Mission calling?

[M_T_E]

Over time I have read that quite a few of you have served missions.

Just wondering, what was it like opening up that envelope for you?

I can imagine it is a pretty emotional moment.

[bytor2112]

I did not serve a mission, but my son is now serving in the Milan Italy mission. Yeah..very emotional experience for me as his Father and the Holy Spirit was so amazing.

[Wingnut]

It was a letdown for me. I grew up in Southern California, was more than happy to move out of the state when I was 14, and disappointed to get called back to a different area of the state. I got over it, though.

[M_T_E]

I did not serve a mission, but my son is now serving in the Milan Italy mission. Yeah..very emotional experience for me as his Father and the Holy Spirit was so amazing.

Italy? Wow, of all the places in the world that is one that is at the top of my list to visit when I am older. I learned a little Italian awhile back, but of course I got side tracked on other things so it never stuck with me.

It was a letdown for me. I grew up in Southern California, was more than happy to move out of the state when I was 14, and disappointed to get called back to a different area of the state. I got over it, though.

I could imagine that being a bit of a letdown in a way, especially when you were happy to get away from there but I bet there was a reason behind sending you back there to serve your mission. I was born in Cali, but would never want to live there again.

[Guest Doctrine]

I served in New Mexico with the Navajo's I loved it.

When I opened the letter I was happy it was not out of the country.

[Wingnut]

I could imagine that being a bit of a letdown in a way, especially when you were happy to get away from there but I bet there was a reason behind sending you back there to serve your mission. I was born in Cali, but would never want to live there again.

I believe my exact words were, "California? I'm going back to California." And then I hung my head.

[Jenamarie]

It was a letdown for me. I grew up in Southern California, was more than happy to move out of the state when I was 14, and disappointed to get called back to a different area of the state. I got over it, though.

My family is from California, but we have lots of family in Northern Utah, and visited the state at least once, if not twice a year as I was growing up. So imagine my older brother's surprise when he was called to serve in Ogden! He busted up laughing. :) But it ended up being a HUGE blessing, as he became seriously ill partway through his mission, and having family close by that could visit him in the hospital (at Christmas time!) made it a bit easier to get through.

[pam]

It was a letdown for me. I grew up in Southern California, was more than happy to move out of the state when I was 14, and disappointed to get called back to a different area of the state. I got over it, though.

Imagine growing up in So. Cal and getting called to serve in No. Cal. A guy I grew up with didn't even get to leave the state.

[carlimac]

I don't really understand the appeal of making a big show of opening that call with cameras running and lots of people there to scream and cry. I opened my call in my bedroom alone when no one else was home. Good thing because I was disappointed and didn't want to have to fake it in front of a crowd. Too much pressure. I really really wanted to go to the British Isles but was called to Argentina.

My oldest son had the crowd there. He was called to Colorado after many of his friends had been called to foreign countries. He was really OK with it. I was a little confused and had to do some praying and thinking hard about it before feeling peaceful. He is such a bright kid and it seemed the bright kids from our stake were going to Russia. It used to be that the smartest kids always went foreign. But he had a great mission and helped teach and bring lots of wonderful people into the church.

My other son did just what I did. Opened his alone. He went one state away but Spanish speaking, so he thought that was pretty cool. Just an aside, it's MUCH tougher learning a foreign language when you're not immersed in it in the country. It was really hard but he's got it down now although he probably will never know as much as if he had been in a Spanish speaking country. Good thing it's the Spirit that converts and not the fluency of the missionary.

I think too much emphasis is put on where the missionary is going. The more exotic, the higher celebrity status the missionary seems to gain. I have to admit always wanting to know immediately where the missionary is going, too. We're conditioned to ask that question. But we should be focusing on the simple fact that they've been called by our Heavenly Father.

[M_T_E]

I don't really understand the appeal of making a big show of opening that call with cameras running and lots of people there to scream and cry. I opened my call in my bedroom alone when no one else was home. Good thing because I was disappointed and didn't want to have to fake it in front of a crowd. Too much pressure. I really really wanted to go to the British Isles but was called to Argentina.

My oldest son had the crowd there. He was called to Colorado after many of his friends had been called to foreign countries. He was really OK with it. I was a little confused and had to do some praying and thinking hard about it before feeling peaceful. He is such a bright kid and it seemed the bright kids from our stake were going to Russia. It used to be that the smartest kids always went foreign. But he had a great mission and helped teach and bring lots of wonderful people into the church.

My other son did just what I did. Opened his alone. He went one state away but Spanish speaking, so he thought that was pretty cool. Just an aside, it's MUCH tougher learning a foreign language when you're not immersed in it in the country. It was really hard but he's got it down now although he probably will never know as much as if he had been in a Spanish speaking country. Good thing it's the Spirit that converts and not the fluency of the missionary.

I think too much emphasis is put on where the missionary is going. The more exotic, the higher celebrity status the missionary seems to gain. I have to admit always wanting to know immediately where the missionary is going, too. We're conditioned to ask that question. But we should be focusing on the simple fact that they've been called by our Heavenly Father.

I actually just watched a video of someone opening up the letter, could tell her heart was racing a mile a minute in that video. Russia or Italy would have been pretty interesting places to serve, in my preference that is. Or Texas, love that state.

Imagine growing up in So. Cal and getting called to serve in No. Cal. A guy I grew up with didn't even get to leave the state.

Ouch.

I believe my exact words were, "California? I'm going back to California." And then I hung my head.

I probably would have said the same thing, when I got sent to Texas to drive a truck back up for my parents I could have gone up through California to come home but I chose the Midwest because I wanted to explore more and well... avoid California.

I served in New Mexico with the Navajo's I loved it.

When I opened the letter I was happy it was not out of the country.

That sounds like quite the experience!

[dahlia]

One of the things that led me to investigating the Church was looking at mission calls on YT. I could not imagine why these young people would be happy to go on a mission. Why were young people happy about religion? It made me want to learn more about the Church.

I still look at them occasionally because I find them interesting and exciting and a physical, human manifestation of the growth of the Church. I think of the wonderful life experiences these young people are going to have around the world, the chance to see something different from their home town, etc., even if they wind up in places like Iowa.