My whole life I've been looking forward to serving a mission. The thought of a full-time mission has always excited me, and it's the sort of thing that has been naturally woven into my life through the years. I've been prepared for a mission by so many people, including parents, friends, and teachers. I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and hopefully I can grow in so many ways on this journey I'm about to set out on.
My mission became real when I received my call on March 23rd, 2011 to the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission. I still had a month of school to complete at BYU, but as the call neared, I couldn't help but be distracted by thoughts of service in many faraway places throughout the world. Admittedly, I had a desire to serve a foreign mission. I always wanted to learn a language and become immersed in different culture. But as I read the first few lines of the call letter, I was very surprised. Oklahoma Tulsa was the last place I would have thought of! Though I was surprised, all feelings were replaced with feelings of joy and content :) I knew that it was where I needed to go right away.
Since I've been home, my preparations have started to become more focused as I realize I have much to do in so little time. I leave on July 6th, and I only have so much time to prepare for all the humidity, tornadoes, rednecks, Jehovah's Witnesses, and BBQ's I can handle! (haha I've heard it all) But really, I feel a need to prepare intently for many challenges I might face in the mission field.
So. As to mark my progress, I've decided (as well as my family) to start a blog. Yay! This blog is called "The Road to Tulsa" and will, in some ways, symbolize my preparations on the journey to Tulsa. I have done a little research, and it is about 1217 miles to Tulsa. My dad and I decided that it would be really neat if our family "traveled" to Tulsa before I leave to the MTC. Cool, huh!
This is how it works. We will document and add up how many miles we walk, run, bike, skip, crawl, etc. everyday in progression towards the location of the mission home of the OTM (OTM = Oklahoma Tulsa Mission. I will refer to the "OTM" a lot in the future). Hopefully by the time July rolls around, we'll have exercised enough to achieve the desired amount of miles. Other ways we can add up "Tulsa miles" is through daily scripture study, scripture memorization, adherence to a daily missionary schedule, and other things that could help with mission preparation. It is still in the works, but the plan is to update this blog weekly with each individual family member's progress.
So. Let the games begin!! Haha just kidding :) But for reals. I'm excited for this opportunity and I can't wait to serve the people in the OTM! Thanks for following our progress.
Sincerely,
Soon to be Elder Awesome
....I mean.... Atkin
P.S. For more info, visit the OTM's official website: http://www.mission.net/oklahoma/tulsa/
And for a map of the mission: http://www.mission.net/oklahoma/tulsa/images/otmmap.jpg
