You heard right. I decided not to wait for my President to contact me. I did, as any good citizen would do, contact him instead, along with his wonderful wife. And I mailed this letter today :) Here are some of the less personal things I wrote:
President & Sister Miles:
I am so grateful to be able to write you this letter. I know that I probably should have done so a little earlier. Nevertheless, I still think it might be a good idea to write to you before we meet in person a few months from now.
My name is Pascal Friedmann and I have been called to serve in your Mission. I will report to the England MTC on March 20 next year and I will be on the two-week fast track which means I will probably get to Munich early in April. I am very excited to meet you and your wife, and to serve the wonderful people in your Mission. Be aware that I love them already, and that I always have! My family, with the exception of my parents and one of my grandmothers, all live in the Mission boundaries. I also have many friends that live all throughout the Alpine German-Speaking Mission. Almost of all them, including my family, are not members of the Church so I was very happy when I opened my call, hoping to be able to make a difference in those people`s lives. As you prayerfully decide on where to assign me, feel free to consider that most of my family lives in the area that belongs to the Heilbronn Branch, and that it would mean a lot to me if I had the chance to teach those relatives while I`m on my Mission. They are grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, so this should not interfere with Mission rules.
I`ve probably been a little impolite by starting this letter without introducing myself. I`m 20 years old, I was born and raised in a small farm town just west of Bonn, Germany, and I currently live in Ogden, Utah where I attend Weber State. I eventually plan on transferring to BYU and on majoring in either Public Relations or Business. I was baptized in February 2012. I love the Gospel. It is the foundation that I have decided to build my life on. It is simple, fulfilling and, most of all, incredibly beautiful. I am eager to share this knowledge I`ve gained with everyone I meet. Expect me to be obedient, virtuous, committed and hard-working from day one to the very last moment of my two years in the Alpine German-Speaking Mission. My testimony is not up for debate. It is firm and strong as it was the very night two years ago when I had finished reading the Book of Mormon, went on my knees and took Moroni up on his challenge to ask God if it is all true. I got my answer and it stands to this day, and I know that if I stay obedient and do what Heavenly Father asks me to do, it will stand forever. I believe that you, President, probably know that the Church is true. And it is. I know it too. You can take my word on that.
I sound like a broken record, but I am really, really excited to serve Heavenly Father`s children as a Missionary. I cannot imagine doing it anywhere else anymore. I have been called to the Alpine German-Speaking Mission for a reason and I know that this is the place where I need to be. I cannot wait to meet you! Great things are ahead! :)
Best wishes,
Elder Friedmann
