In this powerful episode of Called Sister, I’m joined by Sara Ahlstrom, who served in the Cherry Hill, New Jersey Mission (June 2000–December 2001) — including during the events of September 11, 2001.

Sara shares what it was like to be a missionary while the world stood still. From knocking doors the morning of 9/11, to shifting from formal lessons to hymns and prayer, to witnessing communities unite in grief and faith — her experience is both sacred and unforgettable.

We also talk about:

• Learning exact obedience without rigidity

• Gaining a testimony in the MTC

• Discovering how she personally feels the Spirit

• Temple service and spiritual nudges

• Living with anxiety and learning new tools later in life

• Why she tells every young woman: “Just go.”

This episode is grounding, thoughtful, and deeply faith-filled.

If you are considering serving a mission — or wondering how your mission shaped you — this conversation will uplift you.

✨ Share this episode with a sister who needs encouragement today.

0:00 – Introduction + cardboard cutout missionary daughter

3:15 – Cherry Hill, NJ (2000–2001)

7:00 – Deciding to serve at 21

11:00 – Obedience & why rules matter

18:00 – Christmas phone call story

24:00 – September 11, 2001 as a missionary

30:00 – Switching from lessons to hymns & prayer

36:00 – Community candlelight moment

43:00 – Gaining a testimony in the MTC

49:00 – How she feels the Spirit

55:00 – Temple service & spiritual nudges

1:04:00 – Anxiety, medication & growth

1:12:00 – “Keep pushing the handcart”

1:18:00 – Advice: Just go

1:22:00 – Testimony & closing

“Look for ways to follow the rules — you never know what they’re protecting.”

“This is the only time in your life you’ll work full-time with the Savior.”

“Keep pushing the handcart.”

“A mission taught me how to be a member.”

“I couldn’t say ‘I know’ yet… but I realized all those little spiritual moments meant I did.”

“Medication can lift the fog so you can think clearly.”

“God wants us to become our happiest, most beautiful, most productive selves.”

“A mission isn’t mutually exclusive from being a wife or mother — it strengthens you for it.”

“He will walk with you forward again.”

“Just go.”

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