A Day In The Life Of A Sister Missionary

If I had a nickel for how many times I've been asked what I do all day on my mission I would have... a lot of nickels. I've spent the last 16 months of my life as a missionary and sometimes I forget that regular life is a little different than missionary life! Today I'll take you through a normal day in the life of a sister missionary serving in Mesa, Arizona, plus a little bit about our purpose as missionaries and why we do what we do.

Arising at 6:30 AM this is the first thing I put on in the morning! For 18 months I have the immense privilege of wearing Christ's name over my heart. Wearing my name tag gives me a sense of purpose and responsibility to tell people about Christ and how He has helped me and so many millions of other people on the Earth.

On to the morning routine!

We missionaries have to take care of ourselves!

If we're expected to teach people about Christ and the gospel, we better know what we're talking about! Luckily we have two hours every single day to study, both personally and as a companionship, the Book of Mormon, the Bible, Preach My Gospel (the missionary guidebook), and lots of other resources to build both our knowledge and our testimonies of the restored gospel.

"Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."

D&C 11:21

Here in Mesa we have the wonderful opportunity to share the gospel online! We use Facebook, Skype, and blogs (like this one!) to spread the good word of the gospel.

Lunch time!

Eating is probably my favorite hobby besides sharing the gospel.

Then off we go!! My companion and I are in charge of two wards (congregations) and our job is to share what we know to be true with everyone! We have lessons with people that we are already teaching, we talk to people on the street, we do service for people, we visit those who are already members of our wards, we do all sorts of things!

This brings me to our purpose as missionaries. Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

We aren't here to prove anything, we don't want to force anything on anyone, we are simply out here on our missions because we have found happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the last General Conference Elder David A Bednar gave a wonderful talk about why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has such a large missionary force. He said... 

"When we invite you to attend church with us or to learn with the full-time missionaries, we are not trying to sell you a product. As members of the Church, we do not receive prizes or bonus points in a heavenly contest. We are not seeking simply to increase the numerical size of the Church. And most importantly, we are not attempting to coerce you to believe as we do. We are inviting you to hear the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ so you can study, ponder, pray, and come to know for yourself if the things we are sharing with you are true."

(You can read his full address here: Come and See)

Our Heavenly Father has given us the beautiful gift of agency, the ability to choose whether we will be obedient to the commandments He has given us. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ we want everyone to have the opportunity to study out this gospel and discover that it's true for themselves.

I have met so many people on my mission that were searching for the truth. They looked and looked and searched but never found the absolute and complete truth. But when we introduced them to the Book of Mormon they start finding answers! We never ask anyone to take our word for anything, we simply invite them to read the Book of Mormon, learn about the gospel, and pray about the things they learn.

So why am I choosing to give a year and half of my life to be a missionary? Why am I making so many sacrifices to hopefully help at least one person come closer to Christ? Because this gospel saves my life every single day. I can't not share the thing that has single handedly brought me the most happiness in my life with the world. I wouldn't be showing gratitude to my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, if I didn't give everyone I meet an opportunity to feel that same happiness.

Whether the people I meet accept my invitation or not, it doesn't make or break my testimony. I know that I am doing right because of the happiness I feel every single time I read the Book of Mormon or pray to my Heavenly Father.

I simply love God, Jesus Christ, and the gifts they have given me. Nothing more than that.

The most gratifying part of being a missionary.... seeing others come unto Christ!

So there you have it. A day in the life of a sister missionary and what goes through her head almost every single day. Hopefully you can understand a little bit more about why we do what we do

Finally, at the end of the day, we go home to our apartment, plan for the next day, pray, and hit the sack by 10:30, ready to get up the next day and do it all over again.

A 5 Step Program For When You Have A Question About Mormons!

I know this might be long shot, but I'm having faith that at least ONE person who reads this blog will have some sort of question about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As a missionary I'm here to answer questions and point people in the right direction! Since I can't answer every single question for every single person in the world, I made up some instructions to follow when a question emerges!

You can follow these steps in any order you want, when a question pops up just choose an option and hopefully you'll get an answer! Ideally you should try all of these options so you can get as much information as you can.

