Receiving My "Call"

          Before I tell you about the day i opened my call i think its appropriate to go back a few weeks, maybe months, okay years. My desire to serve came from one extremely blessed summer in 2010. It was my third tour with the Utah Valley Children's Choir, and by far the most influential. The summer of 2010 was the choir's church history tour, we spent 18 days traveling to the many different church history sites from Independence Missouri, to Palmyra New York, and Winter Quarters Nebraska. But it was at Historical Kirtland that I got a strong desire to serve my Savior, and His Church.
          This sister missionaries in all of the sites were amazing but especially in Kirtland. It was here that i truly felt my Savior's love for me and a deep sense of peace that came from this love. I came to know while sitting in Kirtland that he was watching out for me along with my Grandma Mahaffey (who had passed away only 2 month before my trip). At the end of our tour of Kirtland we were asked to fill out comment cards and leave a phone number for the missionaries if we wanted to. I honestly don't know why I filled that card out but a few days after our stay in Kirtland i got a phone call from a number i didn't recognize, this again was another moment i don't fully understand, but i answered it. On the other end was a Sister serving in Kirtland, we talked briefly about my experience there and hung up. I left that call with one of the greatest feelings of my life, and a desire to serve when i turned 21.
          Fast forward to the infamous October General Conference. With the age change came so many different emotions, excitement, fear, inadequacy, etc. But at this point I knew it was something that I should start praying about. About a month later I had decided to start my papers with the intent of going in the summer so I could save up money to pay for my mission.
          The weekend after Thanksgiving my mom, little sisters, and I were driving home from vacation in Colorado when my mom told me that she and my dad had a feeling that i should go sooner than June, like right now soon! At first I was so SCARED at this thought, but peace quickly replaced fear as I came to know that this was so right. I almost immediately called my wards secretary to set up an appointment to talk to my bishop.
          I'll skip the boring (to many of you, not me of course) details of my papers and go onto my call. It was  I believe Dec. 2nd when i met with my stake president, President Clare, to finalize and submit my papers. Four very long weeks later after many days of watching the mailbox my call came!!
          On Jan. 3rd my call was finally here, but the funny part was even though the mail comes at 3:00 pm i had no idea until a little after 8:00 pm that it was here. That's right, my mom hid it from me! Cruel right? Family and friends just started showing up at my house for no reason. I remember once my Grandpa Mahaffey showed up finally realizing what was going on. I quickly turned around to Rachelle and yelling "It's here isn't it?! Why didn't you tell me?" I later came to know that they didn't tell me because they didn't want me leaving work early to open it and she wanted to get everyone together to open it with me.
          After many rushed phone calls to friends that my mom had missed, and a little hyperventilating everyone was at my house and it was time to open my call! With shaking hands and family on many cell phones I opened the call packet and read "Dear Sister Randall, You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Missouri, Independence Mission...You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday Feb. 20th, 2013." (That's 6 weeks folks!) Words cannot describe how blow away, scared, excited, nervous, you name it, I was about this call. Even though it is super quick i know that the Lord knows me and my strengths and weaknesses and knows that i will do best in Missouri. I know that my mission is a divine call and i can't wait to go out and serve the people of Missouri (and Kansas).

Let the adventures being!!!