Called to Serve

 After a month of waiting for our mission calls to come, my brother Garrison and I found out on February 8th that our assignments had officially been made, and that our calls would be coming within the next week! We know that mission calls almost always come on Thursdays, so we had the opening all planned out so that our family could be there. So here's how that Thursday went down: 

First off, it was Valentine's Day. I HATE being single on Valentine's Day, especially at a campus where couples go all-out and walk around with roses and hand-holding and chocolate hearts and matching dog sweaters and ridiculous grins on their twitterpated deliriously happy faces.

After four hours of dissecting a dead cat (biology major), I went to my parent's house to wait for the mailman to come with my call! I waited and waited. and waited. And then the mailman came!!!! 

  


WITH NO MISSION CALL.

uggh. Soooo, in order to mend my anxious and disappointed heart, I decided to blow off studying and ride Sophie pony. She was really good for the first few minutes, then she decided that the neighbor boys playing cowboys and indians were a REALLY good excuse to act like an idiot. Needless to say, my "relaxing" and "therapeutic" ride just turned into an impressive display of aerial acrobatics. 

 AND THEN that evening Garrison and I went to the stake center to have our final temple recommend interviews with the stake president since we were trying to get our endowments out before my sister's wedding.....but the stake president had left early. And then I cried. And ate some Froyo. And camped out in the library until midnight.

So yeah. That happened.

Then Friday rolled around. At 11:48 on Friday, February 15th, 2013, my mom sent me this picture: 

I about peed my pants. 

After a month of anxiously awaiting the call....it was here! I skipped my last class, and soon was at home with that white envelope staring back at me....but we STILL had to wait for my Dad to get home from work...nervous pre-opening pictures ensued.

I can't quite describe the feelings leading up to opening a mission call. It is utterly overwhelming to realize that in just a few short months you will be GONE for a year and a half, and that location is concealed in a plain white envelope in front of you. I know some future missionaries feel a lot of peace prior to opening their calls, but for me the anxiety of not knowing for over a month was really hard!

 So we waited and waited for my dad to come, and then we opened the calls.

My reaction to Garrison's call!

SO nervous!

Reading, "you are assigned to labor in the Brazil, Rio de Janeiro mission." Such a touching and special moment.

 As soon as I read "Dear Sister Colvin, you are hereby assigned to labor as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," I felt an immense amount of reassurance and peace--and guess what?! 

I'M GOING TO BRAZIL! 

JULY 10th!

WITH MY BROTHER! 

AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

After the call opening, I was in a state of shock and excitement! That excitement still hasn't faded! Every time I get worn down or discouraged, I remember that moment of opening my call, feeling so loved by my Heavenly Father, and knowing that this is right. 

I'm going on a mission to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!!! 

-Sister Colvin