I must confess, I received my mission call weeks ago. I opened it on the night of Friday, December 19th. However, I'm not telling where I'm going until I tell the story.
Thursday: After I'd finished all of my exams (yes, it was finals week at BYU) I could finally focus on the project I'd worked on throughout the week, due the next day at 11. I am a costume design major and my final project for my design class was to costume 6-8 characters from a show. I had my ideas, fabric swatches, history and images to work with, but I hadn't started drawing or painting or anything like that. I had all my supplies and a work space cleared. At 4 pm I sat down to work. At about 7 pm my sister called and wanted to know when we'd be able to go home. I was sure I'd communicated that I had to go to work Friday until 6 pm, and then I would have to go back to my apartment and pack and clean. There was no way I would be ready to go until at least Saturday. This is the best (almost anyway) part. Heidi and Trevor really wanted to go home (so did I, but didn't think it was possible before Saturday) so Heidi came to my apartment and packed all of my things! I pulled out the few things I would need before the next day, and she packed everything else. From the kitchen to laundry, the bedroom to bathroom Heidi put everything in boxes and bags and hauled them from my apartment to her car to Grandma's house. I sat in the same chair the entire time drawing, tracing, coloring, painting. Heidi left around 1 in the morning, my apartment was bare. She left me my computer and a few movies with whose company I could finish the project, a change of clean clothes for the next day, and a can of tuna and one of V8 for lunch. She also left the sheets, blankets, and pillows on my bed, hoping that I'd make it there before work. I didn't. not really. I'd started the project at 4 Thursday afternoon and finished in Friday morning around 8.
Friday: After the project was 100% finished, I took about 15 minutes to just lay on my bed. I don't think I was asleep. After telling your body it can't sleep for 16 hours straight, I don't think it wants to afterward. It's like missing the exit from the freeway. Once it's gone, it's gone and you have to keep going. Anyway . . . after sleeping failed, I jumped in the shower to freshen myself up. I hate being dirty. I was in the process of straightening my hair when my mom called. This is a very rare occurrence. Don't think that my mom is a bad mom because she never calls me. "It just does not work that way." (That's a quote from President Packer, I love it.) My mom is the most thoughtful and wonderous person ever. She doesn't call because she knows we're busy. She keeps herself free so that we can call her when we're not. It works nicely. :) So, I was a bit surprised when she called. I thought something had gone wrong, someone had died or something. I asked what was up and she said something like, "I think you should call your boss and tell her you can't work today." Mom, I have to work today. Nobody else is qualified to do my job and those that are are already gone. "Could you get it off if you told them your mission call was waiting for you at home?" Is it?! "Yes." AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! I woke two roommates and danced around my apartment screaming for what felt like 10 minutes, even though it was probably only 2. I had despaired when it didn't come on Thursday like the Post Office said it would if it was coming. I was sure it wouldn't come for another two weeks since the next Thursday was Christmas. But no! It was waiting for me at home!!! All the tiredness and aches from denying my body sleep were gone. I was so excited. The rest of the story isn't important. Well, let's rephrase that. I finished my hair, said goodbye to roommates and friends, exchanged Christmas presents and wishes with few, and went to turn in my project. It was beautiful and I got 100% on it. My mom called me and said she'd called my boss and arranged it that I wouldn't have to go to work. She then said she'd asked Trevor, my brother, to help me with my cleaning check so that we could get headed home before the weather got nasty. Trevor came over and mopped my floor! (Holy smokes . . . he must really have wanted to go home.) We finally left Provo around 5 pm which was LOTS earlier than I thought was possible. We drove through terrible snow from Provo to Filmore, taking three hours for an hour and 20 minute drive. We arrived in Overton, and at home, at about 11 pm Utah time.
After hugging mom a couple times, Grant and Pamela at least once, and pacing up and down, I thought "Just get it over with." More than once in the car, I fell silent and Heidi said, "Mission call?" Yeah. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I SO wanted it to be the Lord's will for me. I was so nervous . . . I wanted whatever it said to bring peace to the churning sea of nerves in my stomach. I knew that in order to serve for 18 months I would need to know the call was perfect for me. People asked me where I wanted to go and I simply told them, wherever the Lord sends me. I can't pick a place because I can't start out disappointed. So, I finally braced myself and grabbed the envelope. I sat down in the blue recliner, indian style. My fingers fumbled as I broke the seal and ripped the contents out placing them face down. I didn't want any surprises before I was ready. I placed the envelope over the text so that I could slide it down, reading only one line at a time.
Dear Sister Mecham,
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
That's about how it went. :) The name of the church fills up a whole line! The next line . . . I didn't get a whole lot out of! Heidi, who was standing behind me screamed too. She saw it . . . :) I tried to get the rest of the words out through the tears that had already begun to flow.
You are assigned to labor in the Germany Munich/Austria Mission. (Then everyone else screamed.) It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.
You should report to the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah on Wednesday, 25 February, 2009. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the German language. . .
The rest was very beautiful, but I won't share it here.
Sincerely,
Thomas S. Monson
President
So, that's the story. I immediately began calling people who expressed desire to know ASAP, like Grandma and Carolyn Jensen. Bradley was on the phone listening, but you know he's deaf, so I re-read it for him. I sent out texts to everyone in my phone (if you didn't get one there's a post on my blog previous explaining why. It's not because I don't love you, it's because I no longer have your number!)
If you don't know where Germany, Munich, or Austria are, these may jog your memory.
That would be "The Sound of Music", Neuschwanstein Castle, and Hallstatt. Very famous, very beautiful. I'll get to the Alps in the Spring. May. Oh man . . . it's perfect. :)
"What could you do better for your children and your children's children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved?"
