Tell us about your mission and the people.
I am currently serving in the California Long Beach mission, which is merging with the Anaheim mission on July 1st. I love my mission!!! It’s amazing! This is my second area (technically) but I have moved around a lot. It’s in Southern California and there are some poor areas and some really nice areas. I am currently in the Huntington Beach area, so I haven’t seen any poor places for a while. The people are amazing. A lot of them are happy in their current churches and don’t really want to listen to us, but they will chat for a little bit. The ward members are rockstars and are always so willing to help, and they love the missionaries! I feel so blessed to be out here, specifically in this area.
What led you to the decision to go on a mission?
The decision to serve a mission took a long time for me. I had told myself my whole life that I would never serve a mission. I went to BYU-Hawaii right after high school and when my best friend started her papers, I started to wonder if that was the path I should take too. It turns out that it wasn’t right for me at the time, and I ended up in Ukraine for a semester teaching English to kids. I figured that that was my mission, and I had paid my dues. I transferred to BYU in Utah and decided to just stay the course and finish my schooling. However, after I faced my darkest time emotionally, God saw fit to deliver me by prompting me to serve a mission. It was a really, really hard decision to make, I am not going to lie. I faced a lot of opposition and had to leave behind a lot of things that I had never before had, like deep friendships and happiness. But what I have found is that God takes what we give up and multiplies our blessings in abundance. Although being a missionary is really tough, I have never been closer to God than I am now. I have learned and grown so much and I wouldn’t trade my time as a missionary for anything!
What advice do you have for the youth and YSAs members of the stake that are contemplating serving a mission?
To the youth and YSAs of the stake who are debating on serving a mission, I would say: just do it. You will never regret your decision to go and serve the Lord wholeheartedly. You will grow and learn so much and meet so many amazing people. You will strengthen your relationship with God and your Savior Jesus Christ and you really will prepare for your life ahead of you. Lessons that would have taken me years and years to learn are lessons I’ve learned within a few months. The mission is a pressure cooker of growth and it is so, so amazing. I never thought I would serve a mission but here I am, and I have never regretted this decision. I promise that if you go, God will recognize your sacrifice and He will strengthen and support you the whole way through.
What advice do you have for how best to prepare for the mission for those that have decided to go and are just waiting to put in their papers or for the call?
To those who have decided, WOOHOO!!! Congratulations!!! I’d say, cultivate a relationship with the Book of Mormon and cling to your patriarchal blessing. Those two will carry you through. Have patience and journal so you can remember this time. The excitement you feel now will carry you through those tough days in the field. So write about it, continue to strengthen your testimony, and enjoy the time you have left!
How have the changes allowing for contact with your family impacted you personally?
Contacting family on preparation day is still something I am trying to get used to! I think its lovely, but it can also make you homesick, so you have to be really careful. The purpose is to bring your family into the work with you, and I am still trying to figure out how to do that. But I do think that it’s such a blessing, especially for the missionaries who struggle with being away from family. Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to your parents!
Were there any fears that you had when you were considering serving a mission that you found were simply not warranted or melted away after you began serving?
Oh my, I feel like I am the poster child for fear pre-mission!! I was so scared that I wasn’t ready, that I didn’t know enough, that i would be a horrible teacher… and guess what? I WASN’T ready; I DIDNT know enough; I WAS a horrible teacher. But that is all ok, because most everyone starts there!!! I was so worried about these things that I forgot that I was human and imperfect. I was so worried about not being perfect. But if you are humble and willing to learn and change, then the Lord will work miracles through you and He will help you become an instrument in His hands. All He wants is your best, not perfection. The reality is, no matter what we do, we will always fall short. But I find so much comfort in the fact that if we try our best, He will make up the rest. So if you are worried you will fall short or that you’re not enough, it’s because you aren’t. And that is ok. Because if you are humble, God will make you enough. He called you for a reason, and He can make weak things become strong!
Anything else that you’d like to add?
I just want to finish with my testimony of this amazing work. It truly is the Lord’s work and I am so grateful that I get to be a part of it! Although it sounds selfish, I know that my mission is for me just as much as it is for those around me. Although we spend our days trying to serve God’s children and gather scattered Israel, I know that God is preparing me for my future, not just in this life but the next. I am so grateful to be a servant in the Lord’s vineyard and there is truly nothing better that I can be doing with my time than serving God and His children wholeheartedly. You will never regret the decision to serve! God loves you and He knows you, this is His work and we are here to become as He is. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. (Mosiah 2:17; 5:13)
I never thought I would serve a mission but here I am, and I have never regretted this decision. I promise that if you go, God will recognize your sacrifice and He will strengthen and support you the whole way through.
Sister Garcia
