I'm glad they called me on a mission, now that I have grown a foot or two! Haha
Most people were really surprised when I told them I was going on a mission so I've decided to give a little back story about it.
Growing up I never really wanted to go on a mission. Or rather, it wasn't that I didn't want to go it was just something that I NEVER thought of doing. It wasn't for me. I had no real interest or desire to go. Then in January of 2010 something happened. I had just turned 20 and was going to Weber State. I was finally getting into classes that had to do with my major. I was taking editing classes and . . . I hated them. That's what I wanted to do when I grew up, edit stuff, and I hated it?! And on top of that I wasn't any good at it either. I was frustrated and confused so I prayed to know if I should continue with all these English classes or find a different major. I was sitting in Sacrament meeting in my home ward. The speakers in the meeting were the matron and a guy from the presidency of the Ogden Temple. The matron spoke first. She didn't even speak about missionary work, really. But my head and my heart were only telling me one thing: mission, Maurie. Mission.
No, no, no, I told myself. No. Just no. After the matron spoke there was a musical number. It was a medley of "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" and "God Be With You Til We Meet Again". That's when it really hit me: Go on a mission, Maurie. And I started getting teary-eyed. I wasn't sure if it was because I was feeling the Spirit or because I just did not want to go on a mission.
But over the next few days, I just kept feeling like I should go on a mission. But I was confused. I was praying to know what to do about school and that's the answer I got? And I was only 20. I had a whole year before I could even really think about a mission (but I think Heavenly Father told me so early so that I could have a year to get used to the idea of going on a mission). I talked to my parents about it and both my mom and dad had a condition. My dad's condition: Graduate from college first. My mom's condition: Wait until all the boys your age are home from their missions. So when I was getting close to graduating I started thinking of a mission again. I even went to the bishop and lots of things. But I just didn't feel good about it. I was freaking out. I didn't really want to go, I was just going to go because that's what I thought I should do. Plus there was this guy, but that's a whole other story. When I was just about to start on my papers (in March of 2011) I told my Bishop about all these concerns I had and he told me to wait awhile and see what happened. So that's what I did. I graduated and got a job and felt good about not going at that moment. Every day when I drive to work I see what's left of the Ogden Temple. And one day in early September I looked at the temple and the thought of a mission came into my head again and I started to cry. I am not exactly a crying person so it surprised me that I was crying. But I knew it was because I had finally decided to go on a mission.
Long story short (not really) I talked to my bishop that Sunday, by the following Sunday I had all my paperwork turned in. The next week I met with the Stake President and four weeks later (there were two little hiccups with the missionary department after that) my call came.
