DEAN

OPINION COLUMN Changing my perspective of mission prep

by Tina Dean DEA05004@BYUI.EDU

When I was 12 years old, I began to consider serving a mission. The response from Elders both for and against it was confusing.

One Elder vowed that he would marry only a returned sister missionary while another scoffed at my desires and advised me not to serve a mission because “by the time you get back, all of the cute guys will be gone.”

Kandyce Costley, a sophomore from Riverton, Utah, encountered opposition of her own.

“I’ve met guys that doubt that I’ll ever go. They weren’t encouraging of my plan to serve. They told me I’d never make it before I got married. It upset me. I told them that this is Heavenly Father’s plan, and whatever he decides, I will do. It was frustrating,” said Costley. 

Being unable to plan for a definite future can be difficult. However, I have experienced certain enlightening moments in which I realized that I should prepare to serve a full-time mission, because even if those plans are interrupted by the opportunity of marriage, I will make a better wife and mother because of those preparations.

On Monday, Aug. 29, I experienced such a moment as I walked into the class, Missionary Book of Mormon for Prospective Missionaries. I felt a renewed balance between my desires to share my testimony of Christ and my desires to fulfill the higher calling of motherhood. 

The class is designed to increase testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ through the study of the Book of Mormon. Looking around I was delighted to see the number of young sisters enrolled in the class taught by Greg Palmer, a BYU-Idaho religion professor.

“Personally, we had great sisters in our mission. I have great confidence in the sisters. They have a better seasoning and maturity, and a different spirit. Sisters have a higher calling, but if a sister can serve, I’m all for it,” said Palmer.

Any young woman contemplating whether serving is the right thing for her should first read President Hinckley’s words on the matter. 

“Young women should not feel that they have a duty comparable to that of young men. Some of them will very much wish to go. If so, they should counsel with their bishop as well as their parents. If the idea persists, the bishop will know what to do,” said Hinckley in the November 1997 issue of the Ensign.

As we discussed the first few chapters in 1 Nephi during the Book of Mormon class, I felt comfortable knowing that it was the Lord’s work, not mine. I will be happy to serve in whatever capacity He commands.

Motherhood, fatherhood and missionary work are all the work of the Lord, and we will be able to build up His kingdom.