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Guest Post: Sister Dannee Clay
Well, ladies (and gents), this marks the end of Missionary March! Come next Monday, it will officially be April.I don't know about you, but I've loved hearing from all of these sisters about missions and mission prep, and I think that, if y'all are willing to help, we can keep spotlighting sisters-in-training!
Are you ready for this?
MISSIONARY MONDAY!
(I know, the alliteration is killing you.)
I propose that we spotlight sisters, either in interviews or in guest posts, on Mondays until I leave on my mission! If you're interested in being spotlighted, contact me!
Now, on to Sister Clay!
I was sitting in my house watching October conference of 2011. And during one of the talks I can’t remember which, I got the feeling that said “Hey…you’re gonna go on a mission.” And I thought “Really? A mission. Huh. Ok.” I’d never really thought about going on a mission before. I’d always thought that I’d go if I wasn’t married yet…so maybe, I thought, the Lord’s plan for me is to get married later than your average LDS girl attending BYU. No big deal.
In the next six
months I toyed around with the idea of a mission, I knew that on an
intellectual sense I’d be ok for a mission…since primary I’d been “that girl” –
the person that always answers all the questions correctly, but I wasn’t 100%
sure about the 24/7 spiritual aspect of a mission. Yeah, I pray and read the
scriptures. But sometimes (usually) I forget my morning prayers and scriptures
happen before bed so sometimes it’s just a verse or two and it’s reading or
skimming and not studying. I’ve had a lot of spiritual experiences and I have a
testimony. I’m just not completely confident in me. Luckily, I know that God
knows what I’m capable of and I know that the spirit is the one that teaches
and converts. April 2012 conference was confirmation that yes; I would be going
on a mission.
President
Monson’s announcement. Wow. I was sitting on the couch of my cousin’s in-law’s
house watching conference. While he was talking, I felt slightly jilted. “The
mission age for guys changed …but what about us females?!” not five seconds
later did the Prophet of the Lord said that girls could go at 19. My jaw
dropped. I couldn’t believe it. I just sat there. Staring at the TV. Jaw on the
floor. During the next two days of conference I felt the spirit a lot and
strongly whenever missionaries and missionary work was brought up. I spent some
time that weekend in the scriptures and praying, asking “is this the right
timing for me?” Sunday night, I decided (because I got my answer) to go on a
mission….after my favorite missionary
(my big brother) got home in June.
After I
submitted my papers at the beginning of this month (March), I started praying
to be able to accept my call and to know that wherever I got called to would be
the place that the Lord needed me to be. I opened my call two weeks ago today.
Brazil Santa Maria. :) I’m so excited. I’m excited to learn Portuguese and to
go to Brazil and to teach people about Christ and His restored gospel. I’m
excited to go through the temple and to welcome my big brother home and that I
get most of the summer to spend time with my family (I go into the Brazil MTC
in August). I’m excited to devote eighteen months of my life solely to God and
His children in Brazil.
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