How the LDS Church's missionary announcement hit home

I did serve a mission. I knew as a young child that I wanted to serve a mission. I felt like I was just treading water after High School for three years until I could go. I did go to college yet, the study skills I learned on my mission helped me so much in college that I got more done in the year after I got home than I did in the three years before I left. I was also ready to date once I got home. My mission was a huge influence in who I married. It has made me a better wife and mother. I am really excited that more sisters will have the opportunity to serve. They are needed in the mission field. The biggest thing for me, was realizing that the work is still going forth and we are all needed. Living in Utah, sometimes I forget that this work really is progressing. It is an exciting time!

President Monson's announcement of lowering the age ym can serve missions left me with bitter/sweet emotions. I think it is fabulous and had wished for many years that ym could serve at 18. Though one of my sons served a mission, 2 of his younger brothers did not. They were both planning to serve and even saved their own money to do to. Unfortunately they both drifted toward worldly persuasions by their 19th birthdays and chose not to serve. This has led to inactivity due to embarrassment/shame they each feel for not going on their missions. Had they been able to serve at 18 when they truly were looking forward to a mission, life would be different for them! It's a wonderful, inspired change....just a little late for our family.

In Sweden the youths don't graduate until they are 19 and then the boys do the military service. Same goes for most European countries so this is clearly an American Policy. Our boys will just feel very old, compared to the US boys. For the girls it is great though. At BYU I met so many girls whose boyfriends refused to wait for them, as the girls had waited for them. Now every girl that wants to serve can do so and not have to be threatened with that her boyfriend will marry someone else. At that age, one feels that one will only get one chance at marriage. Truth is, one only gets one chance at going on a mission and one will live to regret that one did not go when the desire was there!!!