First off I wanted to start pre-mission/MTC life. In the mission we kind of associate everything with a gospel topic which is why we compare our mission life to the Plan of Salvation (if you have no idea what I'm talking about you can look here). So pre-mission life/MTC is the pre-mortal life, mission field is our life on earth, leaving the mission is death, etc. So here is the first part of my series:
PRE-MISSION LIFE
I always wanted to go on a mission. Both my parents served missions. My mom went to the Davao, Philippines mission and my dad went to Houston, Texas. They really loved missionary work. They even loved it enough to want to teach at the MTC, which is where they met. Before we moved to Utah our family had the opportunity to serve a little mission I guess you could say in the Pioneer Park ward back in Fresno. The Pioneer Park ward consists of members who are refugees from Thailand and Laos. They specifically call themselves Hmong, and no that's not short for Mongolian. They are a group of people who live in the jungle trying to escape communism. Anyways, because of my background with missionary work I always wanted to go. Well my 21st birthday rolled around and I had to decide if I wanted to go or not. I wasn't going to school and I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. I also felt like I would regret not going so I decided going on a mission was what I needed to do. I never prayed super hard about it or fasted for weeks, I just simply knew it was what I wanted (and needed) to do.
Right after I decided to go on a mission, I scheduled a meeting with my bishop and filled out my papers within weeks. Mission calls typically come within a 3 week frame (if you are from Utah). I remember knowing I wouldn't go somewhere foreign and being the little traveler that I am was a little disappointed. Three weeks later I opened my call at work. My dad was so excited that my call came- so he decided to pull my sisters out of class and ditch work to deliver my call to me while I was working... haha. Anyways, it was cool to have my co-workers hear where I was going. I remember reading my call in my 'lil head before saying where I was going out loud. I was sad and little embarrassed that I was going somewhere state side. My dad remembered that my aunt and uncle live in the Seattle area and thought I might be in their mission boundaries. I had forgot we visited them once before, so I had already been to Seattle! I remember how I thought it was such a mystical place because the clouds were so low you could almost touch them. Even though I was disappointed at first that disappointment melted away as I researched more about my mission.
I had four months to prepare. I decided to take temple and mission prep classes and do my best in my individual scripture studies. I also took time to be with my family. The mission prep classes kind of ended up being a dud on my part though because I never went. However, I really liked my temple prep classes and they really prepared me for the temple. On the day of my endowment I was so happy that so many people from the ward could come! It was a really neat experience. During my preparation time I did a lot of researching about Seattle... the weather, the people, the food, etc. I also did a lot of shopping! At the time though it was so hard to find modest clothing. The dress code had just changed to more colorful attire for the sisters but it was hard for me to find clothing that would cover properly. I think I ended up shopping a little bit online, there was a sister missionary store... and at Downeast basics.
I also was called to be a Mia Maid leader in my home ward, which was so much fun for me! On the day of my farewell I had all the young women sing, "As Sisters in Zion." It was so good to see so many of my friends there! People from the ward, some drove all the way from California, there were peeps from the International Language Program, my young women, my teachers, non-member friends, less active friends. It was so nice to see everyone under one roof.
The day I got set apart I remember my stake president telling me he probably wouldn't be able to be the one to set me apart. He was working or something. When I arrived at the stake center however, he was there. He had made a special flight home to be there to set me apart. That was really neat and really touching. I also had some friends come who aren't members which really made the whole night extra special. It's really nice to know that I have friends who love me for me despite religious differences and/or beliefs. I remember my good friend cried more than I did! I had kept it together until I saw her! After all that preparation and waiting, I was ready!
Next... MTC life!
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