Opening and Accepting your Mission Call

This is just one of many posts in my Mission Preparation series of blog posts. I am excited to talk to you about opening your mission call, how the logistics of online mission calls work and accepting your mission call.

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Opening you Mission Call

Opening your mission call is one of the highlights of preparing for a mission. Many people get a lot of their friends and family together for the occasion. One thing that I have heard a few people also do is open their call by themselves before they announce it to their friends and family. One sister in my mission prep class this past semester did this and she said it was a very spiritual moment between her and the Lord. Part of me wished I would've done this if I had heard about it before I got my call. Regardless, whether you open your call in private beforehand or for the first time with your friends and family members watching, opening it is one of the craziest feelings you will have. I remember thinking "Wow, this is really happening. I have been waiting for this day for years and my call is finally here!" It was a very special moment and I highly recommend writing about it in your journal so you can look back on those thoughts and feelings later in life.

I have to admit that I was a tiny bit sad when they announced that mission calls would be sent online instead of through the mail. There is something so exhilarating about seeing the envelope sit there for a few hours before you open it. Overall, the mission call opening experience is the same though. I really wanted to read my call off of a paper copy, so I got on my mission portal to print it off. I was a little panicked that I would see it before I printed it off and spoil the surprise. I was pleasantly surprised that they have the system set up well so that won't happen if you don't want it to.

I took a video on my phone right after I printed my mission call so that others could see how you can print off your mission call without viewing it. The process is pretty simple and it really is possible to print it before you read it!

When you open your portal a question will pop up that will ask you if you want to read your mission call. Once you select yes, a second screen will pop up that will tell you that you can scroll down and read your call, or you can download a PDF copy. I used all the strength I had in me to download the PDF instead of scrolling down. When you open the PDF you will be relieved to find that it is a 2-page document. The first page is blank so that you can print it without reading it. I printed mine and put it in an envelope with so that I couldn't read it early. I am glad I did this because it kept the anticipation building up for me. I have seen many people just read their call from a tablet or iPad before as well, so either way is good.

Accepting your Call

For some people accepting their mission call is easy. For others, it takes a few days, weeks, or even months to accept their call. It took me a few days before I could accept my call and confidently tell people “I am going to St. Louis Missouri!” whenever someone asked me where I was serving my mission. Everyone’s experience is different when it comes to accepting a mission call, but here is mine in more detail.

My Experience

When I was 12 years old, I heard President Monson say in general conference the words that changed the lives of many members of this church. He announced that the age for missionary service would be lowered to 18 for brothers and 19 for sisters. I was determined to go on a mission after that! For Halloween that year, I went to my dad and asked him if I could borrow his missionary badge. I put a sticker over the top of Elder Carter that read: “Sister Carter.” I held onto that badge for years after that.

I have looked at that badge and dreamed of serving a mission for a long time. I’ve thought about how cool it would be to learn Mandarin just like my dad, and later my boyfriend. As I filled out my mission papers, I felt like I was highly capable of learning a language and serving foreign. I do have to stress that I wasn’t set upon going foreign because I have always known that the place doesn’t matter. All of God’s children everywhere need to hear the gospel. I also felt like serving somewhere foreign would be good for me because I often times find myself spending too much time on my phone or worrying too much about what to wear that day. Going somewhere exotic like South America or Africa or the Philippines would be a great way to help solve that problem since technology wouldn’t be allowed in places like that.

I got my call on a Tuesday morning and opened it later that night. I was shocked to read that I would be going to St. Louis Missouri, English speaking. I hid it pretty well though. I smiled and told everyone how excited I was. Later that night I talked to my missionary Gabe about it. We were blessed that he was able to watch me open my call and that it was his p-day so we had time to call again later that night. I cried to him a little bit over the phone because I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t going to learn a language. He told me that it would be alright and that that would be a great mission for me.

After talking to him, sleeping on it, and thinking about it some more I knew why I was so disappointed. The Latter-Day Saint culture is very strong in Utah, and especially Utah County. I wanted something to set me apart from the other missionaries that are out there. We all know so many people who are serving in cool countries like Hungary or crazy languages like Mandarin. I was just going stateside and speaking English. I have so many friends and family members who have gone foreign and spoken insane languages. I almost felt like I wasn’t measuring up to them as much, and that I wouldn’t serve as memorable of a mission. These stereotypes are a big deal and are very hard to stop.

I realized this and knew logically that this was the right mission for me. My heart hadn’t accepted it yet. I went to school the next day and had a couple of people including one of my best friends say “Congratulations on your call! Where are you going again?” It hurt to see these stereotypes in brutal action against me. So later that day when I had sometime away from school and work, I sat down and wrote how I was feeling. Journaling is a great way to relieve the thoughts inside your head and gain a clearer picture of things. I wrote my concerns and fears and then all the things my logical brain knew was good and right about serving in St. Louis. Then I prayed. I prayed that I would be able to accept my mission call with all my heart and have the strength to say “I’m going to St. Louis Missouri!” with all the excitement in me. I felt some peace and comfort and found myself a little stronger the next day when I woke up for school again.

I spent part of the morning studying the readings for mission prep. Our lesson happened to be on the atonement that day. As I read about the atonement through the scriptures and talks, and later discussed some more in institute, I realized something. There was someone out there who knew exactly how I was feeling. I’m sure there are many missionaries who have felt the same way as me when they got their call, but there was no one who felt exactly 100% the same way. Except for Christ. He felt the exact same feelings I did and felt all of it 2,000 years ago. For all I know, as he was in the Garden of Gethsemane fulfilling the atonement for all of us, it was those feelings and heartaches and mistakes I felt that were the breaking point. Maybe as he was suffering for us one by one, those feelings, sorrows, and mistakes caused Him to say “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Whether it really was my sins and weaknesses and emotional baggage that lead to Christ to say those words, I do not know. One thing I am sure of though is it that Christ lives. He did atone for me so that I could accept my mission call with all of my heart and soul! He bore that burden for me so that I may experience joy in life and on my mission.

I know that this is God’s plan for me. I thought I would do best serving in a distant country or speaking a hard language. God knows better though. He knows that there are people in Missouri that need me and my testimony. He knows that I don’t need to learn a language. I just need to get out there and serve!

I testify that these things are true and that Christ really can lift any burden for us. I would like to invite you and all those around you to stop judging stateside and service missions as less than foreign missions. Let’s work together to change this stereotype so that others don’t have to feel that way about their mission. I am so excited to serve here in the states and to have more time to focus on studying the gospel and lifting others instead of trying to learn a new language. Stateside, foreign, and service missions should all be viewed the same. All missions come with their own set of challenges and blessings. I look forward to finding out what those are for me on my mission.

I would also like to invite you to be a missionary and accept your mission call. Even here in Utah where over half of the population are already members of the church, there is still missionary work to be done. People are coming to Utah for many reasons like school, work, and family, and we have been called of God to be here when they come. They need the gospel and need to know of God’s love for them. Let us all accept our call to minister to our brothers and sisters here. We can help in this missionary work in more ways than we may realize. Let us reach out to them at school and work and here in our ward and help them come unto Christ. Let’s help them come to know their Savior Jesus Christ as well as we do so that they can find joy in their lives and overcome their trials just like we have. I love my Savior and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.