Thursday, July 24, 2014

The Call.....

On March 2014 I opened my mailbox and there sat a large white envelope addressed to Sister Mackenzie Lynn Rawlings. One excruciating long day later I opened it in front of many of my family and  friends and it read as follows,

Dear Sister Rawlings,
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Canada Montreal Mission.You should report to the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah on Wednesday, August 6th  2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the French language...
 Now i'm not gonna lie, I was shocked! I was convinced I was going to North Carolina. Now for those of you who don't know, it has always been my dream to serve in Quebec and to speak French! I guess dreams do come true! :)



Why I'm Serving a Mission

When I was a little girl I grew up on stories of my Aunt Christy's Mission to the Halifax Canada Mission. Both my mom and Aunt would ask me if I wanted to serve. I would quickly reply, "nah", or "If you come with me". As I grew up the thought of a mission grew but I thought that I would cross that bridge when I came to it at age 21. That decision was sped up when in General Conference, when Thomas S. Monson announced that the age change for Sister Missionaries was 19! At the time I didn't think much of it rather that it was an amazing and monumental announcement. I started College and while there I had this strange feeling that next year at this time I wouldn't be there. For months I pondered what to do looking at the various options of transferring to a different university, going on a study abroad specifically to Jerusalem and so on. When one day I though "What about a mission?" I quickly brushed off the idea but over the months the thought kept coming back. Over much study and prayer I realized that I needed to align my will to God's. I believe that God would only suggest things that would make me better and help me in the long run. So with that and many prayers and scripture study I realized that going on a mission was the next chapter of my life. I was never someone who expected to go on a mission but I could not be more excited for what's to come. I love God and Christ and there gospel. How can you have something that makes you so happy and not share? That's how I feel about the Gospel, I want others to experience the love and happiness that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through it we can receive amazing promises and blessings, you can have many of lives questions answer, you can receive the comfort that you need from living in this crazy and confusing world, and you can be with your families forever. After submitting my papers to church headquarters I received my call in March. Before opening my call friends, families and acquaintances would ask me where I wanted to go and many times I would give the standard missionary answer, "Wherever i'm supposed to go". However, from those who I told, my dream mission would be in Quebec(Montreal, Canada Mission) or the Halifax, Canada Mission speaking French... or even in Vermont or Maine. So when I opened my call and read the Canada, Montreal Mission I was in shock! After the excitement, I skipped ahead and read that I would preaching the gospel in the French language! And guess what, not only was Quebec in my mission but parts of Vermont and Maine! I feel so blessed and feel like my testimony was strengthened of the realization that God knows us personally, he knows our personal desires and thoughts of our heart. It also strengthen my testimony of living prophets and their ability to receive revelation for our Heavenly Father for each of us. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to serve God and bring those to know him and of his love for them. I am so excited to serve the people of Canada! Watch out Canada, here I come!