I should honestly be in bed right now, as I have to work tomorrow. But I wandered onto Facebook, and this article caught my eye. It’s a letter sent in to Ask Angela in the Deseret News. This person received their mission call to Utah, and not only are they embarrassed about it, but their parents are. What do you do when you’re called to Utah, the “Mormon Capital” of the world?

After seeing that, a surge of emotions swept through me. And as is my practice, I have to write down the things I’m most passionate about.

I served in Utah. I was called to the Utah Salt Lake City West Mission.

And I was so embarrassed about my call at first. Before my call, I – like most people out there – made fun of Utah missions. I didn’t understand them, and I felt sorry for people who had served in Utah. I didn’t see the point of having missionaries there.

Then my call came. I was so disappointed I almost cried in front of my family and friends. I’d been looking forward to my mission for 9 years – and that’s what I got? I wasn’t ecstatic or excited. I was humiliated. I was so close to sending my call back to Church Headquarters and saying, “There was a mistake – you gave me the wrong mission call. Please fix it.” But I didn’t. There were my name and my mission in ink on the paper. So I knew it wasn’t a mistake. But I felt it was a really cruel joke.

I was ashamed to tell people where I was headed because of the comments that would come my way. And boy did they. I put up with everything from, “Wow, you’re going to the slums of Salt Lake” to “Oh, you’re going to have it easy. You’re not going to know what trials are on your mission.” People looked down on me – just like I had looked down on Utah missions. I got exactly what I deserved, to be honest. But that didn’t stop the pain and tears from coming as those remarks cut me. I just wanted to serve the Lord – wasn’t that good enough, even if it only was in Utah?

You see, missions are a sacred experience to the missionary. Now, I will say until the day I die that my mission is the best mission in the world. And I believe that – but it was the best mission for me. Just like the missions were my friends served were the best missions in the world to them and for them. And I rejoice with current missionaries and returned missionaries alike when they speak of their experiences in the field. It’s something you can’t understand unless you’ve been there.

But what irks me is when people start comparing missions and tearing other missions down just because it wasn’t theirs.

It bothered me when people told me and my parents that Utah was an “easy” mission and that I would never know trials.

Let me set the record straight – no mission is easy. It doesn’t matter if you serve in Kansas, Russia, Argentina, or South Africa. No matter where you go, you are going to face trials.

You’re going to wake up in the morning so exhausted that you literally have to roll yourself out of bed, limbs aching and burning.
You’re going to have your heart broken as investigators and less actives stop progressing in the gospel and show a lack of interest in what they know is true.
You’re going to have days where you come home, exhausted and downhearted, feeling so low that you just want to curl up on the floor and cry.
You’re going to doubt your abilities as an effective missionary and wonder if you’re doing any good.
You’re going to get angry at your companion, district leader, zone leader, sister training leaders, APs, and even the mission president himself.
You’re going to get frustrated with the language [if you have to learn a new one] and want to rip your hair out and scream.
You’re going to be frustrated in ward/branch councils.
You’re going to struggle finding new people to teach.
You’re going to have weeks where you struggle with just about everything.

That’s just a tiny list. I faced all of that and more. Yes, each mission has unique challenges depending on where it’s located. For Utah missions, one of our challenges was the LDS population and presence. Everyone knew about the church, whether they were a member or not. People knew who we missionaries were and what we represented. Their eyes were constantly on us.

But a mission’s challenges doesn’t make it any more special or important than another mission. Aren’t we all doing the Lord’s work?

The reason all missions are hard is because, in the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, salvation is not a cheap or easy experience.

Why did I love serving in Utah so much? Why do I miss it and crave to go back?

Because I learned to love it. I grew into that love. And I lost myself in service to my people. I learned how God truly loves every single one of His children – even the ones in Utah.

One of the reasons I loved my mission so much is that we worked extensively with less active members – trying to reactive them and bring them back into the gospel again. That is a cause that is so near and dear to my heart. For years people talked about how we needed to reach out to those who don’t come to church, but in all honesty, hardly anyone did anything about it. And that’s one of the reasons we focused so much on these beloved children of God. That’s why we loved them. That’s why we took care of them. If the home and visiting teachers are going to give up after a few months, then we missionaries will stop by and teach them so that they can feel the love of the Savior in their lives.

I don’t have any pioneer ancestors who crossed the plains. But one time on my mission when I was on Ensign Peak, looking out over my beautiful Salt Lake valley, I felt so close and connected to the pioneers. They left their homes and trekked westward, and when they got here they probably thought, “You’re kidding me. This is it? This is the place? We left everything for this?” But as they worked and created a life, they came to love their new home.

I went from being less enthusiastic to feeling like my heart was being ripped from my chest as I left, bawling my eyes out on the plane and wishing I could’ve stayed longer. My mission wasn’t easy. It wasn’t a breeze. It was a journey full of difficulties, struggles, and painful growth.

But I came to know my Savior more than I ever had before.
My testimony of the Book of Mormon was strengthened in ways I never thought imaginable – the peace I felt from reading it and the answers I got to questions completely floored me and left me awed.
I learned how losing your life for the Savior helps you to find it.
I was happier than I had been in my entire life.
I realized my faults and weaknesses and more things about my personality.
I realized how I’m much more of a people person than I originally thought.
I blossomed as a person.
I realized my self worth.
I became more bold and confident and sure of myself.
I made true, eternal friends on my mission. In fact, I learned what a true friend is.

And there were many other highs. I saw investigators completely accept the gospel and change their lives – I saw that glow about them after their baptism and how it never faded from their eyes months down the road.
I silently cheered inside when a less active family came to church more than they had in a long while.
I privately wept with joy as a less active man started coming to church all on his own.
I laughed on beautiful days.
I rode my bike with the wind whipping the skirt around me and tasting bliss on my tongue.
I felt the Spirit as I prepared with my companion for the day.
I met families who changed my life.

My response to this person who sent in the question :

“Hold your head high. Be doggone proud that you’re going to Utah. Don’t be ashamed, and screw all those people who laugh at you. You’re going to work wonders. You’re not going on a mission to please the public or your family or gain recognition and praise – you’re going because you love the Lord and He needs you.”

The mission isn’t about you.
It’s about Him.

The Lord needs you in the part of Utah for a reason. You’re going to touch people’s lives by your example, personality, kindness, genuineness, and testimony. You’re not even going to know all the people you impact in one small way or another. Your mission is going to change you in ways you can’t even imagine. You’re going to learn and grow so much – about the gospel, about how to be a better person, about how to be a better disciple and member of the church. You’re going to come home completely changed and different in the best way possible.

And that’s why your Utah mission is perfect for you.”