The recent change in mission age has certainly increased the number of sister missionaries called to serve. Before the change, less than one-fifth of the 58,000 missionaries were sisters. We certainly expect that number to change very soon! However, not all young women have responded to the call to serve. I propose that all worthy, able young women should serve a full-time mission.
I understand how difficult the decision must be for young women to serve a mission. There simply isn’t the same pressure for young women to serve as there is for young men. And besides, according to Church leaders, a woman’s most important role in life is eternal marriage and child-rearing. However, the blessings of serving a mission will forever play into every aspect of your life, which it certainly did for me.
For example, a mission will prepare you for marriage more than anything else. You learn to live with another person day and night and adapt yourself to their needs. That sounds an awful lot like marriage, doesn’t it? A mission will also teach you to love and care for other people in an eternal way; meaning you will desire their welfare above your own. It is obvious to see how this trait would assist in marriage and especially raising children. In the April 2006 General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott supported this idea when he said “portions of Preach My Gospel will prepare you as a young woman to understand and apply doctrine for your role as wife and mother.”
I understand that serving a mission is a very personal decision that can only be made between you and the Lord. My views expressed in this article are close to my heart, because that’s what my mission was to me. I desire all young women to receive the same joy that I felt on my mission, and I encourage all who read this to visit the official Church website on how to best prepare for a mission. Go give them heaven!
