My Mission Call is here!

I have so much to write about. Sometimes I get in the swing of things, and make less and less time to journal, and document all the great things that are happening in my life.

A couple of months ago, I started to write a post about how much love Heavenly Father has for each of his children. Though I never had the chance to finish that post, I thought it deserved to be heard. So here it is, in all its unfinished glory.

These last three months I have spent in Ukraine, and let me tell you, it is the greatest place. I would love to serve a mission here. All of the people are so sweet, and thoughtful and willing to help. I love it. My heart is filled with so much joy and love for Ukraine. Who knew that in just three short months I could come to love a place, and the people here so much. I can only imagine how much I am going to love where I serve, and everyone that I meet there. I am so excited. :) It really is such a great feeling, to be filled with so much love. Although I did not come to Ukraine to spread the gospel, I think I have experienced a little tiny glimpse of our Heavenly Father's love for his children. 

I cannot wait for the opportunity I have to go to Japan, and share the gospel with everyone I meet. I hold a special place in my heart for Japan. You see, when I was little my family was stationed in Japan. We lived in Sagamihara, a military base about an hour South of Tokyo. The four years that I spent in Japan, were some of the best years of my life. Living in Japan sparked my love of travel, and gave me the desire to see the world. Since living in Japan I have seen Hawaii, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. I have met so many wonderful people, and learned so much about myself, as well as those around me. I have been able to recognize just how blessed I am, and how fortunate I am to live in the United States, with all of the many Freedoms we have. 

Going back to Japan is going to be one of the coolest things! I honestly can't wait! When I think about it, I just get so happy. Heavenly Father really knows what he is doing. I know he has a plan for me, and it is honestly the best plan. :) I couldn't think of anything better. 

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This is the story of the day I received my mission call, and all the important things leading up to it. :)

January 14, 2014

Oh my goodness! What a crazy couple of weeks. Well, ready for a life update? I put my papers in on December 20. The next week was Christmas, so nothing happened. Christmas however was PERFECT! It could not have gone any better. The next week I hung out with my family and tried to keep myself busy. On Friday, President D texted my dad and told him my call had been assigned. :) I was SO excited! But at the same time it just didn't feel real. It was hard for me to really accept that my call had been assigned and I was really going to be a missionary. I again made myself busy. I cooked. I cleaned. I had Temple Prep lessons. I did everything I could to be patient and keep calm. By the time Friday came, I was bouncing off the walls! I was so excited, and so bored (I couldn't find enough things to keep me busy), and so nervous I couldn't even handle myself. 

When the mail finally came, I sat in my spot (in a chair by the window) and watched for that white envelope. The second I saw it, I was running out the door. Mom didn't even get the chance to take a picture of me waiting. Well I ran outside, and had to wait for the obligatory mailbox pictures, and then I opened it (the mailbox), and there it was! My mission call! Not anyone else's! Just mine! It still felt so unreal. In my hands I held my mission call. I was going to serve a mission, and I still had no idea when or where. 

I waited for L to get home, and stood out on the front porch with my mission call. L saw the envelope and thought it was for him. As soon as he realized what it was though, he started crying. I felt so bad! He was so upset and didn't want me to leave! It was so sweet! Once S and H got home, I told them, and although there was a slight problem, everything worked out.

Before everyone had gotten home from school, I called and texted everyone who I wanted to come over/ skype. After figuring out everyone's schedules, we decided that 7:00PM was the perfect time to open my call. So, then I waited for four more hours. And let me tell you, by the time 7:00 came around, I felt sick. I was so excited and nervous, and SO anxious to find out where I was called.

We had the missionaries, Elder S and Elder H, over. We also had H and C, and Brother K over. We called Grandma and Grandpa, and skyped with K, and K. Grandparents in Virginia, K in Hawaii, and K in Canada. We also facetimed M and B in Utah, and R in Tennessee. It was so cool being surrounded by my friends and family. And then, it was time. Time to open my call.

I stood in the front where everyone could see, and started to open the envelope. It was really hard to open, and so I had to rip it open. Then I pulled it out, and flipped over my call (making sure the booklet covered everything). Then I started reading. I made sure not to let my eyes jump ahead. Once I got to Japan Kobe Mission, I was SO surprised and SO happy! I knew that it was perfect for me, and right where I was needed the most. :) I was so excited I forgot to keep reading. Someone had to ask me when I was leaving, what language I was speaking, and which MTC I was reporting to.

I report to the Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center) on May 28 (once again, perfect), and I am going to be speaking Japanese. It was so surreal opening that call, and I could not be happier to serve. 

Heavenly Father knows me so well, and is so aware of my needs. I am so excited to devote 18 months to serving him.

Did I mention how excited I am???

One of the things that I remember being asked is did you ever think you might go to Japan? And honestly? Japan was a thought for maybe a split second. My thoughts were more on Europe, maybe because I had just gotten home from Ukraine. After I got my call though, I started to think about the last few weeks leading up to that point, and I kept thinking of little things and moments where you would think Japan would have been on my radar, but it wasn't. :) And that is what makes it even more perfect. Perfect. Just perfect. 

