Growing
up, it was never in my plan to serve a mission. I always loved missionaries and
thought it would be cool but never thought it was for me. When President Monson
made the age change, I thought there was a possibility that I'd go but really
didn't think much of it. Several months after the announcement I was sitting in
seminary when the thought "You need to go on a mission" entered my
thoughts very clearly. I was really confused because, like I said before, I
never thought a mission was for me. So I brushed the thought aside and went
about normal life. But that week the thought came again and again and would not
go away. So I decided to talk to my Heavenly Father about it. I fasted and
prayed for six months before I got my answer. I knew that I needed to serve a
mission. It took another six months to decide when I would leave, I finally received
an answer to that as well. I started my papers in October and everything went
smoothly with that.
I
got my call in the mail on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving. One of the
most exciting days of my life so far! I opened it and read:
“Dear
Sister Escher, you are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the CHINA HONG
KONG mission. You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on
February 25, 2015. You should prepare to teach the gospel in the Cantonese
language.”
I
was SOOOO shocked!!! I had totally thought I was staying in the states. It was
the craziest feeling! I knew that was exactly where I was supposed to go and
already loved the people! I had really been hoping for a mission with a temple and warm weather and I was given both! I know that Heavenly Father truly does know me personally and has a plan for me.
