I had a cool mission experience! I Was thinking about my mission, and I looked at my phone and noticed I had 249 notifications in my mail app. At first I didn’t really realize what that meant. Then, I realized that the hymn # 249 is Called to Serve!!! It made me smile! But one thing that actually made me jump for joy was ACTUALLY GETTING MY MISSION CALL! It came on Monday, March 20th, 2017 at approximately 5:01 pm! I was watching out the window for the mailman haha. I invited practically everyone from my school and some ward family members. There were about 80 people at my house! So many friends were there supporting me. I opened my mission call around 8:30pm that night. Here is what it says: “Dear Elder LaRose, you are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Singapore Mission. In addition to your calling to share the gospel, you will be assigned to serve in the Malaysia Mission Region. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months. You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. You will preach the gospel in the Malay language.” WHAT DID I JUST READ?? It is a dream. To be honest, I thought Singapore was somewhere in Washington haha. But then when I read “in the Malaysia Region,” I assumed it was not in the United States haha. When I first read the letter, I got choked up after the word “missionary.” I paused for a second, and Grandpa Brown, who was facetiming in, asked, “why isn’t he talking?” Grandma Brown, responding to Grandpa, said, “He is crying.” Well, she was on speaker, and everyone heard and started laughing haha. That helped control me a little bit, and I finished reading the letter. What an absolutely incredible honor to represent my Savior Jesus Christ. It is often said that you are meant specifically for the people you will meet on your mission. So apparently I am needed halfway across the world! The part of a hymn that really sticks with me is “Because I have been given much, I too must give.” For 18 years I have been preparing for a mission. I have been on a 3 year mission already! I am so incredibly thankful for moving to Connecticut and the preparation it has given me for every aspect of my life, ESPECIALLY for my mission. I know Jesus Christ lives. The Prophet Joseph Smith has restored Christ’s true church to the earth. I am devoting two years of my life so that others can know this for eternity. I. Am. Ready.
Elder McKayd LaRose
