The decision to serve.

Alright folks! I thought I might as well share how I decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was raised in the LDS church and always knew that missions were an amazing thing, that it was a priesthood duty for our lovely young men to serve. The call to serve is optional for sisters and it is not a duty for them to serve, but an option should they desire. I have always known this and thought it would be wonderful if I could serve a mission, but the age requirement for sisters to serve missions was 21. That was a long ways away and I didn't know if I would be available for service then. So I thought I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

Little did I know on the Saturday morning session of the October 2012 conference my life plans would change drastically. President Monson, the living Prophet on the earth today, announced that the age requirement for men and women to be recommended for missionary service was to be lowered- eighteen for men and nineteen for women. !!!!! HELLO! Watching President Monson say those words, I cannot describe how I felt. I don't think I have felt the Holy Ghost burn within me so strong before- it was as if my heart was on fire. Go Carly, is the feeling I got. Go, go, go. Lots of tears and perhaps some jumping for joy. :)

And so I prepared. Not an easy task friends. The adversary will never give up his fight with us. He knows when we are about to embark on a spiritual journey. Mission papers took me forever- my computer broke at college, my interview appointments kept getting cancelled, and I felt discouragement, self-doubt, the works. But I remembered how I felt when I knew I needed to serve, and that's what got me through! And now I prepare to serve in Australia departing May 22 :) And it doesn't get easier shaking off discouragement and doubt. But what do we do? We carry on :)

Welcome.

Hello there friends. Welcome to my mission blog! I figured I should jump on the bandwagon and create a nice little internet place where people can read my letters home and other musings. Enjoy!

My sister, Katrina is there on the left. Isn't she cute? She will be serving in the Montevideo, Uruaguay mission! She departs a transfer before i do. :)