with other online information. After my papers were completed, they were sent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints HQ in Salt Lake City, where they were reviewed by one of the Church's 12 apostles.
After waiting for 2 weeks, on Wednesday I ran down to my mailbox and discovered a large white envelope packed inside. As Marc and Robbie can testify, a series of blood-curdling screams and yelling of "I'm gonna be a missionary!!!!!!" could be heard from the pool-side to the next apartment complex. I ran from the pool (and I had the strangest thought of actually jumping in the pool, but decided I would be utterly pissed at myself if I couldn't read what my call said) to my apartment and stared at the envelope for a few minutes. I quickly texted a select few of my closest friends here in Provo to see what time worked for everyone to come over and open the call with me. Dearest Cici didn't get out of class until 7:30 that night, so instead of staring at the envelope for 3 and a half hours I decided to get some adrenaline and nerves out. I packed myself up, headed to the gym, ran for an hour and then rode the UTA bus for another 2 hours all the while listening to Iron and Wine. Bless that Sam for soothing my frazzled mind.
I then calmly headed back to my apartment and waited for the troops to arrive. Here is what then ensued...
Right? Arizona completely came out of left-field for me (in case
you couldn't tell by my expression) but I honestly can't think of a more
perfect mission to serve in for the next 18 months of my life. I get to conduct
tours, proselytize for a couple months, speak Spanish, stay in the U.S. (which
means sending packages and letters will be easy for all of you to do;]), but
most importantly, I will escape frigid weather for the next year and a half!
JK, the most important thing is that I'll be serving as a representative for
the Lord for the next 18 months and that is something I am beyond stoked
for.
The whole process of going through this missionary application has
been interesting, and nothing like I expected. When I first started telling
people I was going to be starting my mission papers, the overwhelming reaction
was negative. "You're too pretty to go on a mission, you'll probably get
engaged." "You know it's not a requirement for girls to serve
missions right?" "Are you sure you want to do that?" *This was
my personal favorite and most frequent response. I always wanted to reply with
a genuinely serious expression stating “Oh. [Pause] actually, you know I
haven’t really thought about it. Maybe I should go pray about it or something.
Hey, thanks for asking, I’m gonna go figure out how I feel about that tonight.”*
So, during the summer I stopped telling people and just went on
with filling out my papers. Now that I've received my call, the reactions have
been mixed. Some people are genuinely happy for me and are supportive, others
poorly feign approval. "Oh...that's great!" "Well,
congratulations, good for you." *Be sincere. People appreciate truthful
responses and compliments and learn to disregard those who simply aim to please
to maintain face.* The typical comments I get nowdays when I tell people where
I'll be serving is: "Haha, a temple sister. You must've met the beauty
mark for that call!" *Huck huck huck* and "You're going to die from
heat for the next 18 months."
To my disappointment, throughout this entire filling-out-papers-and-receiving-call
process only 2 people have asked me as to why I want to serve a mission
(excluding those I interviewed with). So, just in case anyone cares as to why I
want to serve a mission, (and you don't have to pretend you do, please scroll
down if you'd like) here’s the scoop: My mom had my brother and I baptized into
the LDS church when we were 8. My dad, who is Jewish, was fine with her doing
so with the condition that my brother and I would be able to practice the
"free agency" the Church believes in; therefore, letting us make
decisions for ourselves. In regards to church attendance, Brett and I chose not
to. It wasn't until I was 14 when I decided that I believed in the Book of
Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints, after some
soul-searching and prayer of course. I haven't looked back since.
At least for me in my life, this Church has brought me more joy and
happiness than any other single entity. It has shaped who I have become, and
who I will become. It has brought me comfort and peace. It has brought me sense
of purpose and clear direction in a world that is increasingly more convoluted
and complex. I owe all I have to this gospel. The reason I want to serve a
mission is to simply give others the opportunity of at least getting a taste
for what this gospel has done for me in my life. To at least get a sense of the
overwhelming joy and clarity it can bring. I have been so blessed to have this
gospel in my life and to have had numerous individuals and families take me
under their wing and show me true Christ-like love. All I want to do is share
what I have been given.
It’s weird to finally be reaching this pinnacle point in my life.
I’ve always been looking forward to going on a mission and now, I’m actually
going on one. I have a date set. That makes it legit. While it’s still surreal
to me, (and as cliché as this is about to sound) I’m beyond stoked to be
preparing to embark on the greatest adventure of my life.
Peace and Blessings.
