Joel’s Mission Call
My oldest son, Joel, turned 18 and graduated high school one month ago. It’s been a few months of navigating big emotions and milestones and changes for him…and I think for me too. And it hasn’t calmed down. We moved to Germany three weeks ago and just a few days ago, he learned where he will be serving as a missionary for the next two years for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The weeks of waiting for this assignment haven’t been easy. I think I’ve had as many sleepless nights as he has! I had dreams he was called to serve in Germany and would get to live away from us but learn the language and have his own unique experience here. I’d wake in the middle of the night worried about his resilience and mental health moving away from us. I’d worry his application was lost in the system, or there would be some mix up saying he couldn’t go. I felt sadness considering the changes that would happen in our family with him being gone, missing the days of us all together. I felt joy in seeing life continue and progress and purpose that is so rewarding.
I guess I was just being a normal mom, feeling all the normal feelings.
We knew these missionary assignments (we call them callings) come via email on Tuesdays and since we are now 8 hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time where they originate from, I would check into the late hours of the night, and first thing in the morning hoping to see it.
His calling took longer to come than the usual 2-3 weeks so all this excitement and worry in waiting was just building and building!
On Wednesday, June 22 I checked my phone (his inbox) first thing in the morning, about 6am. IT WAS THERE! Joel had been up way late the night before but I couldn’t wait. I went into his room and told him it was here.
Some people choose to open it publicly and stream it live over social media for family and friends to share in the excitement. Joel had decided earlier that he wanted to open this email on his own first. He wanted to savor it and pray on it first before sharing the news. I admire his maturity and wanting to keep this moment sacred for himself.
When he was ready to share, he read his letter to Matt and I and was full of emotion. He is SO EXCITED and grateful to go. He will be serving in the Utah St. George Mission and is leaving this Fall. He’ll report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo for two weeks before heading to St. George.
He was excited to tell his grandparents very first!
Here are the words from his call that explain his purpose as a missionary and what is expected of him:
Dear Elder Young,
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. You will be an official representative of the Church. As such, you will be expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and appearance, keep the commandments, and follow the counsel of your mission president. As you devote your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs, the Lord will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.
Your purpose will be to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. As you serve with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, the Lord will lead you to those who will hear His message.
You are assigned to labor in the Utah St George Mission and will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language. You will begin your missionary training on [October] after being set apart by your stake president. Please see the Missionary Portal for additional information on your training experience. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months.
Our Heavenly Father will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more joy than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children. We place our confidence in you and pray that the Lord will help you become an effective missionary.
{signed by the Prophet, Russel M. Nelson}
Isn’t that beautiful? I am so excited for Joel!
Matt and I both served as missionaries. It was absolutely life changing. It’s actually how we met over twenty years ago when we were both serving in the Belgium Brussels French-speaking mission. I love that what I got to know about Matt very first was seeing how he treated people and loved God. But that’s a story for another post.
Sometimes my friends ask why we serve missions in our faith. One of the Apostles, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, recently shared,
We honor individual agency. Most are aware of this Church’s great efforts to promote religious freedom. These efforts are in furtherance of our Heavenly Father’s plan. We seek to help all of His children—not just our own members—enjoy the precious freedom to choose.
Similarly, we are sometimes asked why we send missionaries to so many nations, even among Christian populations. We are also asked why we give enormous humanitarian aid to persons who are not members of our Church without linking this to our missionary efforts. We do this because the Lord has taught us to esteem all of His children as our brothers and sisters, and we want to share our spiritual and temporal abundance with everyone.
There are so many things about Joel’s mission call that have made me feel again and again just how kind Heavenly Father and Jesus are, how much they know us and are right here with us. It’s kind of crazy that we just moved to Germany and that Joel is about to hop on a plan to go back to the states! While Matt and I both grew up in Utah, and Joel was born in Utah, he has never been to St. George. All the teenagers here in Germany were so excited learning he was going there because so many of them travel to Utah for family reunions and vacations so it is a beloved place to so many. It’s also in some of the most beautiful parts of Utah with Zion National Park, and the red rock landscape that is so unique, and Joel is used to the heat from living in the southwest for years. His mission boundaries extend to Price, Utah, in the north and down to the Grand Canyon, Arizona in the south. I am excited that he will get to experience cultures that are new to him, and so glad I can easily send things to him while he’s away too. Another really amazing thing is that Matt’s parents live in Utah and will be able to pick him up from the airport and take him to the Missionary Training Center in Provo. It just couldn’t be more perfect for Joel.
If you would like to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or talk to the missionaries where you live, click here. You’re also welcome to reach out to me anytime.
