Did You Know? Church Service Missions

About a year ago, I saw a "advertisement" on Facebook from the Church.  It was all about serving a Church Service Mission as a part-time missionary for FamilySearch.  I was immediately drawn to the idea.  I love family history and felt I could contribute in that way.  I followed the process of application and began my mission as a FamilySearch Support Missionary Oct 1.  The training process was time consuming and difficult at times.  I will fully admit that there were days when I thought, "This is NOT what I signed up for."  But when my training was complete and I began to actually help people, it felt good.  What do FamilySearch Support Missionaries do?  We answer the phone calls (chats or emails too) from people all around the world who contact FamilySearch through the website's help center.  I enjoy the interactions I have through those phone calls.  Each phone call is a chance to serve - a chance to leave the person on the other end of the line with a positive experience - it is a chance to strive to be like my Savior.

Through the months I have been serving, I have been given various responsibilities and assignments.  I have felt the Lord's hand in those assignments.  I have been stretched, pushed and tested.  I have learned a great deal about myself - my limitations and my strengths - and about working with others in a Christlike way.  Admittedly, there have been things I have not liked about serving this particular mission. But those things do not overshadow the feeling of gladness that I chose to serve.  I know that when my release arrives part of me will be relieved, because my assignment is time consuming and increasingly aggravating to my arthritis issues, but I also know that I will miss the people I serve with and the mental stimulation of my current assignment.  Would I be willing to serve another Church Service Mission? Yes.  I would be careful to know the expectations and ensure that I could meet those. But yes, I would be willing and would be grateful for the blessings that I know always accompany us as we serve.

I have had people ask me how I like my Church Service Mission and honestly depending on how bad my back was hurting at the time, my answer has varied.  But overall missionaries who serve Church Service Missions are happy.  There are so many, many opportunities to serve.  My FamilySearch Support mission is just one option.  Below is the link to the Church Service Missionaries page on lds.org.  If you have ever thought or wondered about serving a Church Service Mission this is the page to look at.  You can follow the links to see what kinds of opportunities exist and to learn about the application process.  There are also links to amazing and inspiring stories from others who have served as Church Service Missionaries all around the world.

https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/church-service-missionary?lang=eng

-Lorie Pierce