Before I leave, I thought I'd share WHY I decided to go on a mission. My family is a very missionary-oriented family. My dad served in Peru, my mom in the Philippines, 3 brothers (Brent, Benjamin, and Jesse) in Brazil, my brother, Thomas, in Micronesia, and my brother, Samuel, in Denmark. Haha woah.. that's a lot. I grew up with a missionary almost always out in the field. Missionary work was just a part of my life. When I was younger, my mom always encouraged me to think about going on a mission and I thought I'd like to... but that was so far in my future, I didn't think too much about it. But when I was about 14 years old, I got a blessing and I realized that a mission was most likely going to be in my future.
When I was attending BYU, nothing seemed to be going right. I wasn't getting a good feeling about ANY of the dental hygiene schools I was touring and I was getting a good feeling about any majors at BYU. I prayed and prayed asking Heavenly Father to please guide my path. Nothing. I fasted and fasted asking Heavenly Father to please guide my path. Nothing. I did my part, I studied the options, I toured campuses, I made a decision, I even started applying... all without any reassurance that this was what the Lord had in mind for me, and that was scary. This sounds dramatic, but I thought that he wasn't listening to me, which he always had in the past. So then September rolled around and I simply fasted and prayed to know that Heavenly Father was there and that he loved me. Something. He loves me. I know he does. And that was enough.
Well October rolls around... the BIG announcement saying that sister missionaries may serve when they are 19 instead of 21. As I heard the prophets words, I knew that this was my answer I had been waiting for. Silly, Crystal, why did you doubt? I can't even describe the feeling I had, my heart was just full and overflowing with love and gratitude.
February 20, 2013. (sorry for the crying...)
When I was attending BYU, nothing seemed to be going right. I wasn't getting a good feeling about ANY of the dental hygiene schools I was touring and I was getting a good feeling about any majors at BYU. I prayed and prayed asking Heavenly Father to please guide my path. Nothing. I fasted and fasted asking Heavenly Father to please guide my path. Nothing. I did my part, I studied the options, I toured campuses, I made a decision, I even started applying... all without any reassurance that this was what the Lord had in mind for me, and that was scary. This sounds dramatic, but I thought that he wasn't listening to me, which he always had in the past. So then September rolled around and I simply fasted and prayed to know that Heavenly Father was there and that he loved me. Something. He loves me. I know he does. And that was enough.
Well October rolls around... the BIG announcement saying that sister missionaries may serve when they are 19 instead of 21. As I heard the prophets words, I knew that this was my answer I had been waiting for. Silly, Crystal, why did you doubt? I can't even describe the feeling I had, my heart was just full and overflowing with love and gratitude.
February 20, 2013. (sorry for the crying...)
And that's just what I'm going to do. I can't wait to serve the people of Calgary, Canada. I have never looked back, I have never questioned if this was the right thing. Sure, I'm scared. Sure, I don't feel ready. But the Lord knows me. He knows what is best for me. So, he asked me to serve a mission... and I'm going to go.
Let the adventures begin.
