AHHHHH!!! FINALLY! After much time and tribulation I got my mission call, haha! It was on a glorious Thursday afternoon on May 15th. As I was lounging on the hammick bronzing my skin (I live such a hard and demanding life) my mom walks through the back gate and said, "Katie, you might want to get off the phone for this." Now, I had no clue it would be my mission call because my stake president told me that my call was delayed a few weeks, I was anxiously awaiting a letter from a close friend that had just entered the MTC. So you can image my extreme surprise when my whipped out from behind her back a large white envelope. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" We both were screaming, jumping up and down, tears streaming down both our cheeks (my mom is the best about sharing someone's current emotional state, I love her so much for that). After the initial shock of actually holding my actual mission call, the realization of having to wait to open it hit me! "Oh no! No one is home!" Talk about a difficult and LONG day. My mom kept saying, "Let's just open it...just us girls." Oh my goodness MOM! You are so bad tempting me that way! At one point in fact, she grabbed my envelope and pretended to tear it open! I almost had a heart attack! After that I had to put it up in my room for safe keeping. That day I learned about patience from my father. He said he would be home at 7 so I figured, ok, I can wait until 7. I get a call at 7, "Hey hun I'm just leaving (AHHHHH- I'm thinking) it will be about 7:30, wait for me you have to wait!" 7:30 rolls around....no Dad. 7:45 (He knew it would be 7:45!) Dad walks through the door, "AH! OK EVERYONE TO THE KITCHEN!!!" We all gather around the kitchen table, cameras poised and ready to shoot, both brothers and best friend on the phones ready for the announcement! I was so excited! As I tore open the white envelope and began to read, the line which read, "You are called to serve in the...OH MY GOSH!!!!!!" I couldn't believe it! KOREA DAEJEON!!!! That was the absolute LAST place I ever thought that I would serve!!! But how exciting! How exotic! How...difficult!
I am so glad that I was able to share that experience with my family. There is nothing like the feeling of extreme happiness, rejoicing one with another for the accomplishment of a loved one. I am so incredibly grateful for the relationships that my family has, we are so closely nit and love the company that we each give.
I feel so blessed and absolutely humbled to be called by the Lord to serve in the Korea Daejeon mission. Oh my goodness, I still am on a high from opening that letter, and honestly I hope that I never loose that feeling. The gosepl is an amazing gift that I CAN NOT wait to share with God's children. I know, I KNOW, that Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel has been restored on this earth, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds those sacred keys and truths that will lead us back into the presence of God and to His Kingdom if we live our lives in such a way. We are lead by a true prophet of God who is counciled by God Himself. How can it not be true? Look around and compare the lives of those living the true gospel, to those that are not, and the evidence of happiness and love and the light of Christ are so visible. I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven and loving Savior for this wonderful opportunity to serve.