Ultimately, you'll have to decide if the answers you receive are true or not on your own. I'll give you an example:

Q: Who wrote the Book of Mormon?

A: Ancient prophets who lived at the same time as the Bible prophets wrote the Book of Mormon, they lived on the American continent and prophesied of Christ's birth and mortal ministry.

Ok, so hopefully that's a satisfactory answer. But no matter how much I tell you about the history of the Book of Mormon, it's not going to do anything for you until you find out that what I'm saying is true by yourself. With every single answer you receive about anything gospel related you should pray about it and have faith that God will answer you and tell you if it's true.

So here you are!

5 Steps to Take When You Have a Question about Mormons

1. Go to mormon.org 
This is such a great website! You can find a page of frequently asked questions, a page of our beliefs and values, you can even chat with real live missionaries online! There are lots of cool features that are sure to answer your questions! Check out mormon.org right here!

2. Ask a friend
Maybe the reason you have a question is because you have a Mormon friend and you're curious about why they do or don't do something. Ask them! If you're honestly curious no one is going to be offended or feel awkward if you ask "why don't you drink coffee?" or "why would you go to church for 3 hours every Sunday?" Asking someone who belongs to the Church will be a much more reliable source than asking someone who isn't.

3. Read the Book of Mormon
The Prophet Joseph Smith once said "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." Our entire religion hangs on one book! If you want to know if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has any validity to it at all, read the Book of Mormon. I can promise you with all my heart that this book is true, but my promise won't mean anything until you read the book and pray about it!

4. Meet the missionaries!
There's a reason the church sends missionaries like me all over the world! If someone had a question about the church in Africa, they're covered, we have missionaries there! We sacrifice 18-24 months of our lives just for people like YOU! No matter who is reading this, we are serving for you! We are set apart as representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we are authorized to teach about the Church and everything we believe in. I guess you could say we're the 1-800 number on the back of the cereal box if you have any questions, comments, or concerns :)

Who wouldn't want to ask these guys about Jesus? But I can promise you, whenever I ride my bike, I always wear my helmet!

5. Attend church
If you follow step 4 you will very likely be invited to take this step as well! You can find a church to attend no matter where you live (Find your meetinghouse here)! Every Sunday we gather as wards (congregations) and worship together. We start with sacrament meeting, held in the chapel. In this meeting we partake of the sacrament, listen to talks (speeches), and sing hymns together. The next two hours consist of Sunday School classes, Primary (for children from 3-12), Young Men and Young Women (Boys and Girls 12-18), and Relief Society and Priesthood classes (for adult women and men respectively). Church is a great time to learn about Christ, the Church, make friends, and find peace!

As you take one or more of these steps I can promise you that you will find the answers that you are looking for! Whether you question is "why don't Mormons go shopping on Sunday?" or "Where can I find peace for my life and my family?" you can find the answer!

I invite everyone who reads this to either take one of these steps or invite someone to do so. I know happiness can be found in this gospel.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Today I want to share a few of my favorite things with you all. Some of these things are big deals that make all of life's trials worth going through and some of them are those little things in life that make every day a little sweeter.

Scriptures

Some people say life didn't come with an Instructions Manual, I would beg to differ. This is my Book of Life Instruction. Also known as The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. These four books of scripture make up the teachings of Jesus Christ, an account of His personal ministry, and revelation given to prophets throughout all time.

I have had this book since I was 8 years old! It was a gift to me when I was baptized. As you can see, this book has been well loved and well picked through. And I have yet to be disappointed! Whenever I have a question about anything I know I can turn to the scriptures and find doctrine to instruct me, examples from Christ's life that I can try to exemplify, and stories of prophets to inspire me to become a better disciple of Christ.

Sharing the Gospel

Have you ever recommended a favorite book or movie to someone? I know that when I discover a new favorite flavor of ice cream I want to make sure the whole world knows about it! When something brings you so much joy and so many blessings, what do you have to lose by sharing that joy with others? 

Ice Cream

Because how else am I supposed to keep cool during a hot Arizona summer day?

