You are hereby called to serve..

I have just received my call to serve in the Melbourne East mission.
It had been a very long and trying 9 months before I received my call. I had experienced much adversity and discouragement but I was able to turn to the Lord for comfort and guidance in this trying time.
I never quite felt the need to pray about the decision I had made to serve a mission. From the moment I decided that I wanted to be a missionary, I knew it was the right thing. Heavenly Father had blessed me with such an amazing and overwhelming desire to become his servant. As I continued on my journey to complete my mission papers I began to grow spiritually and emotionally in ways that I never thought possible. Though the preparation and time leading up to receiving my call was extremely difficult and at times seemed very dismal, I was able to turn to my Heavenly Father for strength and patience.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father and to spread and teach his true gospel. I am grateful for the answers to my prayers and for the divine inspiration that was received so that I am able to serve in a beautiful city in my home country. I love my Heavenly Father so much and I am so grateful for the Atonement and the way it has blessed and healed my life.
I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve a mission and I pray that the same desire and opportunity will be given to my fellow students in the missionary preparation class.

Class Advisor: Nathan Biddle

I served my mission from Jan 2006 - Mar 2008 in the Sapporo, Japan Mission which encompasses the whole of the north island of Japan called Hokkaido. We were affectionately, though not enviously known as the 'frozen chosen' as temperatures could drop below even minus twenty degrees Celsius.

I love the people I was called to serve, and the members and missionaries I was called to serve with. I had so many unforgettable experiences ranging from seeing the people we were teaching enter the waters of baptism to being rushed to hospital in the back of a Japanese ambulance.

I am so glad I answered the call from the Lord to serve a mission because it's made such a difference in my life. There is not one day when I don't think about my mission and experiences in Japan. Although it did require a sacrifice on my behalf, I got so much more out of serving than what I put in.

3 Nephi 13:31-34
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

Taking each day as it comes..

The day i knew i was going to serve a mission, i was doing the most mundane thing.....washing dirty dishes. This, after three weeks of fasting, prayer and contemplating whether or not i should do it (plus being asked by my Bishop if i could think about it ;)...then letting go of the worry and putting my faith in Heavenly Father.
It has been a long year...but am very relieved that they're 'almost' in, "almost" meaning that i'm handing them in to Bishop this very sunday! =D now only to pick up that passport...isn't there always something to be done?
It the meantime, i enjoy attending Preach My Gospel classes, doing the homework and keeping up to date. It really does help me see how much i already know, suprising myself, and what more there is to learn.

Others Have Passed the Same Way

“Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Look to God and Live,” Ensign, May 1998, 52

Meet one of the Teachers

Hi Everyone,

I really enjoy teaching the mission prep class. It helps me remember many special missionary experiences and the joy that comes from missionary service.
I served in the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission 07-08. I learnt to speak Marshallese and served in the Marshall Islands on Majuro and Ebeye (and also for a short time on Tarawa, Kiribati). I know that 'God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in' (Alma 26:37)....and that he 'remembers those who are upon the isles of the sea’ (2 Nephi 29:7). It was a true privilege to serve a full time mission and meet such wonderful people!

I hope that I can share some of the joy I felt as I help teach the Preach My Gospel class each Sunday. Susie Croker

Formula for Choices

“May I provide a simple formula by which you can measure the choices which confront you. It’s easy to remember, sometimes difficult to apply: You can’t be right by doing wrong; you can’t be wrong by doing right. Your personal conscience always warns you as a friend before it punishes you as a judge.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Decisions Determine Destiny,” CES fireside for young adults, Nov. 6, 2005

Welcome!

Hi Guys,

Welcome to the Hyde Park / Mortdale Stake Mission Prep Class Blog. Just like 'Preach My Gospel' our class is there to help you become a "better prepared, more spiritually mature missionary and a more pursuasive teacher" (PMG Pg.6).

This Blog is a chance for you to share some of your thoughts and experiences about the class, your own missionary experiences and anything else that you might think will be uplifting to another. Any sharing of experiences regarding the process of deciding to serve a full-time mission, preparing to serve a mission and receiving your call will be greatly appreciated.

This Blog will also be an opportunity for us to keep a pictorial history of the class. If you have any photo's that you would like to include just let us know. We definitely want a photo of your faces as you recieve your call!

Please feel free to add to this Blog and share it with your friends.

Love your friends and Mission Prep Class Advisors,

Nathan and Samantha Biddle