To BBJ: How I Met Your Father

From Bubba Bubbles

Dear BBJ -

Yesterday, Daddy and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. I thought, seeing as having you is a direct result of meeting your father...I ought to tell you the story. Are you ready? It will take some time!

It starts when I was still in college. I was attending the University of Washington and trying to decide what was going to come next. I dated a few boys, through college. They all had their merit. (Keep quiet, Mom. They DID have their good points! Some of them...) My mind kept going back to missions. I prayed about it and turned in my paperwork around my 21st birthday, in November of 2002. I was all set to graduate in March of 2003. I started dreaming of where I might go. I felt certain it would be a predominantly White area, for some reason. I thought it might be the Nauvoo visitor's center...or maybe back to Wales, where our ancestors are from.

Shortly after turning in my paperwork, I met a Boy. I'm not going to go into details...but let's just say that the two of us getting married would have been a pretty funny thing. Oh, and everyone could see it, except me! In fact, by the time my papers arrived from Salt Lake City, I had decided not to go on my mission. (Hehehehe...yes, Mom. I was crazy. Go figure!) On the day my papers arrived, I pulled them out of the mailbox...and decided that I ought to at least open them, to see where I would have been going....had I actually been going.

I went into the house and had Grandma gather up all the siblings that were available. (It's a tradition...) I have to admit - I cheated. While Grandma was gathering everyone up, I slipped a finger under the envelope flap and took a peek at the papers. The first thing I saw was "Hong Kong" in bold letters, halfway down the page. My first thought? "Hmm...I didn't know there was a Hong Kong in Illinois?" I was so certain I was staying in the continental United States, or going to Europe, I was only seeing what I thought I would see. I mean, I'd been to Paris, Idaho...so there could, conceivably, be a Hong Kong in Illinois...right?

After everyone was gathered up, I pulled the letter out and read it for real. "...you are hereby called to serve in the China, Hong Kong mission. It is expected that you will serve for a period of 18 months..."

Everything after that was a blank. Grandma was yelling about how exciting it would be to live in China...but I wasn't hearing her. Aunt Myrnie had to go to a babysitting job, so I drove her and then took myself to the temple to pray. I pulled into the back parking lot, turned the car off, bowed my head to pray...and stayed that way for a good 45 minutes.

I don't think many people at home knew of my indecision. I remember driving home and calling The Boy as I approached the house. I told him that I'd received my papers...and that I was going to Hong Kong.

(To be continued.....)