I've been called to serve in the California San Fernando Mission, Spanish Speaking!!! I report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on 16 February 2011.
The last week has been quite a whirlwind! I received my call on Friday, 17 December. I worked my last day of picking roots on Monday, moved home Tuesday, went to see my new "nephew" on Wednesday, went mission shopping on Thursday, and then celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my mom and Tanner, and even the Sister Missionaries for a few hours! We also got to talk to Skylar today for almost an hour! It really has been a CRAZY week, but I'm loving it!
Thoughts on the call: EEEEKK!!!!! Where exactly is that you ask? Well, let me tell you! It is one of the missions just north of LA (LA lies in the southern end of the San Fernando valley), so still in Southern California. It doesn't include much coastline, but is a pretty long mission that extends into the interior quite a ways. It includes a couple national forests, and a lot of areas populated by mostly migrant farm workers (aka illegal immigrants) according to Logan, who taught a lot of people who traveled between his area and mine depending on the growing seasons. Tim and Jan know my mission president, who they say goes home in July, so I'll only be there a couple months with him. Ah well. It happens, right?
So... How am I feeling about this, you ask? How am I NOT feeling?! hahaha... but alas, I know you can relate, so I'll try to sum it up briefly: 1) TERRIFIED. about being a missionary. about this actually happening. and about learning Spanish. 2) STOKED. about being a missionary. about this actually happening. and about learning Spanish. and WARM weather for almost the entire year, give or take a few rainy weeks! haha (I guess they didn't pay attention to my wearing a scarf in my picture! haha) and also about having something to talk about with Logan both now and for the rest of our lives. And we can do it in Spanish, even! 3) RELIEVED. that I'm staying in the states (as much as I love traveling, I know better than most my age that it is not nearly as glamorous as most think it is, and with all the adjusting I will have to do anyway, I'm just really glad that I'll still be able to a) buy cheap shampoo in huge American bottles, b) buy JIF Crunchy peanut butter, Oreos, ice cream, and all my other favorite comfort foods if the need arises, c) I don't have to take a ridiculous amount of things with me because I KNOW I can get them in the field. 4) STRESSED. I essentially have about 6 weeks to go through the Temple in Nauvoo, go to Arizona to get my things from Erika's, go to Provo to get some missionary essentials that you just can't really get anywhere else, do some hardcore studying, and mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepare to "lose" myself, as much as anyone can prepare for that--as you well know! haha So I have A LOT to do! 5) SAD. Unexpectedly, I've come to realize just how attached I am to several people here in Mississippi, and I really am sad to not only have to say goodbye, but having to leave immediately with the likely prospect of never seeing them again. But this also makes me feel like I didn't completely fail here, which is a bit of a relief, too!
But, I'm off for another adventure! This time though, it has nothing to do with me, and I could really use all the prayers that you can remember to say for me!!
