Today we have PART 1 (of 2) of our posts about mission calls-
This is "How Mission Calls Happen" and our next post (PART 2) will be the second half of this topic - "Waiting for your Mission Call" (See the bottom of this post to link to PART 2!)
Full-time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are volunteers who submit an application to serve, then are given an assignment of where and when they will serve their mission. Find out more about the process of receiving a mission call here...
HOW WILL I KNOW IF I QUALIFY TO SERVE A MISSION?
If you are planning to serve a full-time mission (or even just thinking about it), meet with your Bishop (or branch president) to talk about your future plans. He will discuss with you the areas of preparation that are important, such as gospel knowledge and testimony, personal worthiness, work and self-reliance, physical and emotional health, and financial preparations. Do not misunderstand - you don't have to be perfect or know everything to qualify as a missionary (if that were the case, no person would ever qualify to serve, except Jesus Christ!) Your Bishop can help you determine if you currently qualify to serve and let you know what you might still need to do to prepare. If there are areas that you need to work on prior to submitting your application (which is very common), he can help guide and give you counsel on what needs to be done. If you have anything that is worrying you in regards to personal worthiness (such commandments or standards that have not been kept), talk to your Bishop (or branch president) about this ASAP so that he can help you resolve those issues. Sometimes the repentance process for more serious things can take time, so it's best not to put it off because delaying could also delay your mission recommendation. If you have a desire to serve, you can make it happen. There are many alternative ways to serve a mission today, even if a traditional type of mission isn't possible. Seek the counsel of your Bishop or branch president for help.
HOW & WHEN TO START THE PROCESS:
You can submit your mission "papers" application up to 120 days before your availability date. What is your availability date? That is the date that you are stating that you will be available to start serving your mission. This doesn't mean it is the day you will actually be assigned to enter the MTC, you are just saying this is your available start date - so you are telling them that from this particular day on, you will be available to start.
"Recommendation papers for full-time service may be submitted to Church headquarters by a prospective missionary’s stake president 120 days prior to his or her availability date. Availability date is the earliest date at which the prospective missionary is available to begin his or her mission. The earliest date young men may enter the MTC is after graduating from high school or its equivalent and reaching 18 years of age. The earliest date women may enter the MTC is after their 19th birthday. Other influences on one's availability date may include completing a university semester, finishing an employment commitment, or stabilizing a medical condition. Speak with your priesthood leaders well before the 120 day submission window to start the recommendation process and to confirm your availability date" (Missionary Preparation page of lds.org)
If you haven't turned 18 (guys) or 19 (ladies) yet, your availability date can be any date after your 18th/19th birthday IF you have already graduated from high school (or equivalent). So for example, if you are a guy who turns 18 on May 28th, but you don't graduate from high school until June 1st, you can't put your availability date as May 28th. You could put your availability date as any day after June 1st, such as June 2nd. But it doesn't need to be that day if there are other concerns or issues involved (such as needing to work to save up more money, waiting until after your sister's wedding, or getting a health condition under control).
Don't get too hung up on your "availability date" as being the same thing as your actual MTC date, because it probably won't be. We have a friend who recently received her mission call and will be reporting to the MTC in July (she had stated her availability date as May 31st). This is very common. My daughter plans to be available to serve the day after her 19th birthday. Her birthday is on a Saturday, so she knows she won't be entering the MTC on a Sunday. She could be assigned to enter the MTC later that upcoming week, or in 2 weeks, or 3 months later. All totally normal. New missionaries enter the MTC on specific days of the week and depending on when you are needed to report to your mission, you may go to the MTC weeks earlier or later than your fellow future missionary friends who are going to different missions, different MTCs, or who are speaking different languages.
Talk to your Bishop/Branch president if you have questions about this - they will be helping you determine your availability date when you start the mission paperwork, so they know all about this and can help with any concerns that you have.
You can start working on your mission application ("papers") months before you actually plan to submit them. This gives you time to get any appointments you need and get any issues resolved. When you are ready to submit your mission "papers" (application), you do this through your Bishop/Branch President. "To begin the process of receiving a mission call, talk to your bishop or branch president. He can then give you access to the online Missionary Recommendation System, which will tell you all of the information you will need to submit to Church headquarters. You will work with your bishop or branch president to complete the forms. Some things may require some time, such as dental work, medical exams, and immunizations, so get started at least a few months before your eligibility date" (Missionary Preparation page of lds.org)
HOW MISSION CALLS ARE ISSUED:
Once your application is submitted (complete and sent in), your part of the process is done, so all you can really do is wait until you receive your assignment!
Jimmy at MormonMissionCall.com says, "In most weeks, the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will meet and make these call assignments on Friday. But depending on their schedule, that day can vary. Thursdays are the second most common day in which they meet, but it’s not unheard of for them to make the assignments on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
The missionary call assignment meeting is held weekly and is presided over by one of the twelve apostles. While all mission call letters are signed by the prophet and president of the Church, we should remember that each of the Twelve Apostles are also a prophet, seer, and revelator, and the Church president has delegated to them the responsibility to make mission assignments. In the weekly meeting, the apostle reviews new missionary applications and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, assigns each missionary to a specific mission"
Dallin H Oaks, making mission assignments
Dallin H. Oaks recently shared exactly how missionaries are assigned:
"I recently assigned missionaries, a sacred responsibility for which we always come fasting. I assigned 240, my share of the 1,047 (which includes young missionaries, senior couples, and senior sisters) whose papers were ready for assignment last week. We are assisted in this sacred experience by a member of the Missionary Department staff, who keeps records and manages the computer screens on which we view the essential information on elders and sisters and the needs (including languages) of our more than 400 missions in the world.
"The information is presented on a screen for the apostle, who seeks divine guidance as he assigns each missionary to one of the 405 Church missions across the world. The mission assignment is then approved by the president of the Church, who issues the written mission call letter" (link to an article about this)
Elder Ronald A. Rasband tells a great story about sitting in with Henry B Eyring as he made missionary assignments while he was training as a new General Authority, years ago. It's too long for me to quote here, but you should go read (or watch) it because its awesome (here is the link to that talk)
If you've already submitted your mission papers (or just want to read more about it!) click here to see PART 2 of this post - "How to survive waiting for your mission call"
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