Full Circle

"Dear Sister Atkin:

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 Missouri Independence Mission. In addition to your calling to share the gospel, you will be assigned to serve in the Independence Visitors' Center. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, September 28, 2011. While at the Missionary Training Center, you will also receive special training in conducting tours. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language."

There you have it. I got my call. :) Remember how in my last post I said that I wanted to serve foreign? I take it back. It's amazing how well God knows us, and how much he knows better than our puny minds can comprehend. I am astounded by how many things are so perfect about my mission, and I haven't even gotten there yet to meet the people.
Part of the reason that I thought I would go foreign is that there is a line in my Patriarchal Blessing that says I will testify of the gospel "abroad". I assumed that that referred to my mission. After I opened my call, I quietly went upstairs to a bedroom and knelt down to thank God for giving me this amazing opportunity to serve Him. As I was praying, another line from my blessing jumped out in my memory. I literally gasped out loud. I had been reading the wrong part all along!! I felt so silly - there are at lease three references to missionary work in my blessing, and I had just gotten stuck on one of them. The line I had just recalled will be fulfilled on my mission in Missouri more than it could be anywhere else. In the middle of my prayer of gratitude I was given another thing to be grateful for - a witness of the truthfulness of Patriarchal Blessings as well as the reality of the revelation behind my call.
Another miracle is also playing out. Included in the boundaries of my mission is a little town called Iola, Kansas. Over fifty years ago, my grandmother and her family were taught the gospel and baptized there. They were the only baptisms that their elder had his entire mission.
A few years ago, we had a family reunion with all of the members of that family and their descendents. The missionary that converted my family was invited. We were all excited to meet him, but not as excited as he was to meet us. He is now white haired and a little hunched, but he was grinning ear to ear. From the one family he converted, over fifty missionaries have served, resulting in hundreds of baptisms (and counting!). How great shall be his joy with us in the kingdom of our Father! (D&C 18:15-16).
It is truly amazing that I get to go back to that same area of Kansas and return the favor. My grandmother was there to see me open my call, and she just cried. I feel so blessed to be a part of this beautiful full circle. I really hope to at least drive through Iola on my mission.
Another amazing thing about my mission is that it shares its entire south border with the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission, where Willie (my little brother) will be serving. He will be there for all of my mission, so we will always be within a few hundred miles of each other. I'm so excited to have a few similar experiences that might come out of being in the same part of the country! We will definitely drive back together later to visit our missions. The Midwest is getting a double dose of the Atkins.
I am also excited that I will be able to learn so much about the history of the church. When I am giving tours in the Visitors' Center, I will really have to know the history. Independence has so many cool stories, and some important prophesies tied to it. I will be building Zion in Zion. :) What an amazing opportunity to learn!
Basically, I know that I am going to the right mission for me. I wouldn't change it for the world. It wasn't what I was expecting (life never is), but now that I know I could never go back. I'm going on a mission. To Independence, Missouri!!