nineteen

This weekend our lives were turned upside-down. In my church, we have the opportunity to hear from our prophets and apostles in General Conference. There are 2 meetings on Saturday, and 2 on Sunday. We get guidance and warnings and are comforted and filled with the spirit. We also get announcements, like that there will be more temples built.

On Saturday morning, my roommates and I and some of our other friends were sitting in our living room when the announcement was made that boys will be able to go on missions when they are 18 years old. The boys in our church go on these missions to all different parts of the world to teach people about our church. Before Saturday, they would go when they were 19. This was a big announcement. We were all freaking out.

And then we heard President Monson say, "Sisters..." and we all got quiet.

(Girls are also allowed to go on missions, but it's not required, and they don't go until they are 21.)

And then President Monson told us that girls can now go on missions when they are 19 years old.

I'm nineteen years old.

Our whole apartment was in disarray. I almost burst into tears the minute I heard the news. This was good news.

The poor boys in our apartment. They had to deal with 6 girls running in and out of our bedrooms, and everyone was crying. Needless to say, no one got very much out of the rest of the talks given that morning because we were all just thinking about what this would mean.

I had never considered going on a mission because by the time I would be 21, I was planning on working towards a career, but now that I could go now, I had a lot of thinking to do.

Having this option that we did not have the day before made everyone question whether or not they wanted to go on a mission.

For many people it was a great blessing, and for some people it won't affect them at all.

For me, I still decided not to go on a mission. I realize that there is more than one way to share the gospel, and I need to go to school because I need to help the girls, and honestly the only way I can help those girls is through what I know from the gospel.

But now my best friend and one of my roommates already have interviews to start the process of going on a mission.

And I'm going to miss them terribly. I don't know what I'll do without them for a year and a half, but I am so happy for them, that we all have this marvelous opportunity to help the gospel reach all of the people of the world.

We are angels hiding in the bones of humans... helping all the miracles along.