To start out this blog I would like to tell the story of why I decided to serve a mission.

It all started with my conversion to the church. When I was 12 years old my mom started to date a guy that she was friends with in high school.Things became serious between the two and he said "I would like you to look into the church, I don't want to marry someone who isn't a member of my beliefs." So my mom made an appointment with the missionaries and she asked my sister and I if we wanted to join her. Of course we said yes because we loved our mom. After the missionary discussions my mom, sister, and I all got baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on January 31, 2009. Missionary work has been a part of my life since the beginning of my membership at church.

Ever since I was converted I thought it would be cool to serve a mission. When I was first baptized the age for girls to serve missions was 21. Now that is kind of an old age to serve a mission, you are 3/4 done with your college schooling and most Mormon girls at the age of 21 are married. But in October 2012 EVERYTHING changed for missionary work. Our Prophet and President of our Church, Thomas S. Monson, changed the age for missionary work from 19 to 18 for boys and from 21 to 19 for girls! 2 whole years earlier girls could serve missions!! The next day my aunt texted me and said "are you going to serve a mission since the age changed?" Before then I had thought about a mission as a far away possibility, but I answered her text with a positive "Yes I think so." Since then my decision hasn't changed, only my faith and testimony of missionary work and deciding to serve a mission has grown stronger.

Deciding to serve a mission was really easy for me. Sure I have second guessed my decision, and so have my parents, but now that I have my call and I have prepared to serve a mission, I know that this is the best thing I could possibly be doing at this time of my life.