I've been trying to figure out how to say this, and I finally decided just to SAY it. A lot of you already know (some of you might've been surprised) that I'm not planning to serve a full-time mission. I adore this Gospel. I love and support those who do share it as full-time missionaries. And the decision of whether or not to dedicate 18 months of my life was NOT an easy one. It took prayer, priesthood blessings, tears, questions, and consideration. I just want to make absolutely clear a couple of things about those of us who do not serve as full-time missionaries:
-We are still missionaries. We made that covenant when we were baptized. Just because we don't wear name tags does not mean we don't love sharing the Gospel.
-It's not just because we're lazy or selfish. We work hard, too. We have jobs, school, families, church callings, and friends that all require our attention.
-It's okay to tell us that you're excited for YOUR mission, if you've chosen to serve one! We're excited for you, too!
-We have prayed. We have studied. We have received priesthood blessings. We have cried. We have worried. We have sought the advice of others. And we have received an answer.
-We appreciate the support we get from others. We need that support as much as anyone!
I decided to write up a blog post about this after stumbling across another's post about this same topic. That can be found here.
