Why I'm Serving a Mission

Well friends and family,

I'm serving an 18-month, LDS mission in the Russia Rostov-na-Donu Mission.

It's going to be cold and difficult, but I'm pretty sure I know why I'm willingly leaving my family, friends, and opportunities for a year and a half.

I love the gospel and I love Jesus Christ. The happiness that His message of hope and salvation brings  to me is something that must be shared. I cannot express how important and sacred my faith in Jesus Christ is. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I not been a member all of my life and I think that I would be a very different, more spiteful person than I am now. The restoration of Christ's church on Earth has been one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me and I think that this is true of everyone who is willing to let Jesus Christ into their lives.

Before I started the process of turning in my papers to become a missionary, I was really conflicted about whether I should go or not. Things were going really well in college and I was really enjoying life there. I prayed a lot about whether to go on a mission or not. I went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead and while there, I felt strongly that I should go on a mission. That I was meant to go on a mission. I still feel that way. I'm still excited to go.

I can't wait to learn Russian, serve the Russian people, and grow in ways I never imagined.

Well. A year and a half and I'll be back!

~ Sister Jarvis