The past is now another land

*Warning: Long, slightly rambling post...ok, extremely rambling*

Faithful readers of this blog (hey, you two!) know that I kind of go from obsession to obsession.

I'll spend a month blogging about crafting. 

Then half marathon training.

Then my cat.

Then making soup in pumpkins.

Then leaving my manifesto in random laundromats.

And repeat. 

Without pesky things like children and responsibility to tie me down, I am free to get obsessed with random things and torture all of you with my thoughts and feelings!

Well, this month's obsession is

 THE MISSION!

It has been so cool working with the sisters in our branch and it's brought both fond and crazy memories of my own missionary service. 

So, to honor this month's obsession- pictures from the mission! 

(Two intro pictures and then a chronology of my companionships!)

As always..

Let's do this dance! 

 I can't remember why I was always setting things on fire.

 But my mission involved a lot of fire.

 And even more diet coke. 

Side note: Sister Mietzner (my last companion) always lent me this skirt. 

I loved it. 

After she passed away, I sent her mom a card and some pictures and stories I had about her.

 Her mom then sent me this skirt.

 I am going to send it with my nieces on their missions. 

 Other than fire and diet coke the mission involved a lot of knocking on doors.

 Sometimes hours and hours a day. 

This door says "If you have come to talk about your religion or sell something, please don't knock on the door, thanks" :) 

So those three things pretty much sum up my mission: 

Fire, diet coke, and knocking on doors. 

And now..the companionship countdown!!!

 Companion Number 1

 Winsor 

She was from Canada. 

She may have escalated the already existing mental illness I had prior to the mission.

 But at the end of our missions, we had so much fun together. 

 Companion 2- my "trainer" 

(the person who teaches you how to be a missionary in the area you are serving in)

The infamous Hermana Monterroso

She spoke very little English and she was tough- like crazy tough.

In my mission journal I remark frequently that she wouldn't let me stop to use the bathroom because we had to keep working. 

 But she remains to this day one of the funniest people I have ever met. 

These are companions 3 and 4. 

I can't find separate pictures with them, although I know I have many. 

First is 

Tyler. 

(the middle one)

 She was my companion during what felt like the hottest summer of my life.

Anyone that knows me knows that I HATE summer. 

I was so miserable for most of the time we were together because we had to be out in the heat every day.

 But she was so patient and kind.

She is the one I probably talk to the most since the mission.

I can't wait to see her! 

 The blond next to her is companion number 4

 Hendricks.

 Hendricks could make me laugh and make me scream sometimes. 

 She had strange rituals (virgen de guadalupe candle!), looked a life and religion from a bigger perspective than I could appreciate at the time and I learned a lot from her. 

The three of us became companions again. 

In what is called a 'threesome'. 

Perhaps not as exciting as a real threesome.

 (although I've counseled a lot of people on their sexual issues and and apparently the threesome is overrated- just in case you were considering it:)

ANYWAY- these two made me laugh SO HARD. 

We spent 8 hours in church every Sunday because we were covering English and Spanish branches.

 You haven't lived until you've spent 8 hours in church. 

For like 28 weeks in a row.  

Companion 5

 Badger.

 (the tall one in the back with glasses)

 I know the gracious thing to do would be to find the positives but it's been almost 13 years and just seeing her picture gives me the chills.

 We did NOT get along. 

FOR EVEN ONE SECOND.

 We got in fights in the street, got in yelling matches. 

About stuff like prophets and how to pronounce the word God in spanish.

(it's THEE- OHS in case you were wondering. The D makes a 'th' sound)

The one fun memory I have is when we got lost in these cornfields at night (driving) and ended up in Indiana (before GPS and cell phones) and had to stop at this creepy little farmhouse to get directions.

 The thought of possibly being murdered bonded us together for one night :) 

Companion 6

Dalley

 I have never met anyone like Sister Dalley.

 She was the most relentlessly kind person I have ever met.

 She was a nurse and a former Miss Utah pageant contestant. 

She taught me how to do my hair, wear makeup, etc.

 She also taught me what true charity is. 

Companion number 7- my last companion-

 Mietzner 

(The one in blue)

 As I mentioned earlier, Sister Mietzner passed away when she was 26.

 We struggled as companions at times. 

I think I was ready to go home and she was depressed.

(and it was summer again so I was too!)

 But she made me laugh, showed me kindness, and kept me focused at the end of a long mission. 

She used to put on this green face mask and sneak up and scare me.

 She hated the sound of the turn signal and encouraged me to never use it.

 I think about her every day, especially when I am in a turning lane.

 I can hear her saying "You don't need your blinker- you are in a turning lane-

 Everyone knows you are turning!"

I know this has been a long post. 

I could honestly write a million posts about my mission. 

Probably the single most life changing event I have ever experienced. 

As I've continued to read my mission journal I've realized that I miss things about the mission.

Not the work or the enforced 24 hour a day companionships. 

I do NOT miss those AT ALL.

But I miss the sense of purpose and the absolute trust and faith that I had to place in God every single day. 

Maybe Heavenly Father led me to this current 'obsession' to remind me of the importance of drawing closer unto Him.

Who knows?

But I am so excited to see some of these girls in just a few weeks!

Chicago sisters rock!!

Lori Ann