As the past month has flown by, I have had many opportunities to think about Japan, and my call to serve. I think the one thing I am most concerned about, is learning the language. Lucky for me though, my Heavenly Father is looking out for me, and has placed so many people in my life that have given me reassurance, dictionaries, taught me a few words, offered to help me, and really helped me to know that through Christ I can do it. :) I mean really, if learning Japanese is my biggest concern? my mission is going to be a walk in the park. Just kidding. It is going to be TOUGH! But SO worth it! 

So. With all that said, let's talk about Japan!

I am excited for:

• Cherry Blossoms
• Squatty Potties (I know... call me weird)
• Chopsticks
• Gyoza
• Sushi
• Asian Cuisine
• Asians!
• Asian babies!
• Peace signs in EVERY picture!
• Funny Engrish signs
• 100 Yen stores
• Sitting on the floor to eat
• Japanese
• Teaching the Gospel
• BEING A MISSIONARY IN JAPAN!!!
• Big cities
• Little farming and fishing land
• Festivals
• Kimonos
• Socks and Sandals
• Biking everywhere
• JAPAN!!!
• JAPAN!!!
• JAPAN!!!
• Cherry Blossoms!
• JAPAN! :)

The list could go on and on forever. :) Haha. 

Basically, the moral of the story is that I can't wait to serve in the Japan Kobe Misison. :)

loving your call

Being in Ukraine makes preparing for a mission a little bit difficult. I am away from home, and busy with teaching my sweet little students English. It has been just a great experience, but I am ready to go home. To spend time with my family, and to really focus on my mission.

The other day I was talking about my mission with some of the other teachers, and I realized that I really would be perfectly happy with serving anywhere, in any language. Maybe that is just because I haven't really had a whole lot of time to think about it, but hey, I'll take what I can get. :) Having had so many friends serve missions (many who are currently serving), I have had a lot of talks about being happy with where you are called, because that is where you are supposed to go. There is a reason that you have been called there.

For some reason, I have always had this little... misconception (I guess, although I know it's wrong) idea that when calls are assigned, they (those who assign the calls) sit down with this big list of all of the missions. Then they just go down the list in alphabetical order, to assign the calls. I don't think that made any sense, so let me try again. They have a stack of prospective missionaries. They also have an alphabetical list of all of the missions. They then assign the calls according to where they are in the stack, (so from top to the bottom). If you are at the top of the stack, then you are called to serve in one of the first couple of missions (like The Birmingham Alabama Mission), and the further down in the stack you are, the further down the list of missions you are called. I know that is completely not the way it happens, but having grown up in AL, the missionaries would always joke about how their names must have been at the top of the stack.

Now back to the "loving where you are called" talk. One of the places that a lot of my friends were apposed to serving in was Utah, because it's Utah and there are so many members there. Or they want to go foreign, because it would be so much cooler if they were called to serve somewhere like Iceland. Don't get me wrong. I would LOVE to go foreign. As you may (or may not) already know, I love to travel. I love to experience new cultures, and to see new parts of the world. I mean, I went to school in Hawaii (with people from all over the world), and now I am teaching English in Ukraine. The idea of serving my mission somewhere abroad is so appeasing to me. And learning a new language (or finessing one I have already learned but am not fluent in)? Sign a sister up!

With all that being said though, I would also love to serve somewhere in the US. I mean, it's been a while since I have lived (actually lived) on the mainland for more than a couple of months. And I've never been to Alaska, so that would be pretty cool too. Although I have visited many states, I really only remember the south, east, and the southwest (Alabama, and New Mexico, with a whole lot of other similar states thrown in there as well). I love Utah and all of the mountains (so no hate there), and I would love to see and get to know more of the states in the center, as well as the north. I love living in the middle of nowhere (although I do miss things like Target and Walmart on occasion). I've never lived in a big city (unless you count Kyiv, Ukraine which I guess is pretty big) so that would be something new. I love the beach, and the countryside. I love the mountains. There are things that I think I would struggle with no matter where I went, be it foreign or stateside, but I'm okay with that. Another way for me to grow.

I was sitting there (okay, really I was standing there, taking in the beautiful city of Kyiv), talking about all of the cool places that I have still not seen, and all of the places that I have already been and would love to go back, and I realized that I really am going to love where ever it is that I am called to serve. Maybe I will experience some extreme culture shock, or maybe I will feel right at home. But that's okay. I will have the Lord on my side. :) Maybe I will struggle with a new language, or maybe I will be called to teach in the English language (one that I already know so well, and can more easily express my love for the gospel). Regardless it is going to be wonderful, because I will be serving the Lord. I am going to be called to a place, to serve a people, to teach them about Christ's restored gospel. What better thing is there than that? My mission is not about me, and as long as I remember that, I know I will be blessed. Knowing that a mission is not about me brings me peace. :)

I am so ready to serve.

Sister Robertson