Why Did I Choose to Serve a Mission?

     My greatest love and passion is missionary work. It all began when my older brother left on his mission to Peru and my mom was called as a ward missionary. My love of missionary work began to solidify when my dad invited his secretary at work to listen to the missionary discussions in our home when I was 14 years old. Before that time, I had been told that missionary work was important but I didn't realize how it applied to me personally. My dad's secretary Socorro and her young daughter Charm met in our home for several months and were eventually baptized the day after Christmas. The deep love that I felt for them was unlike any love I had felt for anyone before because our friendship was rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I soon realized as I watched them learn about the scriptures, bear their testimonies, and eventually attend the temple that there was no greater joy than watching them progress and come closer to Jesus Christ. It was that first missionary experience that sparked my eternal love of sharing the gospel and instilled in me a burning desire to serve a mission.
     By age 15 I was frequently attending discussions with the missionaries and playing an active role in fellow-shipping and teaching the investigators and recent converts in my home ward. Some of my dearest and closest friends accepted the invitation to be baptized and missionary discussions became an integral part of my life. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, my own testimony was beginning to grow as I helped nurture the budding testimonies of the investigators and recent converts around me. I distinctly remember sitting in a lesson and being asked, "How has the Atonement blessed your life?" It was a simple question that impacted me deeply. I knew why the Atonement was necessary and knew how it could bless people, but I realized that I hadn't applied the Atonement personally to my own life. I set out on a quest to be able to answer that question with conviction and the result was a personal and lasting conversion to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
     Since then I have immersed myself in the glorious endeavor of missionary work. My motto in high school was, "There is nothing better than being in a missionary discussion." I left parties early, rescheduled with friends, and juggled my schedule to be a part of the lessons because I loved the opportunity to testify and feel the Spirit. Because of my close association with missionaries, it was easier to keep an eternal perspective and that perspective influenced many of my choices throughout my teenage years. I learned diligence, obedience, Christlike attributes, humility, perseverance, service, and unity from observing my missionaries over the years. They have forever changed my life and I will be forever grateful for the influence of the missionaries on me.
     I am a full-time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because my life - even though I was raised in the church - has been forever changed due to missionary work. I have come to know my Savior Jesus Christ and glimpsed a sliver of the infinite love that He has for us. I know that no greater love and no greater joy can come than from loving God's precious children and sharing the restored gospel with them. Missionary work is NOT just for full-time missionaries. I am here because I love Heavenly Father and I love His children. I want each and every person to experience the complete and lasting joy that I have felt from doing missionary work!
       "[As missionaries] you have a front row seat to the greatest miracle of all: the effect of Christ's Atonement on individuals and families." - Adjusting to Missionary Life Resource Booklet pg. 17