Trabuco Canyon twin
sisters, together in spirit, embark on separate missions
BY MARIE EKBERG PADILLA / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Published: Aug. 20, 2014 Updated:
1:17 p.m.
Trabuco Canyon sisters Madison and Megan
Mittleman are closer than most siblings.
Not only are they identical twins, they are
best friends, roommates at Brigham Young University and are never far apart to
offer each other support, they said.
Until now.
The sisters have been called to go on
missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Megan left for Santiago, Chile, last week and
Madison is taking off for Berlin next week.
For 18 months, the twins will live on
different continents, and they are allowed to call home only on Christmas and
Mother’s Day, in addition to sending weekly email updates.
“We are really close to each other so it will
definitely be different not seeing Megan all the time, and even knowing that
she is many miles away will be weird,” Madison said. “It is comforting,
however, to know that we will both be serving as missionaries, having similar
lifestyles, despite being in different parts of the world.”
The longest the sisters have been apart is
three weeks when Madison did a student exchange program in Germany last summer.
“That was hard enough,” Megan said. “But it’s
comforting to know both of us will be dedicating our lives to serving others.
It will be a great time for us to experience our own adventures and grow on our
own.”
Their mother, Valerie, said the girls’
departure is bittersweet.
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| Madison-Left, Megan-Right |
“Their personalities are so great, so kind
and so nice, and I’ll miss having that around,” she said. “But it brings me
peace and comfort knowing they are helping others.”
Their mission will also prepare them to be
better moms, wives, daughters and friends, she said.
“It’s a way to grow individually and people
will get to know them individually,” she said.
The girls don’t seem to be worried about the
restricted contact with family and friends.
“I think that having limited contact with
home is the perfect way to keep missionaries feeling supported and updated
somewhat but not distracted or deterred from their work,” Madison said.
“Missionaries’ full focus should be on those who they are serving.”
The Mittleman twins, who belong to the Las
Flores ward, are two of 19 missionaries this year who have been sent out from
the Mission Viejo stake to spread the Gospel around the world. The stake
currently has 77 missionaries around the world.
Going on a mission is voluntary in the Mormon
church. Anyone who chooses to go on a mission needs to turn in an application
to church headquarters and then receives a call with their destination, chosen
by the church. The twins ended up with mission calls to “very fitting”
destinations based on their experiences and language skills, their mom said.
Megan studied Spanish in high school and
college. She has never been to Chile before but went on a two-week humanitarian
trip to Peru in 2012. Madison studied German in high school and college.
“I actually really love German and I’m stoked
I’ll be culturally immersed,” Madison said. “My main goal is to invite as many
people as I can to come unto Jesus Christ and see him as their personal savior
and help them realize their potential as a child of our loving God.”
Megan agreed, saying service brings about
change in people.
“I think I will be happy with the change I see in
those I meet and teach and the change in myself,” she said. “This life is a
gift and I know when we serve others we experience true joy.”