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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Called To Serve

So, when are you leaving on your mission?

I heard that question several times a week especially when i'm attending church meetings. If I was in a good mood, I'd dance around the issue, giving some vague answer. I still haven't decided yet

In many Mormon families, going on a mission is highly recommended when a guy reaches the age of 19 or older, attend one year of college or delay further education to volunteer for two-year domestic and foreign missions. The problem was when i reached 19, i continued my nursing career because i knew it was the right decision that time. A mission isn't something you want to be pressured to do but it's part of the culture, where the young men are strongly encouraged to go.

Among the rules when on such a mission: No visits home; only two phone calls permitted home each year, one on Mother's Day, one on Christmas, and no dating. Missionaries cannot date during their missions and are limited to sending friends and family one letter a weekEach missionary gets half a day off on Mondays to attend to personal matters, such as laundry.

Every day you wear the same thing: a white shirt, a conservative tie and a smile. The idea is to get people to open their doors to you, to get people to warm up to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As one by one my friends made their way to the mission--I began to wonder if I was making a mistake in waiting. I felt like the young man who stays home from the war with vague claims of a disability, while all the townsfolk watch him disapprovingly. My mother urged me to go giving gentle suggestions, our bishop talked about what a handsome missionary I was, or would be. My siblings and parents kept nudging me in that direction. And still I resisted.

I'm turning 21 this year, 3 months to go and i'm graduating.

How will i spend the next two years of my life?should i grab the chance and go on a full-time mission? or should i stay for the board exam and get myself employed?

The Bible says in Mathew 6:33, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God in his Righteousness and all things shall be added unto you".

I hope somebody could inspire me. Thank you for listening.

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