Thursday, July 18, 2013

The Call

I decided that I was going to start working on my papers when I was home in Minnesota in late April. The plan was to start them as soon as I got back to Provo, and have them turned in and completely finished with-in two weeks. I wanted them to be submitted by mid May and potentially have my call by the end of May.

Well obviously that didn't happen.

I can't even express to you how frustrating it was to start my papers, schedule doctors appointments, and schedule interviews with my bishop and the stake president. There was delay, after delay. The amount of time that it took to get everything done was ridiculous. I felt so discouraged. And especially because I was still kinda on the fence about the mission I felt like maybe this was Heavenly Father telling me that I wasn't suppose to go...

But after many trips to the Temple, I realized that I need to be Patient, I was on His timeline, not mine.

Finally, my papers were submitted on Sunday June 16.

I've heard that a lot of people start freaking out and have a hard time waiting for their call as soon as their papers are in. Surprisingly I felt pretty calm and patient. Until my bishop texted me on Friday and said, "Hi, your call was sent out yesterday You should see it tomorrow or Monday. Congratulations."

TOMORROW?!?! I Could get my call tomorrow?

I started Freaking Out! This was getting real. A General Authority had seen my face. Somewhere there was a piece of paper telling me where I was going to serve. AHH!!

I was excited, scared, nervous, anxious, happy, and surprised.

I didn't think that I would get my call till Wednesday. And even after my bishop said that it would be there by Saturday or Monday I was pretty confident that It wouldn't come till Wednesday.

But my bishop had given me hope so I sat there all Saturday Morning, waiting for the mail, and I was so disappointed when it wasn't there. My hope was crushed.

But the bishop did say that it could come Monday so I sat again and waited for the mail. And again it wasn't there.

By this point I knew that it wasn't coming Wednesday. So I sat around on Tuesday and tried watching movies to pass the time. It was the Longest day of my life. I was watching  Les Miserables and it got to the part where they sing "One Day More"

If you haven't seen it watch it!
And the last phrase of the song says:
"♪ Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in Heaven has in store
One more dawn,
One more day.
One day more! ♪"

And I was like "THATS ME!"

Then it was Wednesday. I was freaking out! I went down to the mailbox three times! I sat on my kitchen table and waited for the mailman. I felt like such a stalker and I felt like the mail was taking extra long to get here. And then there she was! The mail-woman! I couldn't contain myself. I sat there patiently waiting for her to leave. And than I ran down to the mailbox and just stood there. I was so scared that it wouldn't be there. I probably stood there for a good 6 minutes debating whether or not I should open it.

And then I was like "Alright Mallory, stop being pathetic and open the dang mailbox."

I opened it and there it was!



I pulled it out and I immediately started crying. At that moment I was 100% sure that going on a mission was what I was suppose to do. At that moment that it didn't matter where I was going or what language I was speaking because I was going to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I was going to preach it to those that needed to hear it from me.

I thought that I was for sure staying in the states. And I was pretty sure that I was staying English Speaking or ASL (for those of you that don't know I'm pretty fluent in American Sign Language). I thought if I go foreign maybe Canada or maybe the UK. I thought that I would be a more effective missionary if I went state-side. So I didn't even think about foreign countries because I thought that there was no way I would get sent anywhere outside of the United States. I mean lets be honest. One of the main reasons why I learned sign language in high school was because I can hardly speak English! If I couldn't even speak my own native tongue how was I suppose to learn another language?

I had to wait till 5 to open it! My call just sat there. Starring at me. Waiting for me to see what was inside. Waiting was torturous. Finally, 5 rolled around and my roommates and I picked up some friends and drove up to my grandparents.

It was time. I could open it.






BRAZIL!!!! WHAT?!?! I Thought maybe I would go to South America but I was thinking Peru, or maybe Chile but BRAIZL? PORTUGUESE?!?

My mind was blown.

I couldn't even comprehend what had just happened. 

Was I really going to spend 18 month of my life in Brazil? Preaching to the People in Portuguese? I can't even pronounce the name of my mission "Piracicaba" (since then I've learned how to pronounce it. Click here it you want to hear it)

A lot of people have told me that as soon as you open up your mission call and  read where you are going you just know thats where you are suppose to be. But honestly I was so overcome with shock and excitement that I didn't quite get that. It's been three weeks since I've had my call and after learning about my area, the culture, and the people I have no doubt that Piracicaba Brazil is the right place for me.

The Lords plan for us is so much better than our own. I've learned and developed a testimony of that these past couple of months. I know that the Lord wants me in Brazil. Learning Portuguese is going to be difficult and it will be one of the hardest things I ever do. But if God wants me to learn it then I know that I can do it.

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