The Beginning: The Amazing Race to Lyon

Monaco in the southern portion of my mission.

On August 13th, 2014 I received a special letter that I have been waiting 18 years to open.  As a young man in the LDS faith, you dream of this day.  As I nervously and excitedly anticipated opening this letter, I promised that where ever I was asked to serve a full-time mission, I would do so faithfully and happily. Surrounded by family and friends in my home,  I open my mission call to the France Lyon Mission!!    After a loud eruption of applause and amazement, my family and I looked deeper at the mission call to find out just where in the world I'll be serving. This is an exciting call, because both my parents went on French speaking missions. My mother to northern France and Belgium, and my father to Quebec, Canada. They both are thrilled for this mission call.

My name is Race Acheson. For the next two years you can call me Elder Acheson.  I was born April, 28, 1996 in Provo, Utah, lived in Bellevue, Washington for a couple of years, then back to Provo.  I graduated from Timpview High School in 2014. I have been accepted to Brigham Young University here in Provo, but have deferred my schooling for obvious reasons (serving a mission for two years). 

I am the second Elder Acheson in my family to serve a mission at this time.  My older brother, Elder Chase Acheson, is currently serving his mission in the Adriatic South Mission.  He is currently in Albania.

For the past seven months after graduation from high school, I have worked full-time at an amazing company called Rustica Hardware. From learning how to weld, drill, saw, paint, nail, use power tools, I have learned how to do difficult work. I have been saving since I was little, and with my job, I have been able to pay for my mission.

December 17, 2014 I will leave my family and friends and join the throngs of nervous missionaries and begin my journey as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years.  As I set forth I am reminded of my favorite scripture from the Bible:

Hebrews 12:1-2

 1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the Race that is set before us,

 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.