Sister Hendrick's Missionary Blog: Preparing to Serve!

Friends and Family~

As most of you may already know, I have been called to serve in the Taiwan, Taipei mission. I report to the Provo MTC on October 1, 2014 and I will be speaking Mandarin Chinese. I will be serving for a period of 18 months. I'll leave a family member in charge of this blog to keep everybody updated while I am gone!

It has already been a journey as I have spent the past 4 months preparing myself for this new phase in my life. The decision in itself required a lot of faith on my part, and a lot of prayer. However, I have received such great comfort and assurance that serving a mission is exactly where the Lord wants me to be. I want to be prayerful in all things, and I want to know that I am making the right decisions in my life.

While pondering on which school I should attend for my freshman year of college - I was at a complete loss. I had no idea, nor did I do ANY research of where I should go or what I should do after graduating high school. It seemed like such a silly thing to do at the time, praying, because I didn't feel like it would really help me know what direction I should head in my life. But all signs pointed towards doing so: my parents, friends, sections in my patriarchal blessing, etc. It basically felt like the Lord was giving me the most obvious guidance I could have hoped for. So, I humbled myself and prayed. I started applying to several colleges, filling out scholarships, and writing essays until I received acceptance letters from Southern Virginia University, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University - Idaho. I wrote my acceptance letter to BYU-Idaho, because it was away from home- but not too far away, it wasn't too costly, I heard great things about it, but mostly because I had a strange feeling that I should just go there without questioning it.

The day I moved in, I had never felt more sure that my prayers had been answered. I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and all it took was trusting in the Lord. That exact day, I decided I would always be where the Lord wanted me to be, even if it was a hard thing for me to do. I didn't know why the Lord wanted me to go to BYU-Idaho, but my experience there told me why. I learned so much, met so many people, and I was genuinely happy. This experience showed me that I can depend on my Father in Heaven. He is looking out for me and He knows what is best for me.

So, as I began evaluating this next phase in my life, I told myself I would be prayerful and I would listen to Spirit. When I received the powerful answer that I was to serve a mission, I knew I couldn't deny it. Though I have faced hard times in this lengthy process of getting myself out the door, and I have dealt with much discouragement and frustration- I know deep down where the Lord wants me. It doesn't matter how many times I have considered staying home, or changing my mind - I know I can speak with my Father and rely on Him for comfort. He hasn't let me down at all these past 19 years of my life, so why would He do so now?

This is the photo I used in my mission papers

I know this church is true. I know that I have been blessed with God's hand in my life, and that I have been guided. I know that I am supposed to serve a mission, and that the Lord has prepared a plan for me with so many blessings in store that I have yet to see. I love all of you, and I'm grateful for the support that I've been given. I am going to be speaking in church for my farewell on September 14th at 11:00 at my church on 13800 S. 480 E. Following the sacrament meeting there will be a luncheon held at my house 13192 S. Midlake Ct. Draper, UT 84020. I hope to see you all there!