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 California Fresno Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.
I am so thrilled that I received my call to a place as beautiful as California! What a perfect place for me to serve! I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am beyond excited to teach and minister to the people of Fresno! It will be an amazing journey for me but the journey getting here was just as wonderful.
I think it began with my older siblings (one sister, three brothers). Each served a mission when their time came. First my oldest brother to Argentina, then just 6 months later my sister to Brazil! They came home within a day of each other...what an incredible family reunion! The next two boys served in Taiwan and California. It was a standard in my home to serve a mission, like second nature. Once my brother returned home from Cali all eyes were on me. The final child, the one to make or break the LeStarge tradition! Well not really, but that's what it felt like to me! I had to go or my parents would have been forced to say "all our children served a mission!....except our youngest". So I decided I would serve a mission...if only it were that simple. Serving a mission is a major commitment! Boys give two years of their life to serve the Lord and girls give a year and a half! I couldn't just give up 18 months of my precious life because I was expected to! I needed to decide for myself, but being in my teenage years I had time before I turned 21 (the age at which young women serve a mission, 19 for boys, in case you were wondering). I had all the time in the world! Until THIS man made an announcement that would change the history of the LDS church forever.
NINTEEN!? NINTEEN!? Girls can serve a mission at 19!? THAT'S AMAZING! What a wonderful announcement! For boys too! Serving at 18 makes a difference for them but girls serving at 19?! That announcement was made 6 months ago and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it! I would like to tell you that the age diffence alone was the reason why I chose to serve a mission, but it goes beyond that.
In my third semester at Brigham Young University in Idaho I felt alone. My first year at school I had a close group of friends I spent all my time with, but for various reasons our time and season ended. So I thought I would give dating a try! Why not, right? Well sadly that didn't work out for me the way I would have liked it to, lets just say some boys at BYU-I are strange. With no friends (not really) and no boyfriend what else is a college kid suppose to do? Why school of course! The whole reason I was in that little town of Rexburg...the only problem I had was I had no idea what I was going to major in! Feeling a little lost I fell to my knees begging the Lord for some guidance. Anything! Send me a sign! Not long after all my pleading and begging I got my answer...a true smack in the face. Go on a mission Julie! Simple as that. When I heard the announcement my heart raced, my hands shook and my eyes filled with tears. This was my Father in Heaven guiding my life in a way I never would have imagined.
I am blessed to know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is restored on this earth. I know that God hears our prayers and answers them on his own time schedule. I know that "whom the Lord calls he qualifies" (President Monson). For the next 18 months I will be an instrument in the Lords hands to share the message of gladness His gospel brings. I can not wait to serve the people of Fresno, I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and know that it is true with all my heart.
Your Friend,
Sister LeStarge.
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