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And there was much rejoicing. :)
And there was much rejoicing. :)
I'm sorry for all you other missionaries and missionaries-to-be out there, but the New York Rochester Mission is hands-down the BEST mission on earth.
There will be no negotiation on this point.
First of all, let me quickly define what a mission is for those who may not know. When someone says, "I'm going on a mission," they mean that they will be dedicating 18 months (if they are a girl) or 2 years (if they are a boy) of their life to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ--faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Full-time missionaries are volunteer representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the duration of their mission, they will give up schooling, dating, time with their families, and the comforts of home to go to the area where they are assigned to find and teach people about the Savior and invite them to receive the greatest blessings that God has in store for them.
Until recently, the age for young men to go on missions was 19, and the age for young women was 21, but it has been changed to 18 for young men and 19 for young women. You can read some of my thoughts about the change here. The term "mission" can also be used to refer to the area of the world where the young people are assigned to go (no, I didn't get to choose!), and there are missions all over the world--over 350 missions in 162 nations! You can see a list of them here, on the LDS Mission Network site.
In honor of my friend Lyn's mission call this past week, I thought I'd show you all a few things I've learned about the New York Rochester Mission since my call back in September. Let's take a look, shall we?
Cradle of the Restoration
The New York Rochester Mission was the first mission in the world, if you really think about it. Upstate New York is where the events leading up to and directly following the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occurred. In Palmyra Township in the year 1820, a young boy named Joseph Smith knelt in a grove of trees and prayed to know which of all the churches was right, that he might know which to join. He was answered with a vision of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appearing to him in person, telling him that he must join none of them, but that through him Christ's church would once again be established on the earth. I will have the privilege of going to the Sacred Grove--that's what the picture is at the top of this blog. How wonderful and special! The Sacred Grove and the other sites surrounding it are places where events of eternal significance took place. I will have the privilege of serving in the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center and giving tours of places such as the Joseph Smith Farm, the Hill Cumorah, the Peter Whitmer Farm, and other sites where key events of the Restoration took place. I love Church history, and I have always wanted to see these sites. Now I will get to know them in a deeper way than I ever dreamed was possible.
Hill Cumorah Pageant
The Hill Cumorah is the place where Joseph Smith found the ancient record that he would translate to become the Book of Mormon. Every summer a pageant, or a large theatrical event, takes place here. It depicts scenes from the Book of Mormon, including Christ's appearance to the people of the Americas, as well as the story of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. I have always wanted to see and perhaps participate in a Church pageant, and that's another wish granted!
Online Proselyting
I found out from one of my favorite professors at BYU that the New York Rochester Mission has been the pilot mission for missionary blogging. Generally, computer use for missionaries is restricted to emailing family and performing mission duties once a week, but in several missions the missionaries have been given permission to blog twice a week on gospel topics and share their testimonies that way. I have included a sidebar of the most recently updated mission blogs I have been able to find, including one by the mission president. I have become much more interested in blogging and principled use of media over the past couple years, and I am overjoyed to have the chance to use my skills to help build the kingdom of God.
I found a podcast of an interview with Mike Hemingway, former mission president of the New York Rochester Mission, on the Mormon Channel. It helped me learn a little bit more about the mission and what to expect, and I'm even more excited now! Definitely worth a listen if you want to learn more.
It is because of these things and many others that I know that the New York Rochester Mission is the place for me. The Lord knows and loves me, and he wants to give me the desires of my heart. Now, I won't pretend to say that the mission will be all fun and games. Missionary work is work, and I know that I will experience some hard things and have to stretch and grow more than I ever have before. But that's okay. I am ready and willing to take on this challenge, because I know that God will be with me every step of the way.
Hurrah for Israel!
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