Why serve a Mission?

I am sure that throughout countless times in your younger years, you have heard plenty of talks and firesides on the importance of preparing for a mission. You probably turned to your fellow pew buddies in a half-dazed grin, nodding in agreement of the importance of serving an honorable mission. You probably stored away all the information you heard back in your brain somewhere near the "remember to brush my teeth every morning" and "look both ways across the street" areas.
Well, fellow members, I have to ask the question of you. Why serve a mission? No really. Why? And follow that question with next one, why do you want to serve...or do you?

You need to ask yourself these questions. The mission is not what it used to be in my day, when some Elders arrived with no testimony of the Gospel and no desire to really serve. Their parents figured it would be good for their young adults and it would help them find their testimony and their path for life. Parents, if they don't have a testimony now at say 18 years old, then a mission isn't the best place to find it. Some may disagree with me, but as the Bar has been raised on the Call to Serve, they need to have a testimony of their own before they serve.

That brings me to the next question, why do you want to serve? Hopefully, like the millions of Church members, you have found what is uniquely yours and yours alone ant that is your testimony. There are plenty of articles on LDS.org from the General Authorities and others about how to do that, but in a nutshell refer to old the Primary song, "Search, Ponder, and Pray".

To serve a mission, you really should want to serve. Yeah, it's good for getting you out of the house after high school and will teach you pretty valuable lessons on being independent, spiritually and temporally, but you got to want to do it. Don't let your parents or friends pressure you, though they are generally doing it because they know the mission will be a good experience for you, but don't serve just because they want you to.

Doctrine and Covenants states it pretty clearly in Section 11, where the Lord is speaking to Hyrum, "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."

Remember, that the mission is going to be an exciting and challenging experience for you, prepare now before you go.