For most of my life, I wanted to serve a mission. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it always just felt like something I would do when I was 21. I went to college for two years after I finished high school, and then submitted my mission application as soon as I could, 3 months before turning 21. I got my letter in October 2009, and found out I would be going to São Paulo for 18 months. Mission Brazil São Paulo East, to be exact. I wouldn't leave until March 2010, though, so I finished up a couple online classes and worked in the meantime.
About the same time I arrived in São Paulo, at the CTM (Centro de Treinamento Missionário [Missionary Training Center]), Husband was getting his letter, and finding out that he would be serving his mission also in São Paulo East, arriving at the end of May (more about the mission in future posts!).
Fast forward a few months to January 2011, after I had been in Brazil for about 10 months, had already learned to speak Portuguese, and Husband had been on the mission for several months too, I had to call my District Leader (DL) to come interview a few people before their baptism. I had only been in Suzano for a couple weeks by that point, but already knew the other missionaries in the region (called a zone, in mission terms...the zone is split into districts and then into areas. Suzano was my area; the city I worked in).
Another detail about LDS missions, for those who are unfamiliar with them, the missionaries are always in pairs, never alone. I was in a trio at that point, because of an uneven number of Sisters at the time.
Anyway, when my DL showed up, he was with a new Elder. While my DL was off interviewing several people, the other Sisters and this new Elder and I got talking. I was sure I'd seen him before, though I couldn't place where. I asked him where I knew him from, and he said he knew me too, and tried convincing me that we were in the CTM together....until he finally had me believing that we were, and I just didn't remember him!
Over the next 8 months of my time as a missionary, we quickly and easily became good friends. Some of the places I served in had some problems he needed to fix (he was one of the mission secretaries at that point), so we became friends through that. Missionaries cannot date while serving missions, so when I say we were just friends, it is the absolute truth!
I went home, back to the USA, in September 2011. In the days leading up to my departure, I had to face reality about several things, one of which being the fact that this Elder had become my best friend. I knew that if I went home, and he went home later, our friendship would eventually end, as our paths went separate ways, we got married to different people, etc. Basically, I realized that I didn't want to lose my Best Friend, but that would only be possible if we ended up eventually building a life together. I wrote him a letter and delivered it to him as I walked out the door to the airport, telling him that I hoped we could keep in touch, and that I didn't want to lose him as my Best Friend.
On my way to the airport, and on the 24-hour trip home, I had a lot of time to think about a lot of things. One of the many things on my mind was the possibility of losing my Best Friend, and it just about broke my heart. I had no idea how he would react to my letter, or if he would even want to keep in touch, especially long-term. There were only two options, really...either stay in touch with the hopes of a future together, or just cut all ties. I couldn't have my own life in the USA and still have him as my Best Friend....the reality was that was just not possible. My future was a blank canvas, and I had no idea what colors would fill it.
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