Last week my 20-year-old daughter got her mission call to Oslo, Norway. Riding the crest of the wave of new female applicants, Nicole will be one of the first to arrive at the MTC before turning 21. And the excitement is palpable. The minute President Monson announced the new female eligibility of only 19 years old, thousands of girls began filling out applications. Passports, dental appointments, doctor visits—it’s been a mad scramble for eager young women who can’t wait to get out and teach the gospel.
Nicole called me from BYU-Idaho during Conference to tell me “everyone” was applying, and “everyone” was buzzing with excitement. Instead of the usual hundreds of applicants, Mission Headquarters is now trying to process an avalanche of thousands upon thousands. You couldn’t get a bigger stampede if you had announced free tickets to a Justin Bieber concert.
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