Temples

One of my favorite hymns is titled "Where Can I Turn for Peace?" Whenever I think about temples this song pops up in my mind. I know that temples are houses of the Lord, I know that being in the temple has given me so many opportunities for personal revelation and learning, I know that in the temple I can someday be sealed to my future husband (whoever he may be!) for time and all eternity. In the temple I can feel peace and I can feel close to the Lord.

Prayer

When I need advice, revelation, peace, comfort, or just some one to be there for me, I know I can turn directly to my Heavenly Father. Being able to communicate with my Creator has gotten me through some of the hardest times in my life and has also helped me celebrate some of the best times of my life.

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."
2 Nephi 32:9

Puppies

Honestly, who wouldn't have this on their list of favorite things?

Family

Last but far from least on my list of favorite things is my family. I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today if I hadn't had my family to support me. I am so comforted knowing that we can be a family not only for this life but for eternity after this life! And I am so excited to someday have my own family, I only hope and pray that I can be half as good an example to my children as my mom and dad were to me.

Where Did I Come From? Why Am I Here? Where Am I Going?

Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? If you or someone you love has ever asked any of these questions then this is the blog post for you!

I am so blessed to have a knowledge of the plan Heavenly Father has for me! It's all thanks to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I know that I have a purpose in life.

And your Heavenly Father has a plan for YOU too! As His children, God wants the best for us and has set us up for success in this life. I have such a strong testimony that God has organized this life and our experience here to lead us back to Him.

But first of all: where did we come from?? Well, we lived with Heavenly Father before this life. He created us as His spirit children and we dwelt with Him. But... we didn't have bodies. God has a body and He wanted us to be just like Him so we could enjoy all the blessings and experiences that He does.

So God had Jesus Christ create the Earth and place Adam and Eve on it. Adam and Eve, at that point, were still in God's presence. They were in total innocence. But eventually Satan tempted them to sin and they were cast out of God's presence. Because of this their bodies became mortal and subject to pain and disease. But they could have children and experience happiness and progress.

But that leads to why WE are here!!

"Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." 2 Nephi 2:25

Men are that they might have joy!! Doesn't it make you happy just to know that the reason you exist is to be happy?? When I think about my purpose in life and know that God wants me to be as happy as possible I think about all the experiences I've had in my life, both bad and good, and know that all those experiences happened so I can be happy.

So HOW can we be happy in this life? Obviously we are all imperfect and experience less-than-happy things during this life time. But I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can find true joy in this life. Because of the sacrifice that Christ made for all of God's children, you can be wiped clean of all mistakes, all pain, all heartache, and experience true and everlasting joy.

So now that we've covered this life, where do we go after this? We go to the spirit world! We are waiting for Christ to come again and after we experience physical death we go to a waiting place until the Second Coming (when Christ comes to the Earth for a second time).

"And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubes and from all care, and sorrow."
Alma 40:12

When Christ comes again we will all be resurrected! It is an amazing gift we are promised, that our bodies and our spirits will be reunited again. Because Christ overcame physical death for us, we will be able to live again with the same body we have now except it will be glorified and perfected, like God's body.

We are all promised this gift of immortality, and depending on how we used our time in this life, we may be granted the gift of eternal life. If we followed the gospel of Jesus Christ by having faith and repenting, being baptized and confirmed, and enduring to the end we will be permitted to live with our Heavenly Father once again in the celestial kingdom!

I know that I want to live with God again. When I think about being able to be in His presence I know that I would do anything to receive that gift. And I have come to know that that gift is available to me and to everyone on the Earth who is willing to put in the work for it.

I am so grateful for this plan that Heavenly Father has for me. I know that through keeping the commandments, learning about and following my Savior, and sharing the good word I can live with God again someday and experience eternal happiness.

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: ye shall have eternal life."
2 Nephi 31:20

Here's my family, enjoy. I'm glad I get to be with this crazy bunch forever :)

Love,
Sister Sparhawk

What Really Made Me Decide To Go On A Mission?

Ok everybody, we're about to get candid. You're about to get the inside scoop on how I got to where I am right now!

As missionaries we get asked how we decided to come on a mission ALL THE TIME. Here's the full story with all the details in all their glory. Enjoy.

Let me tell you a story about the moment that changed my life forever...even though I didn't realize it until months later.

