Missions!

I don't really know what I want to get out of posting this, but I felt that it would be good for me to write it down. I know that not many people read my blog and that is ok with me. I just felt like I should write this down.

As you can tell, we will be talking about missions. Missions hold a special place in my heart. I remember the first time I really experienced the importance of a mission. I was watching my cousin open his missionary call to Greece. It was such an amazing feeling and I was so excited for him. I thought that serving a mission was so cool and that when I was 21, I would go serve. Then almost two years ago Pres. Monson announced that the missionary age would be 18 for boys and 19 for girls. I had a freak out moment. Mary and I were hiking and it was just so crazy. I was going to finish the year then turn my papers in and it would all be great...or so I thought.

I did not get the prompting to serve and it was frustrating. A lot of my friends turned in their papers, opened their calls, arrived at the MTC, left for the field, all the while I was still waiting for the answer to go. I was upset that I was not one of those people who would serve. It bothered me all summer and I was wary about going to school in the Fall. But I did. Still unsure of where my life was going I went to school, then around October my stake had stake conference. A girl spoke about missions and said that she had always wanted to serve, but it wasn't right. She talked about other things, but the thing I remember the most is that she said, "a mission doesn't mean you have to have a badge. My mission, for some reason, is here in Provo at BYU." I realized then, that my mission was my schooling.

While I still would love to serve a mission, I am going to serve to the best of my ability in the place that I am right now. It's a little weird having Joseph leave so soon. I sometimes find myself thinking, I should have been the example and gone on a mission before he did and other thoughts. I am so proud of him and his decision to leave, but it will definitely be weird and I will be very sad. I know that a mission wasn't the right thing for me at this moment and that my decision to stay at BYU and travel to London was right. I don't know if I will ever serve a full-time mission, but my mission will always to bring people to Christ no matter where I am, whether I have a badge on or not.

Love,

Rach