The Mission Update

The day had finally come. A white envelope had arrived to the silver box outside Chelsey Fisher’s apartment the Evening of February 7^th, 2013. The rest of her classes seemed to consume her life, and the little patience she had still, as she waited for the time to come when she could open this packet that would change her life, as she knew it, forever. For weeks, maybe even years, she had been waiting for this day to come, and now, the only thing keeping her from knowing was Time.

Friends and family gathered at 7:50 in the living room and kitchen of Chelsey’s apartment. The love of those present was quite a comfort to the girl who, all day, had not been able to contain her excitement. The immediate family, and best friend, Hilary Harris, gathered back home in Aurora, Illinois around a computer screen and webcam to use a video chat through Skype to communicate with those gathered in cold Provo, Utah.

Finally, the time had come. With letter opener and letter in hand, Chelsey began to open the corner of the white envelope. The room was silent, as the letter opener sliced through that paper product. Now, the document was exposed to the extra carbon dioxide that, a second earlier, had been filling the apartment air. Then, the pages were torn from the comfort of the white heaven and covered so as not to reveal the answer it concealed.

The reading began, “Dear Sister Fisher…” Chelsey had thought she would cry but, pindrops of diamonds gathered in the corner of her eyes. She continued reading, “You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Utah Ogden Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months. You should report to the Provo Mission Training Center on Wednesday May 29, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish Language.”

The room erupted with sounds that were inaudible to any human ear as Chelsey just died laughing and continually repeated, “I’m going Spanish speaking!” and “The Lord has a sense of humor!” All sentences clamored together and hands clasped together and Chelsey just laughed. Hugs were shared. It was done and Chelsey felt excited and at peace. The world would have to see if she slept until her report date arrived. As the crowd dispersed and Chelsey had a chance to catch her breath, she was so grateful for the opportunities which had befallen her so that she could go out and serve the Lord and help bring others to her Savior, Jesus Christ.