So long, farewell!

"How did you decide to serve a mission?" Story time.

The summer before my freshman year of high school, my parents decided to take the family to some of the church history sites in New York and Ohio. I'll admit, some of us were a little less than excited to go… but it ended up being a great experience. I was able to tour simple places where sacrifices and miracles occurred. Leading many of these tours were sister missionaries. This is when I started to think that I wanted to serve a mission.

I started high school and went to seminary. I learned more about the scriptures. I kept a mission in the back of my mind as an option, depending on my ability at age 21 to take off in the middle of pursuing a degree. My sophomore year, the prophet announced that young women could begin serving as young as 19. A mission became a reality.

Sometime in my Junior year of high school, I started attending mission prep. Not going to lie, it seemed intimidating at first. I was asked to participate more than any other church class I've ever been asked to participate in. And it was so worth it. I felt such an amazing peace in my life as I went. I gained a greater understanding of the simple gospel truths. Mission aside, I will forever be grateful for that opportunity.

I was at a farewell talk when I realized I never prayed about whether I should serve a mission. That night, I told God that I wanted to serve a mission, and asked if this is what He wanted me to do. I opened my scriptures to Doctrine and Covenants 4:3, which says, "if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work," and felt an overwhelming "yes" answer.

In September, I submitted an application to serve. I haven't felt so much opposition in all of my life. It was hard to focus in school. I worried a lot about whether I was "good enough" to serve. I prayed that God would send me where I could grow the most and serve the best.

One month after I submitted my papers, I walked down to the mailroom, expecting a package from my sweet mom, who, I knew, was sending me some goods. When I told the girl at the desk my verification code for the package (I received a notification that morning), she said, "oh, I think I know what this is…" and instead of a box of gifts, she pulled out a white envelope. Hopefully my disbelieving scream of joy didn't freak her out too badly.

As I walked back to my apartment, treasure in hand, I had an undeniable feeling that whatever the contents described was exactly the mission that I needed to go to.

I had to go to an opera that night for my humanities class, so I figured I'd just open it the next day when my dad would be home from work and I could FaceTime my whole family. Instead, my mom had my six-year-old brother guilt me into opening it that night (she was excited too, okay), after the opera at 9:30 (when my dad would be home). The opera got out a little late, so I (literally) ran straight to my apartment to be on time for my call opening.

"Dear Sister Hunt, You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Florida Tampa Mission."

I finished off the semester (still a little hard to focus, but better will a call in hand), packed up, and came home. Spent a month getting ready (buying clothes, riding a bike, learning to go to bed at 10:30, all that jazz).

It's crazy to think that I report this week! I am so excited! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and to love. Along the way, I've come to know of God's love for me and for each of His children. I want to share that. He has a plan for each of us. I want them to know that because of the Savior's sacrifice, we can have joy in this life and in the eternities!

That is why I will serve.