Mission Acceptance Letter

I have kind of been avoiding writing my acceptance letter for the past few days. This is almost completely due to the fact that I haven't really known what to say. Saying "yes, I accept" seems to plain and simple, but saying "yes" and listing all the things on your mind seems like overkill. But I also can't get my information from my mission president until I accept the call, so that's what I worked on tonight.

It was a bit challenging for me because I wasn't sure what kind of testimony to include. I could talk about my testimony of temples, family history, the Word of Wisdom, church attendance, prayer, etc. But none of those seemed to fit.

When I finally just started writing, the words began to flow. It honestly seemed like Heavenly Father was giving me the words to say. The words were my testimony based on personal experience, but He helped me understand what made this call to Georgia so perfect.

Before writing, though, I read in my journal from the night I received my call. One of my favorite thoughts I wrote down was, "Despite all the conflicting avenues, I still feel complete peace and love throughout it all. Finally, my prayers were answered. And in an exponentially better way than I ever imagined."

Although I did not exactly include it in my acceptance letter, I realized that one of the biggest things I learned from my mission call experience is that God knows what He is doing. And while you think you have it all figured out, waiting patiently (another post to come about that subject) on Him will bring you unthinkable blessings that will far outweigh your dinky little plan for your life.

Trust in Him. Remember, "Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith (Ether 12:27)."

Here is my acceptance letter:

Dear Brethren,

From the bottom of my heart, I thank both you and Heavenly Father for this wonderful call I have received to serve in the Georgia Atlanta North Mission. I knew as soon as I read the call that there was not a more perfect place for me to serve. After weeks of confusion and doubt, I now have an overwhelming confirmation that this call was directly from Heavenly Father and this is a place where I can best exercise my talents and abilities on His behalf.

I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to teach in the Spanish language. I have been studying Spanish my whole life, and I have truly fallen in love with both the language and the many Hispanic cultures. I believe my education and the love I already have for these people will provide me with a way to more efficiently invite others to come unto Christ and provide a way for Heavenly Father's children to feel His love for them. Through the Spirit, I pray to be able to be a light to those among whom I serve.

Again, I thank you so much for this opportunity, and I gratefully and enthusiastically accept this call to serve my Father in Heaven.

Sincerely,

Sister Madeline Abram