Holy smokes, this is real! I am coming to the
realization that my mission truly is going to happen. As I have been preparing
and getting ready I understand more and more of what a mission requires and how
hard it is going to be. Yes, it will be amazing and such an awesome learning
experience but it will be harder than anything I have ever done. How have I
come across this idea? I had to say goodbye a few weeks ago to two of the most
incredible guys I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. It just feels wrong to
not give some ode to them in some way and this is what I’ve resorted to.
Prepare yourself; it’s about to get sappy.
Braeden Black. My best friend in the whole world
and the person who I can tell anything to, even if I wasn’t supposed to. He is
the person who tells me my hair looks weird and asks me why I am so awkward
around people. He is the one who will push me into that cute guy in the hallway
so I can make a terrible first impression but still get to talk to him because
I’m too shy to do it myself. He makes fun of me endlessly, but to the point
where I look forward to it. Our conversations range from the newest movie
coming out to him telling me about the girls he wishes he were dating to how
excited we are for our missions to deep intellectual discussions about the
gospel. With him, I am completely myself. He is one of the best examples to me
of faith and how to make connections with people. He has this amazing ability
that when you talk to him he looks at you, not just glance but truly looks at
you and makes you feel like there’s some deep friendship as if you’ve known him
forever. He left to go to the Mexico CCM about a week ago and then will go to
lovely San Antonio Texas. All I know is that I miss him and I hope he comes
back fat.
Then there’s Mitch. Oh man, where do I even begin? I had the amazing pleasure of getting to know Mitch really well the past few months and it has been one of the funnest rides. I had gone to Lake Powell with him and Braeden and two other guys a couple summers earlier where I learned he was pretty neat but really fell in love with his family more than anything. His siblings are hilarious and sweet and his parents even more so. They made me feel so welcomed and happy that I just wanted to be around them all the time and couldn’t really care less about Mitch himself. Then school started and he got a girlfriend so we didn’t hang out. To make a very long story short they broke up and I was being particularly lonesome in the hallway and he gave me a pity hello and asked me out. And then we kept going on dates and it kept being more and more fun each time as we got to know each other better. He has the amazing ability to talk to people. He can start up a conversation with anyone on the street and brighten their day and leave them better than he found them. He makes me laugh like none other and is an extreme gentleman (in my opinion to a fault) and makes me so very happy. As I have had the pleasure of dating him I have learned through his example what it means to be Christ like and look out for others. But all wonderful things must come to an end – the dreaded date came. July 30th. He left to go to Guayaquil Ecuador and save the whole stinkin’ world. It was the hardest goodbye I’ve ever had to face because I was so excited for him, rather for both of us, to go on missions and learn more about our gospel but having seen him everyday to not at all sucked. Not hugging him for two years? How could I possibly do something like that? Well overall lots of ice cream and crying (like, a lot. I mean a ton of both) happened and it’s still super hard and I miss him a lot, but I know that this is exactly where we are supposed to be. His simple friendship and happy disposition is something I sorely miss in my life but I am willing to share with Ecuador for a couple of years.
Then there’s Mitch. Oh man, where do I even begin? I had the amazing pleasure of getting to know Mitch really well the past few months and it has been one of the funnest rides. I had gone to Lake Powell with him and Braeden and two other guys a couple summers earlier where I learned he was pretty neat but really fell in love with his family more than anything. His siblings are hilarious and sweet and his parents even more so. They made me feel so welcomed and happy that I just wanted to be around them all the time and couldn’t really care less about Mitch himself. Then school started and he got a girlfriend so we didn’t hang out. To make a very long story short they broke up and I was being particularly lonesome in the hallway and he gave me a pity hello and asked me out. And then we kept going on dates and it kept being more and more fun each time as we got to know each other better. He has the amazing ability to talk to people. He can start up a conversation with anyone on the street and brighten their day and leave them better than he found them. He makes me laugh like none other and is an extreme gentleman (in my opinion to a fault) and makes me so very happy. As I have had the pleasure of dating him I have learned through his example what it means to be Christ like and look out for others. But all wonderful things must come to an end – the dreaded date came. July 30th. He left to go to Guayaquil Ecuador and save the whole stinkin’ world. It was the hardest goodbye I’ve ever had to face because I was so excited for him, rather for both of us, to go on missions and learn more about our gospel but having seen him everyday to not at all sucked. Not hugging him for two years? How could I possibly do something like that? Well overall lots of ice cream and crying (like, a lot. I mean a ton of both) happened and it’s still super hard and I miss him a lot, but I know that this is exactly where we are supposed to be. His simple friendship and happy disposition is something I sorely miss in my life but I am willing to share with Ecuador for a couple of years.
These experiences have helped me realize and
understand what a time commitment a mission is. Now I have to go through all of
that again with my family. Man oh man, it is going to be so hard. Nothing even
compares to the love I have for my family and I’m not sure what I’m going to
do. But as my mission draws nearer, the excitement increases as well as the
bittersweet knowledge of what October 1st brings. I truly am so
grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission, as well as have the blessing
of having such great friends to lead by their examples. And hey, two years
isn’t that long, right?
Braeden. He's into anything French, sushi, making fun of me, and serving the Lord in San Antonio.
Isn't Mitch handsome? I'm so jealous of Ecuador.
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