Called To Serve

In one week my life with change dramatically.  I will leave to serve an LDS mission in Los Angeles, California.  I will be speaking Spanish.  I never thought I would say how excited I am to go on a mission.  Before I leave I want to share with those who may come across my blog what I am feeling.  A few months ago my mom and I had the sister missionaries over for dinner.  My life was headed in every way, except thinking about going on a mission.  I was dating, in school, and had my own individual plans - 21 seemed so far away.  We asked the missionaries why they decided to go on a mission.  One was from California and one was from Spain.  The one from Spain told me about when she was 18 she knew that she was going on a mission, and that had been her plan for three years.  I remember feeling somewhat envious of what she had experienced.  I quickly pushed it out of my mind, remembering all of the other things I had going on in my life.  I always told myself that if I were 21 and not married I will without a doubt go on a mission.  But, secretly in my head I was pleading with Heavenly Father that I would be married or seriously dating someone by 21 (still so young - I know).  When President Monsen came out with the new missionary age I pretty much shewed anyone away that told me to think about going on a mission.  I was in no position in my life to want to put things on hold, and to be completely honest a mission did not sound very fun to me.  I am not good with rejection and the thought of it everyday made me feel sick.  After about two months a friend mentioned about an area in my life that a mission would help me with.  It hit me.  Hard.  For days I fought with myself back and forth as to if I wanted to truly go on a mission or not.  I came to the conclusion that it wasn't right for me and I had other things in my life going on.  I knew immediately that that was not the answer.  I realized it was possible to put my plans on hold - I didn't need to get married so young, I didn't need to have my degree by 22, and a long list of other worldly needs.  Once I made the decision that a mission was what I needed to do all of my worries went away.  I didn't need to think about it anymore.  It was simply a feeling of peace.  In the scriptures it says that if you feel peace in your heart and in your mind, it is the spirit testifying to you.  I finally felt it.  I worried for weeks after if I had made the right decision, wondering if it was really the spirit testifying to me that I should serve.  Through the weeks it was plainly put in front of my face that I was supposed to go.  Getting ready for a mission is hard stuff.  But it has been the best thing I have ever done in my entire life.  I know for a fact that this is what I am supposed to be doing.  Many people say a mission is a huge sacrifice, I am not sacrificing a thing.  This is purely my own decision.  I am given the opportunity to go on a mission and serve.  I have the strongest desire to serve others and I know that there are people who are waiting for me.  I cannot wait to embark on this incredible journey that the Lord has given me the opportunity to take part of.  

(Editors Note:  As Michelle's mother, I will be updating her blog weekly. The video below was created by her dear friend, Danielle Chard, who was called to the Frankfurt, Germany mission. She compiled a video of her many classmates from Olympus High School, who had submitted their mission papers since the announcement by President Thomas S. Monsen, in the October 2013 General Conference, that young men could serve missions at 18, and young women at 19 years of age.  This video has been a tremendous missionary tool and has gone viral with over 150,000 hits!  It is a beautiful compilation of courageous, worthy young men and women anxious to serve the Lord.  Enjoy - grab a kleenex! ...and P.S. Michelle's call is at 5:20 on the video)