I remember when Johannah told us that she wanted to serve a mission. It was a couple of months after her freshman year had begun. When she uttered those life-changing words, "I want to serve a mission," my heart sank. Mark hadn't been home from his mission for very long, and the pain of having a child gone was still pretty fresh. Let's just say that I wasn't at all encouraging.
However, time passed, and when she actually submitted her papers, I was so excited for her. I was excited for me too. While I can't pinpoint any specific blessing that came to us when the boys were serving their missions, there is just a special kind of purpose that enters my life. I can't really do anything without thinking about my missionary, and in some special way, my life is changed. I write daily letters which, for an introvert, is cathartic. I study my scriptures a little bit better because I want to be able to offer encouragement. I'm constantly in a "service" mode, and as we all know, serving brings us closer to our Savior. Plus, there is something beautifully motivational and exciting, thinking about the next phone call, or making plans for when the missionary comes home. I am a planner, so nothing makes me happier.
I do wish I was like those good, stalwart Mormon mothers who rejoice in their children going on missions. They liken them to Alma and Amulek, and they find some kind of sick, sadistic joy in sending their children off. I don't imagine that I will ever get to that point, because I always feel a tinge of sadness when we are together as a family and there is someone missing.
Let me just say to anyone out there who might someday be sending a missionary on a mission: sending a sister missionary out is a completely different animal from sending an elder out. It didn't take me more than a couple of days to get the boys ready. We bought a couple of suits, 14 white shirts, walking shoes, boots, a coat and a camera.
I started shopping months ago for Hannah. She needed all kinds of dresses and skirts. "Nice" dresses for church and zone conferences, and "work" dresses for tracting. She needs skirts too, and with those skirts, a couple of different shirts and sweaters for each skirt. I do believe we sent her off with seven pairs of shoes. Two sturdy walking pairs (goodness, as cute as they try and make them, let's face it, they just aren't cute), a pair of flats (with rubber soles), a pair of "nice" church shoes (again for church, the temple and zone conferences), a pair of boots (more about that later), running shoes (for exercising), and casual shoes for P-Day. I seriously believe all those shoes took up 30 of the 50 pounds we were allowed in one suitcase, and only one pair (her Converse) weren't required on the supplied missionary packing list.
The boots. Goodness, the number of pairs of boots I ordered from Zappos...and returned. They were supposed to be "rain" boots, but not rain boots per se, because she needs to be able to walk 6-7 miles a day in them. Have you actually ever tried to walk miles in wellies? Your feet will never recover. Of course, leather won't work, because Ecuador's rainy season lasts at least six months. They shouldn't be tall either, because the temperature is still in the 70's, and who wants to be wearing tall boots in hot weather. We tried everything. I figured I might be able to Scotchgard leather boots. We tried duck boots from L.L. Bean.
Enter Allison.
If professional shopping was a money-making job, Allison would make BANK! She knows what to shop for, and how to shop, and she does it effortlessly.
She suggested that we try REI. We (of course) don't have a local REI, but Ann Arbor does. So, after returning countless number of boots, I turned it over to the REI gods the next time I was in Ann Arbor. And low and behold, even after Christmas and with a limited supply of boots, we found the perfect pair of boots. Mid calf, leather, but treated leather. Honestly, I asked the sales guy at least twice if they were really waterproof, and to his credit, he knew the ins and outs of the boots because, as he pointed out, he was wearing the guys' equivalent at that moment. And as if these boots couldn't be any better, they had a rubber sole, with no heel, and they were soft yet sturdy.
I do believe these were an answer to my motherly boot angst, because believe it or not, I had begun praying about finding a pair of boots that would work on Hannah's mission. And I hit myself over the head daily that I didn't buy a pair for myself.
Dresses were the second biggest cause of stress. Being 5'10" tall and 185 pounds, it's not exactly easy to find a modest dress that is long enough. In the end, I do believe I sent Hannah off with at least 25 dresses because when I found one, I bought it. That's right. 25 dresses. And that doesn't include skirts. Sister Missionary Mall in Provo (recommended by my friend, Claudia Koide, when I expressed frustration over lunch in December) was another answer to prayers. They had simple, modest, work horse dresses; the kind of dresses that when they wear out, she can just pitch them, and there's nothing lost. I also shopped the heck out of BodenUSA and found several cute dresses.
And in the end, she had four Boden dresses that I bought her within the last few years, but they weren't quite right for missionary work. Two were knit, and super comfortable, but about four inches too short, and the other two were shirt dresses that had buttons that would pop open when she wore a bag slung across her chest (not exactly what you want walking around the streets of Quito!). So, when I took Glo out to Utah for her auditions in January, I packed those four dresses in my suitcase and got them altered at a terrific little alteration shop in Orem. Seriously, we added a fabric band to the two knit dresses and added extra buttons on the inside of the placket of the shirt dresses. Again, she's already worn the dresses quite a bit, so I told her to donate them or pitch them when they were worn out.
