The Mission Call

I figure this blog will be a pretty good record of my mission. Hence, I will start at the beginning; here's the story:

I submitted my papers and finished my interviews about 2 weeks before the end of my Freshman year at BYU. The rumor going around (it held pretty true) was that every mission call arrives within 7-10 days after your interview if you are at BYU. Counting the days, I figured my call would arrive on Wednesday, April 21st (calls typically arrive on Wednesday at the Cannon Center in Helaman Halls). This also happened to be the very last day of finals. I had been planning a trip down to Las Vegas to visit all my family there before I would leave for two years. My aunt Becky and cousins Benson and Casey were also going down to Las Vegas from Provo, so I figured I could hitch a ride down with them. We set the date to leave on Friday as soon as Benson finished with his doctor appointments.

Well, Wednesday came and went. Nothing. Thursday came. I checked again at the desk in the Cannon Center to see if any mission calls had arrived. They reminded me that as soon as any mission calls arrive, they call the recipient on the phone immediately. They also speculated that since Thursday was graduation ceremonies for several colleges at BYU, there would only be one morning mail delivery. Heart sunk once again, I waited. They also told me that on the next day (Friday) there would be more ceremonies, and there would only be one mail delivery that day as well. Suitcases and backpack in one hand—Thursday was checkout and move-out day for me as well—and nothing in the other, I mozied on over to the bus stop and boarded the 817 bus for my sister's house: where I would stay and wait for my ride to Vegas on Friday.

Friday morning came very early—you just can't sleep waiting for this kind of thing. Would I have to wait until I would get back from Vegas (an excruciating 2-weeks)? I won't be living in the dorm anymore...would I have the call forwarded to my sister's house—waiting for my return? to my cousins' house in Vegas where I would wait for it? back home where it would be waiting for me? I was going nuts.

Finally, at 9:30 AM, the phone call that I had been waiting for arrived—in the nick of time: we were planning to leave around 10 AM for Las Vegas. I coordinated with aunt Becky, and she said we could stop in Provo and pick up my call. It was a glorious feeling. For the 30 minutes it took to get to Provo. Then came the other feelings—the ones you would get on Christmas Eve as a kid, wanting to take an Exact-O knife and carefully slice the tape that sealed a present under the tree, then take a peek to satiate your wonder and curiosity, and finally carefully re-taping it so no one would notice. That feeling. For 6 hours, that envelope sat on the car seat next to me, daring me. Taunting me. Burning a hole in the car seat.

In case you didn't know, opening a mission call is a huge thing. Family and friends usually gather physically, by phone, and by skype/ichat/video chat to hear where you will be spending the next 2 years of your life. I carefully planned out when the best time to open it would be. Extended family would be visiting about 3 days later: more excruciating waiting time.

Finally the night arrived. I tried getting 3-way video chat with my mom in Illinois and my brother's family in Utah, with me in Las Vegas, NV. Of course there were technical difficulties...skype only allows 2-way video chat, and iChat requires that all three users be using the same IM service—which wasn't a problem when I tested it out with AIM. But my mom was on her Google Account in iChat at the time, so it didn't work so well. I ended up putting my mom on video chat and my brother on skype audio only.

Anyhow, the moment came and I opened my call.

Dear Elder Bunker:

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 México México City South Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, September 1, 2010. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Your assignment may be modified according to the needs of the mission president. . . . Sincerely, Thomas S. Monson, President

I'm sure you can imagine what feelings I encountered. This is right. It is my mission. The words of Mormon came to mind:

Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.

3 Nephi 5:13

"Preach My Gospel"

"And he said unto them, Go

ye into all the world, and

preach the gospel to every creature."

~ Mark 16:15 ~

Well, for my first post, I was thinking: If someone were to ask me "What is the Gospel that you are called to preach?", what would I say? That is such a loaded question. Good thing I don't have to come up with a succinct response; Christ already did that:

• 13 Behold I have given unto you my ^agospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the ^bwill of my Father, because my Father sent me.
  14 And my Father sent me that I might be ^alifted up upon the ^bcross [ATONEMENT]; and after that I had been lifted up upon the ^ccross, that I might ^ddraw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father [RESURRECTION], to stand before me, to be ^ejudged [JUDGMENT] of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
  15 And for this cause have I been ^alifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their ^bworks.
  16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso ^arepenteth [REPENTANCE] and is baptized [BAPTISM] in my ^bname shall be filled; and if he ^cendureth to the end [ENDURING TO THE END], behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.
  17 And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the ^ajustice of the Father.
  18 And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words.
  19 And ^ano unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his ^brest save it be those who have ^cwashed their garments in my blood, because of their faith [FAITH IN CHRIST], and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
  20 Now this is the commandment: ^aRepent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be ^bbaptized in my name, that ye may be ^csanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost [HOLY GHOST], that ye may stand ^dspotless before me at the last day.
  21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my ^agospel; and ye know the things that ye must ^bdo in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;

  
  

  ~ 3 Nephi 27:13-21 ~

Well, there you have it: The Gospel is the Atonement, Resurrection, Judgment, Faith in Christ, Repentance, Baptism, the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Side note: Gospel means Good News. And it really is. Maybe I'll post something on the Plan of Salvation later. It just makes sense.