Mission Call!

Well, as most of you probably know, I opened my mission call yesterday! I was surprised it came so quickly, it only took a week. I was going crazy wanting to check the mail at 3 (that's when it comes) but I had to work until 5. Still, by the time I got home I had talked myself out of being excited--I figured it would be next week. So imagine my surprise when I saw this white envelope sitting there. Luckily I only had to wait an hour and a half to open it, which wasn't bad at all. I felt really peaceful and good about it, so it wasn't really torture to wait.

I've been called to serve in the Czech/Slovak Mission, speaking Czech! I actually had a lot of people guess Eastern Europe, and I was feeling Europe too, but still, I wasn't expecting the Czech Republic. (It was pretty funny because my friend Daniel served there, and his parents were actually on Skype with mine when I opened it) I've started reading up on the history of the country, I didn't think I knew anything, but I remembered the Defenestration of Prague, the Thirty Year's War, the Prague Spring and that they were a Soviet bloc country, and that Prague is supposed to be really beautiful, so that wasn't bad. I'm so excited!!

Yesterday was kind of a roller coaster of emotions, and it still hasn't sunk in yet that I'm actually going. I'm starting to get a little bit terrified, but I'm sure that's normal, after all I'm going to be living in a country I know pretty much nothing about, speaking a language I've never heard, for the next year and a half of my life. That would intimidate anyone. But still, mostly what I feel is excitement and a little bit of disbelief that this actually is my life. I started this blog off with my adventures in Paris on study abroad, and I've been blessed to have some amazing adventures since--this is just the latest!

A girl in my ward came up to me on Sunday and said that I always seemed to be off on some adventure, and asked what my latest one was haha. It's kind of funny because I've never really seen myself as the adventurous type, but I'm starting to realize that maybe I'm a lot more brave than I think I am. Every year of college I've done something so far out of my comfort zone that it was almost ridiculous, yet managed to survive, learn a lot of things about myself, and even enjoy it. So I guess this is just the next stage of that pattern! I think if I hadn't gone to Paris and Guernsey I would not be brave enough to go to the Czech Republic, but having done that and proved to myself that I could, this isn't quite the leap that it could have been. After all I've adjusted to living in 2 different countries for 2 months each already. I'm sure as a missionary it will be way different, and much harder in many ways, but in small ways I feel like I've been prepared. Plus I'm just so excited to be immersed in the gospel every single day, without worrying about anything else. My faith is what brings me the most joy in life, and I'm really excited to be able to share that with the people that I will be serving!