I had the privilege this weekend of watching the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and it was amazing an inspiring. Every 6 months, we enjoy this spiritual feast as the prophet and apostles, along with other church leaders, speak and reveal God's will on subjects ranging from baptism to parenthood to discipleship to service.
This conference, there was a monumental announcement made that stirred my soul so much that I had to write about it. For decades, the age requirement for missionary service has been 19 for men and 21 for women. President Thomas S. Monson announced that the age requirements would immediately be lowered to 18 for men and 19 for women. (Also, for any reading who are not LDS, young men are all expected to serve, but young women do not have that same obligation. Rather, women are encouraged to go if we would like to/if we feel it is God's plan for us.) This news is so exciting!!! Why, you may ask?
Well, I always wanted to serve a mission so badly. But the timing of 21 years is a challenge for many young women, and it definitely was for me. It is in the middle of decisions about school and profession and serious dating and opportunities for marriage. For me, 21 was the age that several young men my age (Corey included :)) I had dated were returning home from their missions, and I questioned what effect leaving on a mission before having the opportunity to date some of them again might have on my eternal choices, as they would likely be married by the time I returned home from a mission 18 months later. I also wondered how school would work into the equation: I wanted to attend medical school at the time. I rushed through my undergrad so fast that I just had one semester left when I turned 21, partly so that I would be free to serve a mission and then return home to attend graduate school. But I was very unsure of what the process for admission would be, as most application terms were about one year. I didn't want to come home and then wait around a year in the application process. I also didn't know how long my admission test scores would be valid. There was also the question of finances. I had spent all my savings on college expenses, and would need to work more to earn for a mission. Of course, I knew my parents and ward would gladly help, but wanted to do my part.
More than any of those reasons, though, was the question of whether or not it was a part of God's plan for me individually. Though I had always desired to and planned on serving a mission, as I was approaching 21, it suddenly did not seem like the path I was supposed to follow. It was actually a very confusing and difficult pill to swallow. I sincerely sought guidance and inspiration from Heavenly Father and my bishop to know whether I should go or not, and was disappointed not to hear a resounding Yes or No. I trusted in the counsel that God would not let me go ahead with a "wrong" decision of that magnitude, and through months of fasting and prayer and pondering on the subject, just never had a strong spiritual impression that it was something I needed to pursue, much to my dismay. It was definitely not a choice between good and bad, but of what was best for me at that time.
I had really longed for the opportunity to share my testimony and love of the gospel of Jesus Christ with others an a full time basis for 18 months. I wanted the opportunity to live away from the familiar. I wanted to gain that spiritual strength that most missionaries achieve with the habits of rigorous scripture study, prayer, service, and active proselyting.
Luckily for me, Corey and I began dating shortly after my 21st birthday, and were married a little over a year later. I had the chance to date those boys I was wondering about, and things obviously didn't go anywhere. :) I did wonder quite a bit before I got married whether or not I should still pursue a mission and whether or not I had made the right choice in not going. I don't think the Lord would ever withhold blessings from someone who decided to go and serve- unless He had given them a clear answer that He wanted them to do something else. But even now, I sometimes wonder if I would be a much better wife, mother, and person in general if I had served a mission. I know that women can gain strong testimonies, etc., without serving a mission, but I have not taken the opportunity to develop some of those habits that are everyday life on a mission. I look forward to serving a mission with Corey in the future, and have already saved up enough to do so, but it is not the same as serving in your youth.
So, to me, lowering the age requirement for serving a mission is AWESOME- it really takes a lot of the tumult and confusion due to timing out of the equation. Both women and men at this age can just focus on saving and preparing for a mission without the distraction of serious dating, marriage, and school yet- at least that is what I would have done. I would have graduated high school, worked full time until I saved enough for a mission, and been out the door at 19, home again at 20.5ish years, and ready to begin the monumental tasks of completing school, training for a profession, and searching for a companion with much greater maturity, wisdom, strength in the Lord, and also being endowed with temple blessings. I have faith that this new policy will create a generation of young men and women that are more prepared to serve, that are less stained with the cares and temptations of the world that come during this crucial period in life, and that will return better able to live the gospel and use the many tools gained on their missions to make the best choices about school, careers, marriage, and family.
It is also of importance to me because it will directly affect my children. I think that many more women will serve a mission now--there is much less reason not to go, as before, marriage opportunities were at the top of the list. Nineteen is quite young to be looking for a spouse these days, and I don't think there is much better preparation for marriage and motherhood than serving a mission, so I will definitely be encouraging both my boys and girls to take this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go and gain their own testimony and share it with all who will hear at the ripe young ages of 18 and 19.
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