Friday, September 4, 2015

My Mission Call

Hello everyone,
   It has been about two weeks since I opened my mission call now, and it feels like time is going by very fast now. I have about two months left until I have to report to my mission. It is really hard to say on here how excited I am to have this oppurtunity to serve the Lord. For those who really know me know how hard I've worked in my youth to be able to have this oppurtinity. I've had to make wise decisions throughtout highschool. Even when they were really hard to do, regardless if people thought I was cool or not choosing these decisions. But now, it is all worth it. I could not be any more grateful for this. 
   Missionary paperwork sure does take some time. Which leads to a lot of stress and worry, worrying if I'll be accepted or not, or where I'll be sent. It is very hard for non-members to understand why someone would give up two years of their life to go some place and be a missionary, when they'll be missing out on college or working. To go on a mission takes a lot of faith and desire. Desire to serve the Lord, after all that he has done for us. Think about all that he has done for each one of us. I feel like the least I can do is serve a mission and bring people into his restored church on earth. This also takes a lot of faith knowing that my future will be blessed because I'm giving up two (important) years of my life to him. 
   The night I opened my mission call was one of the best nights of my life. I got the big envelope with the address from Utah and I was instantly panicking once I held it. I called my mom right away and made plans. We planned to have a FHE type of night since it was on a Monday night and open the letter after. I told my parents to invite some people that may be interested in coming. I was expecting about 20 people, something small. We get there and about 80 people show up, members and non-members! It was such an amazing night for me knowing that all of these people cared enough for me that they came to be with me on this very special night. We had very spiritual night, which had everyone in tears. We had a guessing board where people can guess where in the world where I'll be serving. Sure enough, my mom and the bishop were the closest guesses! I took my time reading out the letter which drove everyone nuts wanting to know where I'm going! And this is what I read: 

      "Dear Elder Madero:                                                               10/11/15
          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 Tegucigalpa, Honduras Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months. You should report to the Guatamala Missionary Training Center on October 28th, 2015. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Etc... "

Like I've said before, I am really excited for this oppurtunity and cannot wait to see what the Lord has prepared for me. This is truly a blessing for me. These past couple of weeks have been a great missionary experience for my friends and family because they cannot believe I'm taking this big step in life, and they want to learn a little more from me before I leave. Yes, I know how dangerous Honduras is, but you have to remember who makes these mission calls. It is one of the 12 apostles from the church that take the time and pray for inspiration to know where I am capable of serving. This is where they see me serving. I know that the Lord has prepared the area for me, all I have to do is go and serve with faith. And that is what I will do.