Dear Sister Christensen:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.
You should report to the Mexico Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language.
As I read these words for the very first time, I remember feeling so numb. I couldn't pick apart exactly how I was feeling, somewhere along the lines of being overwhelmed. Even as I prayed that very first night, I felt like a different person during my prayer. I can't describe it!!
Anyways, the next day, Saturday March 30, 2013, I played two soccer games. In between those games I was able to read over my mission packet with my father and I logged into my mission portal online. I was exploring and came across a little paragraph about Arizona's state history. I was reading it out loud to my dad and randomly started crying at the most random fact.
Here's what I was reading:
USA-Arizona
Some of the first members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in Arizona marched with the Mormon Battalion, a
group of Latter-day Saints preparing to fight in the
Mexican-American War, in the winter of 1846-47. Other members
arrived in 1873, sent from Utah to colonize the area. More settlers
in 1876 built a fort, dug canals, built dams, and struggled to
adjust to the dry land. During the exodus from Mexico in 1912,
Arizona became a place of refuge for many Mexican Latter-day
Saints.
In 1973, a long-time
resident of Thatcher, Arizona, Spencer W. Kimball, became the
Church's twelfth President. He served until his death in 1985. The
Church is also known in Arizona for its temple located in Mesa.
Many community members visit the temple grounds every December to
see the Christmas lights. Since 1938, Church members have presented
an annual Easter pageant on the temple grounds. The performance,
"Jesus the Christ," has attracted approximately 80,000 people each
year.
As soon as I read "Many community members visit the temple grounds every December to see the Christmas lights" I couldn't read on. I felt an overpowering love for the State of Arizona at that moment. Very random, but I know Heavenly Father was helping me realize the significance of my call. Weeks before I turned in my papers/received my call I prayed earnestly to know that my mission call would be specifically for me, from Him. I didn't care where I was assigned to serve, all I pleaded for was to know the Divinity of my call. I am so humbled to know that I am supposed to be serving the Lord as a missionary in the State of Arizona in the Spanish language.
I am SO BEYOND EXCITED to be speaking Spanish!! I have downloaded numerous apps on my iPad to help me re-learn the language. My favorite is the Spanish sing along hymns.. Cantemos los himnos!! I have learned many words, I love it. I also prayed in Spanish for the first time last night right before bed to Krissy. I read off of a card that I made, and realized after that I accidentally blessed the food. Haha whoops, it will get more sincere soon enough. I cannot even wait to FINALLY be fluent in the language. I know it will be super hard and frustrating, but I am so excited to talk to and love the Hispanic population of Arizona. Haha, I see Hispanics around town and cannot help but grin widely at them. Love the people already. I know that I knew some of those people in Arizona very well in the pre-earth life and cannot wait to reunite with them!
I also have felt love from my mission President and his wife. I truly know they have prayed for me. I cannot wait to meet them!!
Soy una hija de Dios :)
