October 6, 2012.
I woke up late for the Saturday morning session. I woke up in time for the closing prayer (yeah, pretty guilty....sorry, but my mom slept in too!!!) and I heard they were building a new Temple in Arequipa, Peru--which as you know, I'm Peruvian. It meant a lot to me & I was super excited because that's where my Abuelita was from! So my best friend Eric calls me about 5 minutes after the prayer. He sounded super excited & asked "Did you hear the news?! Did you?!" & I'm all excited now too! I said "Yeah!! They're building a Temple in Arequipa!!" and he said "No...the missionary age..." And I just felt the Spirit overcome me at that moment. I asked him "What happened...?" I heard a smile in his voice as he said "They lowered it! Boys can go at 18 now & women at 19." and in that very moment, I started bawling. not just little tears, NO. I was literally sobbing my eyes out because I knew in that very moment, that I was meant to serve. I didn't apply to Idaho, I had the need to finish the Book of Mormon, I had an appointment with my Bishop about some personal matters. Everything just clicked & I knew that I was meant to serve a mission. Eric & I talked a bit more, then I hung up. I walked into my mom's bedroom again, she was on the phone with her sister and I'm just a crying mess. She told her sister to stop talking & asked me what's wrong, and I said "Nothing, everything's perfect" between sobs. She kept asking me if I was okay & I kept responding "Perfect!! I'm so perfect right now!" Once I finally controlled my tears I told her they lowered the missionary age & just cried out "I'm going mom. I'm going to serve a mission. I'm going to serve a mission." She smiled & started tearing up, hugged me & told me how proud of me she was. I kept crying, she talked on the phone with her sister, & I cried for about an hour...maybe more. I cried throughout the day because I've never been so sure of anything in my life. Ever. It's just something I'm meant to do.
I fixed my life, and had things put back together and I was happy. I had my testimony, I wanted to serve. I was ready.
This Sunday I'll be starting my papers to serve a LDS mission. I can honestly say I've never been so excited to do ANYTHING in my life. It'll definitely be the hardest thing for me to do, leave my family, my home & my friends, but it'll be the greatest blessing in my life, and my family's lives, and the fellow members I will have a chance to convert, along with their future families & ancestors.
I'm so extremely blessed to have a mother & father who are 100% supportive of me going on a mission. My dad, who I mentioned before--wasn't LDS, is excited for me & is encouraging me to go. He's always been such a great man I look up to in my life, who I know loves me & my mom more than anything. He wants us to go to church, he woke me up & dragged me to seminary even when I didn't want to go, and now encourages me whenever I have a fireside to go to, FHE, institute, a ward missionary meeting, or a meeting with my bishop or stake president. I pray that my serving a mission could open his heart to hear the gospel, feel the spirit, realize that this is the true church and that one day he will be able to be a priesthood holder, be there when I enter the temple with my eternal companion. And what I pray for the most, is that we can become an eternal family.
So this is the story of me, & pretty much how my strange life has led me to the person who I am today--a future sister missionary. I'm so excited, as I said earlier, but I literally cannot wait to go & serve (: If i had to be at the MTC next Wednesday, I'd go.
My testimony is short, but it's meaningful. I know that I am a child of God, I know that the Book of Mormon is a true scripture, I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, as well as all of the other Prophet's called unto our church. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I know we will return home to our loving Heavenly Father & Savior Jesus Christ, I know that we will have Eternal life, and I know that everyone who has walked this earth, who is walking this earth, and everyone who will walk this earth, will have a chance to hear about the Gospel.