When the Prophet Speaks....Everyone Listens

I'm sure all of you by now know that the mission age was lowered for both boys and girls: girls at 19, and boys at 18. I'm sure many of you know girls who have dropped everything and started filling out their papers and are expected to leave this winter. This is a great thing! I think it's wonderful that girls can go sooner, and that boys don't have to wait a year once they've graduated. The General Authority had been praying for months on the question whether or not to lower the mission age, and now we have received their answer. I don't bring up this topic just because everyone is talking about it, I actually have a story to go along with it. Here is my story:

If you read my blog, you know I've been planning on teaching English in China with the ILP Program. I was meant to leave this fall and be in China until December, but due to certain feelings and answers to prayers, I stayed. I stayed in Rexburg to continue on with school and I ended up changing my major because of it. Staying turned out to be a good thing after all....but I still wanted to teach with ILP. I first thought of serving a mission at age 10. At that age, I wanted to get called to Africa...to see the lions is what I would say. I didn't really understand what a mission was. I got older and the thought of serving a mission completely left my mind. I was happy where I was, I didn't need to give up a year and half to teach strangers about what I didn't even understand myself. The second time I seriously thought about serving a mission was last spring. I was still on the fence, especially because I was leaving for China in the fall...but as soon as I started having bad feelings about China, a mission became more realistic. I ended up back here this fall and started re-thinking China...I wanted it....but I also wanted a mission. I was determined to have both. I checked the ILP website for decent dates to leave again for China, but none of them worked. I would miss Spencer's farewell or I would mess up my mission plan time. It never seemed to workout for me! To be honest, I stopped thinking about both options for a while and just focused on school. About two weeks ago in mission prep we had a lesson on testimonies. Maybe it was the video we watched, or the Spirit I felt...but I suddenly remembered why I wanted to serve in the first place. Almost immediately I felt a weight be lifted off my shoulders, like it was that simple. Go on a mission. I knew it was the right choice, but I'm only 20...21 is a long time away. That is where General Conference comes in. I was in the Conference center when the prophet gave the announcement. I heard the thousands of people gasp. When the prophet spoke...everyone listened. Now I don't have to wait a year, think about what could happen during that time...I can go now. My plan is to fill my papers out in March and leave in August. Of course I still need to see what the Lord wants me to do before I make my own decisions...but I know it will all work out.