Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (sometimes known as Mormon) have a unique opportunity to serve a mission! Boys when they turn eighteen year old, who are are in good health and living the high morals of Christ’s gospel can serve for two years. Girls at the age of 19, also living the commandments and in good health serve for 18 months. Missions are miracles in so many ways!
It seems peculiar to many people why we would encourage our kids in the prime of their youth to put aside schooling, sports, dating and etc. to serve a strict religious mission! Just two months ago, my son’s club volleyball team took second place in Nationals. He had college coaches approach him about playing in the future. His ACT scores are in the 98%, his future is definitely bright! So why would I encourage him to set aside all of that for serving a two year mission? Because we believe a mission helps his future to become even brighter.
Knowing the powerful transforming effect of the mission experience first hand, I as a mom, would hope for it for all of my children! My mission changed me and I am grateful.
Here are just a few of the powerful elements of serving a mission:
- A mission expands your world view! At the young age of 18 or 19, many people have only lived one or three places, and often in a family bubble that cushions your view of the world. Serving a mission allows you to focus on uplifting the people around you wherever you go! Whether the mission is in New Mexico or in Rome, there are beautiful lessons to learn from serving different people on any part of this great planet. Serving other people helps a person grow out of the self absorbed mentality that often accompanies youth (or perhaps just people). Hooray for more well rounded humans!
- LOVE! Here’s the best reason of all! You become filled with love! Love for the Savior Jesus Christ and LOVE for the people who are striving to figure out life, which is all of us! Being filled with this heavenly love and sharing it daily with others is life changing.
- You become Spiritually, Emotionally and Financially Confident. It’s like a concentrated University of Life. There are some things that only time and experience can teach you! Leaving your home and navigating your own well being, coupled with managing a fairly rigorous schedule teaches a lot. A missionary handles a fair amount of complex questions and difficult situations. This teaches more than going away to college, because a mission is more than just about you.
- You learn the power of strict self discipline! A missionary studies everyday, exercises for 30 minutes, dresses professionally and plans for the day the night before. Plus he or she learns to be flexible when the plans fall through. Self discipline and common goals with a companion can yield astonishing results.
- You learn to get along with people. Missionaries are paired with a companion and invariably differences arise. Sometimes you are matched with someone who is a terrific fit, but often enough you are paired with someone who teaches you patience, compassion and other attributes born of struggle. Please know that missions are truly challenging and can teach resilience the hard way. These are great life lessons, albeit difficult.
- Strengthen your Relationship with God: Here is something I want for all humans! A relationship with the Savior who has made repentance and grace possible. When our missionaries leave from home, they have had a few beautiful experiences that make them want to share what they know. Awesome! However, the very act of serving, listening and following God everyday on a mission strengthens that relationship (if you let it) for your entire life.
I will write it again: Missions are miracles! Not only do we get to share the beautiful message that Christ lives and loves us, but we get to soak in it and come to know HIM fully ourselves. What a blessing.
One of my biggest lessons from serving a mission years ago, was that people who put God and family first in their lives are happy. Even people with a dirt floor in Chile. That was a powerful lesson that still happily clings to my soul.
So if you are not a member of the church, you can talk to any of us, including missionaries. You are always welcome. Always. Come and see what spurs the happiness.
And if you happen to be in Rome and notice a really tall blond missionary with a fondness for volleyball, know he is experiencing all of the aspects a mission offers! Oh and tell him, his mom prays for him everyday. 🙂
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