for a few years of my life, i LIVED for missionary letters.
the first wave of missionaries to go was after my freshman year, when all my best friends left to various parts of the country and world for two years. all the men, anyways. we would write them and talk about them and miss them and occasionally receive letters in return and see their weekly emails. all four of us living in club 887 would check the mail as early as possible, run to see which of us got letters. because those letters were reminders of happy times we'd had and assurances of good times to come--but also because missionaries can and do say things that regular people don't say every day. things like "i truly believe . . . " and "i testify that . . . " which would be corny and somewhat obnoxious in an everyday conversation with a regular person--but are serious and heartfelt in a letter from a missionary.
a few years later, those very girls i lived with left on missions. my roommates, my confidants, my social circle, my best friends--i needed them and i needed to talk to them. but letters were all we had--and so the process started all over again. writing faithfully, and hopefully checking the mail and being uplifted and taught through their letters.
but now all those ladies are home. and i haven't gotten any missionary mail for a while.
but when we got back from break and picked up our month's worth of mail, there were letters from two fantastic sister missionaries for me: one from my cousin jolysa sedgwick (in colorado springs), and one from my dear friend miss emilie wong (currently in malaysia, in the picture above). and once again, i was thoroughly impressed and thrilled by love and knowledge and spirit and unabashed testimony missionaries have.
they are awesome. and i am PROUD of them. proud to be associated with them and to get mail from them. just like i've been proud of all those other missionaries who i would write and who would write me.
because not having served a mission, i love hearing those oh-so-missionary thoughts and testimonies. they help me remember to be better and to try and be more like them.
now i'll go write them back.
the first wave of missionaries to go was after my freshman year, when all my best friends left to various parts of the country and world for two years. all the men, anyways. we would write them and talk about them and miss them and occasionally receive letters in return and see their weekly emails. all four of us living in club 887 would check the mail as early as possible, run to see which of us got letters. because those letters were reminders of happy times we'd had and assurances of good times to come--but also because missionaries can and do say things that regular people don't say every day. things like "i truly believe . . . " and "i testify that . . . " which would be corny and somewhat obnoxious in an everyday conversation with a regular person--but are serious and heartfelt in a letter from a missionary.
a few years later, those very girls i lived with left on missions. my roommates, my confidants, my social circle, my best friends--i needed them and i needed to talk to them. but letters were all we had--and so the process started all over again. writing faithfully, and hopefully checking the mail and being uplifted and taught through their letters.
but now all those ladies are home. and i haven't gotten any missionary mail for a while.
but when we got back from break and picked up our month's worth of mail, there were letters from two fantastic sister missionaries for me: one from my cousin jolysa sedgwick (in colorado springs), and one from my dear friend miss emilie wong (currently in malaysia, in the picture above). and once again, i was thoroughly impressed and thrilled by love and knowledge and spirit and unabashed testimony missionaries have.
they are awesome. and i am PROUD of them. proud to be associated with them and to get mail from them. just like i've been proud of all those other missionaries who i would write and who would write me.
because not having served a mission, i love hearing those oh-so-missionary thoughts and testimonies. they help me remember to be better and to try and be more like them.
now i'll go write them back.
2 comments:
Aw, you can write me a letter Alyse! I will be needing the support :)
alyse! you commented on my blog a while ago and I don't know if I respond on the comment thing if it will get back you (I feel like a mom on facebook) SO I'm commenting on your awesome blog.
1. i love your awesome blog, you write about things I think about all the time.
2. if you guys visited us in boston, that would be awesome! any time, you have an open invitation and we'll be here for years! years I tell you!
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