A New Thing: My Mission Story

So, how did I decide to go on a mission?

That, my friends, is a very good question.

But before we get into that, I'd like to explain a little bit of what a mission is to those who may not be of our faith. Often when we say "mission," people think I mean going to another country and doing humanitarian work while preaching the gospel, as many other Christian denominations do. In a matter of speaking, that is accurate. For 18 months I, along with the other young men and women assigned to my particular area, will teach other people about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and invite them to come to know Jesus Christ and implement His teachings in their lives.

Up until four months ago, I was NOT going to go on a mission. No sirree. I had a plan for my life, and a mission was not a part of it. I realized the value of going on a mission, and I really respected and admired those who chose to serve, but I never thought a mission would be something for me.

Why was that?

Beginning Again

Hello! Yes, that's me!

This is the...third or fourth (or is it fifth or sixth?) blog in a list of blogs that I've started. Yep. After writing on these other blogs intermittently for a few months or so, they have petered out either because I was too busy or their purpose had been accomplished (you can see a couple of them here or here).

So why am I writing this blog?

Because I want to.

And because I can.

And because I think it's high time that I start living my faith out loud a little more, and blogging is a great way to do that. 

You see, I've been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the New York Rochester Mission. This blog will chronicle some of my thoughts and experiences leading up to my departure in December (woo hoo!) and will maybe be the place where my parents post the emails I send back home for you all to enjoy. And, if you're really, REALLY lucky, I may even be able to write on this blog myself from time to time while I'm gone. My mission is actually one of the pilot missions that has dabbled in blogging as another way to do missionary work. So I'm excited. Really, really, REALLY excited! I'm excited to go and serve my Heavenly Father in what promise to be 18 of the most exciting, rewarding, exhausting, uplifting, and exhilarating months of my life.

In essence, the purpose of this blog is the same as it is for my mission and my life:

[To] invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. ~ Preach My Gospel

So what's up with the title, you may ask? And how did you decide to go on a mission? Well, stay tuned, my friends, because that's what's coming up in the next few posts.

I'm excited for you to join me on this new journey.

Love,

(Future Sister) Ariel Szuch