October of 2012. I was living in Rexburg, going to school, enjoying life, and making plans for my future. It the first weekend of October and I was sitting in my living room with all my room mates watching General Conference. We had all settled in ready to hear the prophet and apostles impart great wisdom upon us.

Then it happened.

The prophet, Thomas S. Monson, in his routine "Welcome to Conference" address stated; "I am pleased to announce that effective immediately all worthy and able young men... will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19.... As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21."

Something inside me stirred.

It was shocked silence in between me and room mates at that moment. We looked at each other and listened to the audible gasp that resonated within the conference center straight through the TV. One of my room mates was about to get married, another already had her mission call to Taiwan and was leaving in a few weeks. But two of my room mates and I were under 21 and visibly shaken by this announcement. (Spoiler Alert! All three of us are on missions or have a mission call now!)

President Monson cheerfully carried on with his address as if he hadn't just changed the history of the church forever, meanwhile I had to leave my living room and call my mom so I could cry for some reason unbeknownst to me (the Spirit!).

The weird thing was... I had never wanted to serve a mission. It had never been on the table for me. My plan went something like this: graduate from high school, go to college, get my degree in five years (take a year off to travel), get engaged sometime during my senior year, get married right after graduating, get a career started, have kids, live happily ever after. Seems like a good plan, right? Well, Heavenly Father had something entirely different in store for me.

I went on through the rest of the semester thinking about why President Monson decided on that moment, when I was 18, to change the age requirement for sister missionaries. But I got busy, you know, school stuff, and that stirring left me. I went home for Christmas break entirely intending on coming back for the Spring semester.

Boy, was I wrong!

I got home, got a job, got all settled in. I was living the life in Boise! But there was always that little something tugging at the back of my mind.

Finally, February of 2013 I needed to put an end to my questioning. I needed to know what I was going to do for the next step in my life.

Fast forward through days of fasting and prayer

"Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth." Mosiah 23:10

Oh my Holy Nutella, I'm going on a mission!!!

Within a few months I had my school deferment, I had a doctor tell me I was healthy enough to serve in Africa (ha ha), I told my boss I would be leaving soon, and I had my wisdom teeth yanked out of my head! I was ready to go!

Fast forward a few weeks of overly stressed out impatient waiting.

Oh my French Fried Potato Chips! My mission call is sitting in my mail box!!!

Fast forward a few hours of waiting impatiently for everyone to be home from work and all the phone lines ready for friends and relatives.

"Ok, can everyone hear me? Are you recording? Ok, here I go.... (tearing open the envelope) Dear Sister Sparhawk: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to serve in the Arizona Mesa Mission"

Clapping and cheers all around! Lots of tears on my part!!

(I have the video of me opening my call, don't ask for it, you won't get it.)

Oh my Chocolate Dipped Turkey Bowl!! I'm going to Mesa!!!!

(Yes, I'm just making these exclamations up as I sit here at the computer, don't judge.)

But really! I am being entirely honest with you when I say my initial reaction to being called to Mesa was pure joy. I knew that it was meant to be. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was where I needed to spend 18 months of my life. Satan tried to tell me that was a boring place to get called to, but he couldn't over power the happiness I felt for finally knowing where I belong!

And so commenced the shopping and packing and saying good byes!

(This is me and 3 of my best friends! Going from left to right we are serving in: Georgia, California, Arizona, and Honduras!)

Fast Forward these past 5 months...

These have been the best 5 months of my life! Also the hardest! I have been so blessed on my mission, and I'm still just getting started! I have met so many amazing people, made some great friends, grown exponentially, and hopefully made a small difference in the area that I am serving in.

I can't even begin to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for sending me to such a wonderful place. But for now I will settle with telling you that my life will absolutely be blessed for eternity because I listened to the Spirit and decided to serve.

I know that Heavenly Father loves and protects His missionaries. I know that He knows us all individually and places people and experiences in our lives to benefit us.

Love,
Sister Sparhawk

What's a Mormon?

Mormon

noun

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a religion founded in the US in 1830 by Joseph Smith Jr.

I've been struggling with what should come after that. The dictionary definition of a Mormon, while correct, lacks the spirit and enthusiasm I feel for my religion.

