Why a mission?

In the October 2012 General Conference, our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, announced that the age that missionaries could serve will now be 18 for young men (previously 19) and 19 for young women (previously 21). Before that announcement, girls had to wait so long to serve that most of us didn't even really have it in our mind that we would serve..." if I'm not married by then maybe I'll go." was a frequent response from young women in the church. This change was huge! One statistic I found was that from 2012 to 2015 the percentage of LDS missionaries that are female went from 14% to 25%, and I wouldn't be surprised if it has grown since then. The announcement has blessed and changed thousands of lives worldwide.
My sister who was 18 at the time went crazy for excitement when she heard, and knew immediately that she was going to serve. This was common for many sisters. They shortened the time that they spent at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) due to lack of room. New missions were being opened up, and all kinds of records were set. My sister was called to serve in the Canada, Toronto mission, and she loved every minute. Reading her weekly emails made me want to serve. But I knew that if I was going to take this journey, I needed to do it because I got an answer, not just because my sister and so many around me were doing it. And so it began...

Dropping my sister off at the MTC. I promise our eyes are open...blurry pictures are the best:)

Throughout my high school years, I had decided that I would go to a semester of college, and then serve my mission (I wouldn't turn 19 until November, so it made sense). I applied to my 2 top schools, sort of planning on going to one in particular. Well, I didn't get in. I was confused at first, but I've learned to take the things thrown at us in life and say "It's not meant to be" or " Everything happens for a reason" because I truly believe that. Our Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves, and His plan for us is greater than we could ever comprehend. Anywho, I got into the local university (Brigham Young University-Idaho), and I was waiting for my track assignment. Once again, I was planning on getting Fall in my track, so I could go to one
semester of school then leave. Here's a snippet from my journal on Sunday February 28, 2016:
"So this week, I got my track assignment from BYU-I. It was Winter/Spring so I couldn't start until next January. My immediate thought was that I could just put my papers in as soon as possible, and have my birthday be my availability date. I needed to pray, and I prayed that my answer would come through the scriptures. In my personal study in the Old Testament, I read about following promptings. Then , in family study, we read Alma 29. The very first verse talks about missionary work, and the rest of the chapter too! this means I get my call in July...YAY!"
Here's the first verse of Alma chapter 29 in the Book of Mormon:
 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
Amazing, huh? Here's a link to the entire chapter...it's so inspiring! LINK
So I started my papers in May, and submitted them on July 10:):):)