On May 29, 2014 I received a letter I had been preparing and waiting for years to open! It was my mission call. After a lot of prayer and contemplation, I had sent in my mission papers a few weeks earlier and I knew that when my call arrived I could be sent anywhere in the world to preach the gospel! I had so many places I hoped I would be sent: France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Malaysia, The West Indies, you get the picture. I really wanted to (and believed that I would) be sent somewhere foreign, the reason being that I knew in my heart I would be speaking another language on my mission.
In Doctrine and Covenants 90:11 it says "For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ". This verse had always touched me and I knew that I would have the great honor of preaching to people in their native language, one that wasn't my own.
As the time arrived to open my call I had friends and family gathered around. With more excitement than I had ever felt, I carefully read the words "Dear Sister Rutherford, you have been called as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the California Riverside mission", and my heart dropped. Something was wrong. I wasn't supposed to go to California. I didn't want to. Not that there is anything wrong with going on a stateside mission, in fact I have always loved the missionaries in my home and singles ward and admired them a lot for being such strong examples to me in the gospel, but I knew for myself through the Holy Spirit that I would be speaking another language. I put on a brave face and pretended like nothing was wrong, so I kept reading "you should report to the Mexico Missionary Training Center on Wednesday September 24, 2014".
Oh. It all made sense. I felt a huge wave of relief come over me. I knew that California was right. I was going to be speaking Spanish and serving the hispanic communities in Riverside and the surrounding areas. I felt so much comfort!! In that moment I realized that I had never not wanted to go stateside, I just assumed that going on a foreign speaking mission meant that I had to be in another country. After receiving my mission call I have met many people who have served, will be serving, or live in the Riverside mission. I have already come to love and cherish the people there and I haven't even met them yet!
I am indeed grateful for the lessons that experience taught me. Heavenly Father knows me! He knows all of us! He is in the details of our lives and through the Holy Ghost we have personal revelation available to us in our day, everyday if we need it and faithfully seek it. I am so thankful that I have been called to serve a full time mission for the church so that I may preach this gospel that I have come to know and love so very much. I cannot wait to share the love of our Savior and teach of His Atonement and the Plan of Salvation.
I love the gospel, I love missionary work, and I am already so in love with Riverside, California and the beautiful hispanic people who I will get to serve and teach.
Con Amor, Hermana Rutherford
