Dear Sister Gleason:

Opening my mission call was one of the most emotional moments of my life. I had been checking my mail religiously (sometimes even twice a day) for the past two weeks. Every time I opened my mailbox and saw nothing but another letter from Austin, I was disappointed and frustrated. Austin's letters were great, but I wanted my call! On the day that it came, I was on my way out of my building to go take an econ test. I was convinced it wouldn't be there, so when I checked my box I was shocked. I almost opened it right there, but there was a janitor in the lobby and I didn't want to break down into tears in front of a complete stranger. I ran upstairs into my kitchen and sat at the counter. My roommates Shay and Lucy (it's a good name, and she's cool, so it's okay that she stole it) and a friend Timsy were there with me. I'm so thankful that Timsy was there, because she got some of it on video. I had no expectations, really. Anywhere that I was sent would be an incredible adventure. I opened the envelope, and began reading.

"Dear Sister Gleason:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the România/Moldova mission."

The first words out of my mouth were an irreverent "holy crap!". I called my parents, hugged my friends, and tried to figure out what the heck Moldova was and where it could be found on a map--thanks Lucy T. for figuring that one out.

I wiped tears from my eyes, grabbed my backpack, and headed off to take my test as if my life hadn't just completely changed. I didn't know what to feel. Excitement? Apprehension? As the day went on, though, my thoughts and emotions became clear. All I felt was peace. I was so grateful to my Father in Heaven for picking the perfect mission for me. It was everything I was praying for. It met every selfish criterion I had established. I am truly blessed to be able to serve the people of these two countries.

(And if you're curious as to how the econ test went, my professor didn't show up so I got to get Chick Fil A instead. Talk about a blessed day.)