The Perfect Mission for Me

The day to open my call finally arrived! I was so blessed to be surrounded by the people I love!
To get everyone settled down, my Aunt started singing "I am a Child of God". I was crying during the song before I had even opened my call! I am so grateful for my family, friends, and church leaders who had taught me and prepared me for this moment. Through their examples and subtle ways, I am the person I am today.

 Everyone cheered as I nervously announced that I would be serving in the Washington Everett mission, and I knew that this was the perfect mission for me. It felt so right. I was surprised as I read that I would be reporting to the Mexico MTC and speaking spanish!! This news brought a whole new set of emotions. Excitment, fear, and ready to get my hands on anything spanish and learn it!

The coolest part of the night was the little pin with my name on it that my grandpa gave me. I was able to pin my name up on this huge map that he has. It has pins of everywhere my grandpa has traveled and names of everyone in our family who have served missions, I grew up looking at this map and it felt amazing to be able to put my name up there. My grandpa is definetly someone I look up to and I don't want to dissapoint him.

It was a night I will never forget.

We have agency, and He wants us to use it.

    As I left for college during the summer of 2014, I wasn't quite sure where my life was headed. Finish school and have a career? Find an eternal companion? Serve a mission? Study abroad? I had no idea. I went away hoping that somehow it would all be made clear to me and I would know exactly what to plan for. I thought I had a plan in high school, but everything changed when it was actually time to be serious. Well, the summer semester wass almost over and I was still has clueless about my future as I was at the beginning.

    I was able to talk to a friend of mine who is a returned missionary. He asked if I was wanting to serve a mission, and I told him I still didn't know. That I was waiting for an answer from Heavenly Father, but nothing had come. No epiphanies or realizations. I told him I was just going to wait until I was sure.
   He then said someting that I had been taught before, but didnt apply it to this situation. He told me,

    "Sometimes you have to choose your path, and then ask Heavenly Father if it is the right one you should be on. We have agency, and He wants us to use it." 

  Right then I had a feeling that I was going to serve a mission. However, just to be sure I went to the Temple the next day. As I sat waiting, I prayed and told Heavenly Father that I was going to prepare to serve a mission. I asked Him to let me know if this was the right thing for me to do.
   I left the Temple feeling on top of the world! As well as for the whole next week! I felt so good about my decision and everything seemed to be falling into place. Nobody really knew what I had decided except my roommates and a close friend. I wanted to keep it a secret from my parents and hopefully surprise them!
  When I told my bishop of my plan to surpise my parents, he counseled to let them help me. And I am so glad I followed his counsel! My parents have been a huge support and help with preparing to submit my papers and leave on a mission!

I finished up my papers, submitted them, and anxiously waited for my call..