It's probably pretty obvious by now how she ended up with 25+ dresses!
Another worry for Johannah was contact lenses. With Ethan, I knew he could buy solution in Provo (at the MTC), and in Poland (seeing as we had lived in Europe). Mark doesn't have vision problems, so it wasn't a thought. I couldn't though guarantee that Ecuador would have contact lens solution, seeing as every website about Ecuador laments the fact that they don't sell tampons in the country (yet another problem for sister missionaries!) So, it was a visit to the eye doctor for disposable daily contact lenses, and two pairs of glasses (one new pair that is super cute and fits well, and one old pair that uses the frames she's had for years and that will serve as a backup pair).
Too, acne.
My unlucky girls. While neither of their brothers has any problems with acne (like me), my two girls have terrible acne problems (like their father). I have seen so many missionaries develop cystic acne on their missions (due to the stress), and I've seen even more sister missionaries with terrible complexions while serving their missions. I worried that Hannah would end up with scarring if we couldn't continue her daily regimen, so we sent her with POUNDS of ProActive. No joke, we sent her with the entire system, and she has enough for 18 months. We also sent her with six months of BCP which she used to use for her acne, but doesn't anymore. I figure if it gets bad enough (and it might with bad water and stress), she can go back on BCP to help her skin.
And as if she couldn't need anything more, she also was told to bring three pairs of dress slacks. That's right, Johannah is lucky enough to be going to a land that has a "mosquito" season, and the sisters are encouraged to wear pants. Of course, there are a million guidelines about the cut of the pants. Nothing showing the ankle, nothing dragging on the floor, nothing too tight, nothing too loose. In fact, when I looked at the drawings of what was acceptable and what wasn't, it was a difference of a hair's width. I certainly wasn't sending her with the typical wide leg dress slacks, because let's be real here, she'll return with them in 18 months with the tags still on! So, I found some nice chinos. And of course, she needed shirts to match :-)
Needless to say, neither of boys was overweight (50+ pounds) with their two suitcases, but we forked
over $150 this morning to cover Hannie's 70 pound suitcases :-) And in all honesty, I would have paid more for her to have everything. Europe has it all, but Ecuador is a third world country. If she doesn't bring it, she won't have it.
So it's been a process, getting her ready. I have no idea how she's going to schlep those suitcases on trains and busses when she gets transferred, but I do take hope in the fact that she will be pitching dresses along the way, and using her ProActive.
I already know that Glo is planning on serving a mission. I might just send her with a couple of suits and 14 white shirts....
However, time passed, and when she actually submitted her papers, I was so excited for her. I was excited for me too. While I can't pinpoint any specific blessing that came to us when the boys were serving their missions, there is just a special kind of purpose that enters my life. I can't really do anything without thinking about my missionary, and in some special way, my life is changed. I write daily letters which, for an introvert, is cathartic. I study my scriptures a little bit better because I want to be able to offer encouragement. I'm constantly in a "service" mode, and as we all know, serving brings us closer to our Savior. Plus, there is something beautifully motivational and exciting, thinking about the next phone call, or making plans for when the missionary comes home. I am a planner, so nothing makes me happier.
I do wish I was like those good, stalwart Mormon mothers who rejoice in their children going on missions. They liken them to Alma and Amulek, and they find some kind of sick, sadistic joy in sending their children off. I don't imagine that I will ever get to that point, because I always feel a tinge of sadness when we are together as a family and there is someone missing.
Let me just say to anyone out there who might someday be sending a missionary on a mission: sending a sister missionary out is a completely different animal from sending an elder out. It didn't take me more than a couple of days to get the boys ready. We bought a couple of suits, 14 white shirts, walking shoes, boots, a coat and a camera.
I started shopping months ago for Hannah. She needed all kinds of dresses and skirts. "Nice" dresses for church and zone conferences, and "work" dresses for tracting. She needs skirts too, and with those skirts, a couple of different shirts and sweaters for each skirt. I do believe we sent her off with seven pairs of shoes. Two sturdy walking pairs (goodness, as cute as they try and make them, let's face it, they just aren't cute), a pair of flats (with rubber soles), a pair of "nice" church shoes (again for church, the temple and zone conferences), a pair of boots (more about that later), running shoes (for exercising), and casual shoes for P-Day. I seriously believe all those shoes took up 30 of the 50 pounds we were allowed in one suitcase, and only one pair (her Converse) weren't required on the supplied missionary packing list.
The boots. Goodness, the number of pairs of boots I ordered from Zappos...and returned. They were supposed to be "rain" boots, but not rain boots per se, because she needs to be able to walk 6-7 miles a day in them. Have you actually ever tried to walk miles in wellies? Your feet will never recover. Of course, leather won't work, because Ecuador's rainy season lasts at least six months. They shouldn't be tall either, because the temperature is still in the 70's, and who wants to be wearing tall boots in hot weather. We tried everything. I figured I might be able to Scotchgard leather boots. We tried duck boots from L.L. Bean.
