Wednesday the 10th of April. From what I had been told, wednesdays are mission call days. It was a beautiful sunny day when it came. I was busy getting ready for work, trying not to get too anxious about the lack of post man on my street, when we spotted him. On the other side of the street, blissfully unaware to the drama he was causing. Did he have the letter? Was I going to have to wait another day? Week?! My father then decided to take the dog for a walk, that just so happened to follow the path of the post man. Full blown stalking was in action. By the time the poor man arrived to house numbered 309, both my parents were in the front garden, along with my neighbours. And there, in his hands, was a large, A4 envelope, addressed to Sister Amelia Maria Paulsdotter Stanbury. Sheer panic ensued.
AUSTRALIA SYDNEY NORTH MISSION.
AUSTRALIA SYDNEY NORTH MISSION.
I've always said anywhere colonial will be fantastic!
plus, serious mormon tan lines. who could ask for anything more?!
plus, serious mormon tan lines. who could ask for anything more?!
WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH.
Immediate reaction. Obviously. I then went to work, literally bouncing, telling everyone and anyone that I was going to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that I would be spending 18 months in AUSTRALIA. Every table I served that day was fully aware of my beliefs. And why should they not? I'm going to spend a year and a half talking about it, why not start with the restaurant I was in at that moment?
There is my super cute mission map. I saw a couple of them, and they were just so adorable I had to have one. The squiggly line is decorative, clearly not my flight route, that would just be insanity.
And excuse my mission photo. On your papers ("application") you have to submit a photo with them, and this was the least offensive. Still blonde in it as well. How exciting.
When you get your call, you are given a website thing and a pincode type thing (eloquently described, what a marvellous english student I was), where you sign in, and there is this little count down of the days until you report to the MTC (missionary training centre, oh yeah, they exist, we take this stuff seriously), and a bunch of stuff you need to do to prepare for when you leave.
As I know relatively little about the Commonwealth of Australia, the only appropriate thing to do in such a situation would be to turn to the wonderful creation that is google. And google had this to say:
Immediate reaction. Obviously. I then went to work, literally bouncing, telling everyone and anyone that I was going to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that I would be spending 18 months in AUSTRALIA. Every table I served that day was fully aware of my beliefs. And why should they not? I'm going to spend a year and a half talking about it, why not start with the restaurant I was in at that moment?
And excuse my mission photo. On your papers ("application") you have to submit a photo with them, and this was the least offensive. Still blonde in it as well. How exciting.
When you get your call, you are given a website thing and a pincode type thing (eloquently described, what a marvellous english student I was), where you sign in, and there is this little count down of the days until you report to the MTC (missionary training centre, oh yeah, they exist, we take this stuff seriously), and a bunch of stuff you need to do to prepare for when you leave.
As I know relatively little about the Commonwealth of Australia, the only appropriate thing to do in such a situation would be to turn to the wonderful creation that is google. And google had this to say:
1. The Tropic of Capricorn runs through Queensland.
2. Australia is estimated to be 7,692,024 square Kilometers
3. Australia is the sixth largest nation.
4. Australia is the smallest continent and the largest island.
5. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth.
6. Australia has many unique animals, including the kangaroo, echidna, cassowary and wombat.
7. Australia has the most venomous snakes in the world (12).
8. Australian women were the second female group in the world to get the vote ( after New Zealand ).
9. The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aboriginals.
10. Aboriginals did not obtain the vote till 1967.
...thankyou google.
Also, one website said Sydney enjoys 340 days of sunshine per year. Not too shabby.
Essentially, I am over the moon with my call. Its just perfect. I will be flying to Utah in the early hours of the 12th of August, staying the night with some lovely people, and then reporting the next day to the Missionary Training Centre there in Provo. I'll spend a couple of weeks there, and then fly on to the land down under.
So flipping excited I might die.
Essentially, I am over the moon with my call. Its just perfect. I will be flying to Utah in the early hours of the 12th of August, staying the night with some lovely people, and then reporting the next day to the Missionary Training Centre there in Provo. I'll spend a couple of weeks there, and then fly on to the land down under.
So flipping excited I might die.
P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way Sydney.
