You are hereby called to serve....

Once I had decided to serve a mission it was my plan to go after the school year had ended. Just trying to be rational and all, like my mom. But ya know, sometimes the Lord has another plan for you and that's what you do. I started getting really impatient about putting my papers in later and going out later. I just wanted to put them in right away and get out there NOW. So that's what I did. I started them October 1st and submitted them on November 3rd. Commence the endless waiting..... I waited for a loooooong two and half weeks. I know, its not that long, but when its waiting for a mission call it feels like forever! 

I expected to receive my call the Wednesday after it had been assigned, which is standard for Utah. But despite there not being a holiday on Monday, it didn't come. Crushed. When my mom called and told me it hadn't come, I was a wreck...in the library at BYU.....awkward. This meant that if I received it on Thursday I wouldn't be able to open it until Sunday. SUNDAY. 4 whole days of waiting. Why? Because my sister had Nationals in Arizona for college soccer and it was the last time my parents would ever see her play. There was no way I could demand them to stay home so I could open my call. I couldn't do that to them or to her. So instead I went with them. And man, that was the best decision I could have possibly made. It did end up coming the day after on Thursday, and seeing I was in another state, the waiting was so much easier. 

On Sunday, November 24, 2014 I opened my call with my friends and family - Dad, Mom, Sister and all. So, at about 7:30 that evening I read a letter that went a little something like this:

Dear Sister Van Wagoner,

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 Argentina Buenos Aires North mission. It is anticipated you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. 

And BAM, just like that, Heavenly Father gave me everything I could have possibly wanted. A chance to fulfil my dreams of becoming bilingual and traveling outside of the United States, but more importantly, the chance to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The most beautiful thing there is in this life. 

I know that God is mindful of each and everyone of us. There is a plan for us and He knows what is best for us. This Gospel is a blessing to us all. I know with my whole heart Argentina Buenos Aires North is where I need to be. My love for the Argentine people is already so immense, and I have yet to step foot on their soil. I couldn't be anymore excited to preach the Gospel to the people of Argentina. God is good, and this Gospel is TRUE.

xoxo