I am a Mormon. I am a Christian. I am family-oriented. I am a law-abider. I am a life-long missionary. I am hopeful. I am peaceful.

All of these things and many more I account to being a member of my church. If I didn't have the knowledge that I do of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice, I wouldn't be the person I am today. Knowing that God's Only Begotten Son cares enough about me to suffer and die for my sins has given me peace, hope, charity, and faith that I can live with my Heavenly Father again someday.

So anyways. Back to what a Mormon is. Most people in the world know us by the nickname Mormon, which was given because we believe in a book of scripture called the Book of Mormon. We are also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

That's a pretty long church name in my opinion. Let's break it down. Church of Jesus Christ, we believe in Christ and everything that He did for us. This is also the same church that Christ himself organized when He was on the Earth. Latter Day Saints refers to the fact that we live in what we call the "Latter Days" We believe that right now we are in the last dispensation, or period of time, before Christ comes to the Earth again.

There are so many things I would love to tell you all about what we believe in, why we do what we do, why we act how we act, but I don't think I could ever stop typing if I committed myself to giving a full synopsis in one post. I'll be coming back to this blog frequently and doing my very best to explain to you all why this church and gospel make me so happy. I'm not a perfect teacher, but with your patience, a little help from my companion, and a lot of help from the Spirit, I think we can make this work.

I know that the message I strive to communicate everyday is true. I know that Christ organized this church that I belong to. I know how much this church has blessed me in my life and I know that it can bless you in your life.

Love,
Sister Sparhawk

They Send All the Cool Girls to Mesa

Here you are, you've found your way to yet another Sister Missionary's blog. 

I'm not expecting to change the world or anything, but hopefully one person will benefit from something I write.

My name is Sister Sparhawk, I'm currently serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Arizona Mesa Mission.

I am originally from Boise, Idaho. I attended one semester at BYU-Idaho before coming on my mission, studying Exercise Physiology. I love my dog, ice cream, and health food. I also collect pictures of strangers in their cars while they sit at red lights. What can I say, I live big.

Right now I'm serving in the Highgroves YSA Ward in Mesa, AZ. YSA is an acronym for Young Single Adults, so I work with everyone from 18-31 who isn't married. I don't want to brag, but I will anyways. I'm serving in the best ward in Mesa! I have been in the ward for a little over 4 months and I am not looking forward to the day I have to leave!

This is me and my companion, Sister Snyder. She's the bomb. People tell us we look like sisters all the time. Turns out, they really do send all the cool girls to Mesa! (Sister Snyder's Dad told her that)

So that's enough about me! Why am I here in Mesa? Why am I on a mission? I don't want to bore you with details, so you get the short version. 

Like many people of the Mormon faith I was baptized at 8 years old. I made the decision to make covenants with my Heavenly Father! Over the years I have grown to truly appreciate the gospel that I embraced at such a young age. I came to know that God is my loving Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ is my Savior, and through following His example I can live with Him again someday! 

I don't know about you, but I think this is pretty awesome. Awesome enough that I want to share it with anyone and everyone who will listen! So naturally I am here on a mission! As a sister, I get the opportunity to serve for 18 months. While I am here on my mission my purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. My full time job is to tell people about Christ and everything that He did for us. 

Here in Mesa all the full-time missionaries have the wonderful (and daunting) opportunity to use social media to fulfill our purpose! I am using Facebook as a tool to spread the good word and now I am here using this blog! 

This is where YOU come in! Yes you. Yes, Mom, if you are reading this, this is for you. Yes, you, a member of the Highgroves Ward, this is for you! Yes, you, another missionary serving in any mission that uses social media. And most definitely, yes, YOU, you who are curious about what I believe in as a Mormon!

Imagine me wearing a bright colored shirt that says "Ask Me!" on it! Please, ask me questions! I will do my very best to answer them! I want to fill this blog with the answers to the questions you have or have been asked! You can email me, message me on Facebook, even comment on this very post! I would love to hear from you :)

I know that the message I am out to share is true. I know that it can bless your life in ways you never thought possible.

Love, 

Sister Sparhawk