Enter Allison.
If professional shopping was a money-making job, Allison would make BANK! She knows what to shop for, and how to shop, and she does it effortlessly.
She suggested that we try REI. We (of course) don't have a local REI, but Ann Arbor does. So, after returning countless number of boots, I turned it over to the REI gods the next time I was in Ann Arbor. And low and behold, even after Christmas and with a limited supply of boots, we found the perfect pair of boots. Mid calf, leather, but treated leather. Honestly, I asked the sales guy at least twice if they were really waterproof, and to his credit, he knew the ins and outs of the boots because, as he pointed out, he was wearing the guys' equivalent at that moment. And as if these boots couldn't be any better, they had a rubber sole, with no heel, and they were soft yet sturdy.
I do believe these were an answer to my motherly boot angst, because believe it or not, I had begun praying about finding a pair of boots that would work on Hannah's mission. And I hit myself over the head daily that I didn't buy a pair for myself.
Dresses were the second biggest cause of stress. Being 5'10" tall and 185 pounds, it's not exactly easy to find a modest dress that is long enough. In the end, I do believe I sent Hannah off with at least 25 dresses because when I found one, I bought it. That's right. 25 dresses. And that doesn't include skirts. Sister Missionary Mall in Provo (recommended by my friend, Claudia Koide, when I expressed frustration over lunch in December) was another answer to prayers. They had simple, modest, work horse dresses; the kind of dresses that when they wear out, she can just pitch them, and there's nothing lost. I also shopped the heck out of BodenUSA and found several cute dresses.
And in the end, she had four Boden dresses that I bought her within the last few years, but they weren't quite right for missionary work. Two were knit, and super comfortable, but about four inches too short, and the other two were shirt dresses that had buttons that would pop open when she wore a bag slung across her chest (not exactly what you want walking around the streets of Quito!). So, when I took Glo out to Utah for her auditions in January, I packed those four dresses in my suitcase and got them altered at a terrific little alteration shop in Orem. Seriously, we added a fabric band to the two knit dresses and added extra buttons on the inside of the placket of the shirt dresses. Again, she's already worn the dresses quite a bit, so I told her to donate them or pitch them when they were worn out.
It's probably pretty obvious by now how she ended up with 25+ dresses!
Another worry for Johannah was contact lenses. With Ethan, I knew he could buy solution in Provo (at the MTC), and in Poland (seeing as we had lived in Europe). Mark doesn't have vision problems, so it wasn't a thought. I couldn't though guarantee that Ecuador would have contact lens solution, seeing as every website about Ecuador laments the fact that they don't sell tampons in the country (yet another problem for sister missionaries!) So, it was a visit to the eye doctor for disposable daily contact lenses, and two pairs of glasses (one new pair that is super cute and fits well, and one old pair that uses the frames she's had for years and that will serve as a backup pair).
Too, acne.
My unlucky girls. While neither of their brothers has any problems with acne (like me), my two girls have terrible acne problems (like their father). I have seen so many missionaries develop cystic acne on their missions (due to the stress), and I've seen even more sister missionaries with terrible complexions while serving their missions. I worried that Hannah would end up with scarring if we couldn't continue her daily regimen, so we sent her with POUNDS of ProActive. No joke, we sent her with the entire system, and she has enough for 18 months. We also sent her with six months of BCP which she used to use for her acne, but doesn't anymore. I figure if it gets bad enough (and it might with bad water and stress), she can go back on BCP to help her skin.
And as if she couldn't need anything more, she also was told to bring three pairs of dress slacks. That's right, Johannah is lucky enough to be going to a land that has a "mosquito" season, and the sisters are encouraged to wear pants. Of course, there are a million guidelines about the cut of the pants. Nothing showing the ankle, nothing dragging on the floor, nothing too tight, nothing too loose. In fact, when I looked at the drawings of what was acceptable and what wasn't, it was a difference of a hair's width. I certainly wasn't sending her with the typical wide leg dress slacks, because let's be real here, she'll return with them in 18 months with the tags still on! So, I found some nice chinos. And of course, she needed shirts to match :-)Needless to say, neither of boys was overweight (50+ pounds) with their two suitcases, but we forked
over $150 this morning to cover Hannie's 70 pound suitcases :-) And in all honesty, I would have paid more for her to have everything. Europe has it all, but Ecuador is a third world country. If she doesn't bring it, she won't have it.
So it's been a process, getting her ready. I have no idea how she's going to schlep those suitcases on trains and busses when she gets transferred, but I do take hope in the fact that she will be pitching dresses along the way, and using her ProActive.
I already know that Glo is planning on serving a mission. I might just send her with a couple of suits and 14 white shirts....
Hannah is going to come home with some serious muscles, both physically and spiritually! 😉
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing and I'm sure Hannah is going to be the most prepared sister in her mission. I can't imagine that you forgot anything, the planner that you are!
ReplyDelete