So I got a phone call bright and early the other day about someone having a baby.
The odd thing was, it was from a missionary who had served in the Magrath area and who had spent a fair amount of time in our house. We also got a wedding reception invite from the young man and he came back after completing his mission to visit us.
This RM seems to spend a lot of time keeping in touch with us. I’d like to think it was because we made an impact for the better in his life.
How many of you RMs keep in contact with people from your area(s) and how many of you are contacted by missionaries who’ve served in your towns and cities?
I am in contact with one person I taught on my mission. I failed to get addresses from anyone; although, I did leave addresses with everyone I taught (the address is inaccurate now).
My parents have kept in good contact with the missionaries who taught them. Both of them were my temple escorts, and one of them came to my wedding.
For the last few years, I have lived only a few hours from where I served as a missionary. I’ve only visited once. One day I took a drive to attend and see the mini-temple recently constructed within the mission. On my way home I passed by to see the newly built chapel of a branch that I once served in. I noticed some lights were on, so I went inside to see that choir practice was about to begin. Being ten years later, I still recognized faces, though not names. Some said they remembered me, but I’m sure they were just being polite. Some new faces, many old faces, and a few absent faces I made the mistake of inquiring about. One member insisted that we visit one gentleman whom I baptized. I hesitantly agreed. I met the man. We spoke, we embraced, we cried. It was a painful experience.
I wish that I had never returned and only had memories and wishes from the mission experience.
Jose
Why was it a painful experience? I am sorry it was, but wouldn’t it be joyous meeting up with people you knew and loved from your mission?
Was the man still a member? Were the people you inquired about deceased?
To a certain degree there’s an liberal amount of ‘You can never go home again.’ feeling associated with a mission, but I don’t understand why you wish you had never returned.
Yes, it sounds like a good painful novella in there between the lines.
I haven’t gotten to know any of the missionaries who have come through my ward. It probably says something commendable about you Rick, that you do.
I think I scare off plenty of mishies in our area, but the one with enough temerity to visit me, I believe, have a stimulating, good time.
We have kept in contact with quite a few missionaries that have crossed our paths. Some elders, some sisters, some in the states, some in different areas of Asia.
When we had our children sealed to us in the SLC temple some 23 odd years ago, the sealing room was literally standing room only, filled with RMs and their families; some had come from several states away to be with us that day.
Some come through our doors and we know there won’t be any contact with them after they get transferred, others we know we’ll always keep in touch. I can’t even begin to imagine my life without missionaries current or past.
When we married civilly, our 2 best men were elders still on their missions… talk about setting a precedence of going to the top to get permission for something!
As Kim said, both of the elders that baptized us stood as his escorts when he took out his endowments. The temple worker said he only needed one but the guys said, “Sorry, but we met this family as a team, and we stand by them today as a team.”