In October
2012, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that, from now
on, young women starting at the age of 19, should they desire to do so, would
be allowed to serve as missionaries.
Since then, many young women have entered the mission field, including
two young women from York County in South Carolina, U.S.A.
McKayla Garnett and Camille Arce, putting aside school and other
ambitions, have answered the call to serve.
Camille
Amanda Arce, a student at York Technical College, and graduate of York
Comprehensive High School in York, departed this week to serve an 18-month
mission. She and her parents, Francisco
and Valerie Arce of York, are financing her mission. The Arces, commented: “Camille is sacrificing
to be without her family for a year and half, so that others may be with their
families for all eternity. Our family is very proud of Camille having the desire
to serve a mission and to invite others to come unto Christ.”
On August
5th, Camille reported to the Church’s Missionary Training Center in Madrid,
Spain, where she will intensely study Spanish, as well as, the Bible and the Book of Mormon. After
approximately six weeks of study, she will report to the Spain Málaga Mission
to teach the gospel. Camille’s older
brother recently served a two-year mission in the Chile Osorno Mission for the
Church as well. She exclaimed, “Words
cannot describe how excited I am to serve the Lord. I have been extremely
blessed to have the knowledge of this Gospel in my life and can’t wait to share
it with the people of Spain!”
After graduating from
high school, Camille attended York Technical College this past year and worked
at Upper Palmetto YMCA. She plans to
resume her studies when she returns in 2016.
She, like over 80,000 other Latter-day Saints (Mormon) missionaries who
are serving worldwide for the Church, has postponed her education to serve a
full-time mission.
Many might wonder why so many
young men and women would be willing to give up one and half to two years of
their lives to serve as missionaries. If
asked, most respond with same way: To share the happiness that the “good news”
of Jesus Christ brings! Church leaders
have repeatedly conveyed the necessity of spreading the “word of God.” It is an
urgency many young men and women around the world have felt and taken as their
own cause. Church leaders have put it
this way: “The gospel of Jesus Christ is the cure for so many of life’s ills that Mormons want to share the good news
of eternal life with the same urgency.” http://mormon.org/missionary-work
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| Mi familia at the Airport |
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| Hermana Arce and Mom |