On March 14th, 2013 a large white envelope came in the mail addressed to Sister Phelps. After a quick trip to grandma's and a battle with Skype to get my family in the room I read those long awaited words...
Dear Sister Phelps:
You are hereby called to serve as missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the ...
BRAZIL SANTA MARIA MISSION!
When I read my mission call I was more than excited, really, I was. It might not have seemed like it on the outside. I was expecting to cry and get super excited like the people on every mission call video on YouTube, but it didn't happen. Looking back on it now, I think that being calm as I read my call was a blessing. From the moment I read it, I knew that it was for me. I know that my mission call came from a loving Heavenly Father and that I am needed in Brazil on August 7th.
It has now been over a month since I received my call and I have been doing as much research and preparing as possible so that I will be comfortable with the culture and the language when I arrive in Brazil.
Here are some sites I found that have helped me gain insight into Rio Grande do Sul (the state of Brazil that I will be serving in), and other tid bits about what the mission experience should be like in Brazil. There are also some links to general missionary preparation ideas.
http://www.lds.org/locations/missionary-training-centers/brazil/your-stay?lang=eng#arrive
http://www.geocities.com/dyancey3/ldsbrazil.htm
http://www.mission.net/brazil/santa-maria/english/index.html
https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/faqs?lang=eng
Hopefully these help a little. I am so excited to learn more about serving in Brazil and being a missionary in general. If you have any questions or insights please feel free to comment.
-(The future) Sister Phelps
