July 2009. I was at my first “zone conference” in the San Diego, California Mission. I had been a missionary in the field for 3 weeks. I still couldn’t really believe that I had a black name tag.
Then, during a break in the meeting my Mission President asked me and my district, eight missionaries in total, to meet after the conference concluded.
My mission experience was about to change drastically.
These missionaries and I were about to become part of The District, a series of training videos produced by the Missionary Department of The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The videos teach missionary skills found in the Church’s missionary guide, “Preach My Gospel.”
Cameras would follow us around for the next several months, filming our daily lives as missionaries. Segments of our mission and stories from our lives also ended up at the Church’s Visitor Centers.
Temple Square, Salt Lake City
Since The District’s release in June 2010, portions of the footage have been seen by –
- Over 300,000 Church missionaries through the video training series
- Over 1 million church members globally: our post-mission stories were told to a worldwide audience of Church membership between the morning and afternoon sessions of General Conference in Fall 2012
- Countless nonmembers and members who visit one of the Church visitor centers where the 7 other missionaries and I are profiled in exhibits (picture above!)
- Thousands on lds.org, Mormon Channel, and news sites such as deseretnews.com
My experience filming The District changed not only my mission, but my whole life.
Filming The District was an incredible, crazy, scary, and wonderful experience. I’m thrilled I get to share our experiences with missionaries every single day all over the world through The District videos.
A few months ago my sister and I started talking about some of the struggles on a mission. A flood of memories came back. The rush of leaving a lesson where we had accomplished our purpose. The loneliness of spending the holidays away from family. The stress of trying to be perfectly obedient. The joy of watching someone enter the waters of baptism. The beauty of feeling the guidance of the Spirit. The catch in my throat as I tried to be brave enough to open my mouth and speak Spanish.
I also remembered countless conversations since becoming “Sister Voyles.” I think because I experienced a tragedy on my mission, many of you have opened up about some really hard things you’ve gone through. You’ve shared stories of faith and pain and courage that have made a permanent impression on me.
And now I have some really cute little kids. I want them to know about my mission and how it shaped my life. It has made me the kind of mom and person that I am, and I want them to understand that.
All of this wrapped into a feeling that I’m ready to share my story. I’ve shared it piecemeal, while teaching at the MTC, in firesides, and various other experiences, but this is the first time that I’ve really recorded and shared my experiences of my mission.
I want this blog to:
- Explain how I was chosen to be part of the District
- Share some of the behind-the-scenes experiences
- Show the effect my mission has had on my life
- Answer some questions
So, with all that, these are my memories. These do not reflect the opinions of the Church in any way. I’ve gone through journals, pictures, reached out to friends, and tried to create a flow with what I’ve written. And I hope in some way, this shares a little bit of how much Heavenly Father loves and knows each of us.
sistervoyles.com 