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on may 7th I was staying in a hotel in Nevada with my grandparents and my little sister. Ellie and I had been at the pool all day swimming and that night after dinner my grandparents wanted to walk around but Ellie and I were so tired we decided to make a pit stop at the gift store and buy some bottle caps and mambas and then head to our room to watch Mulan on my iPad. Both of us fell asleep half way through the movie.
I woke up at 2 in the morning very disoriented and while I was trying to piece everything together, it hit me that today had to be the day! Well, needless to say I was WIDE awake. I tried going back to sleep, I laid there with my eyes closed and relaxed all my muscles and got as comfortable as I could--but my mind was not cooperating. I looked at the clock, 3. So I gave up on trying to sleep and decided to finish watching Mulan. Once that got over I tried going to sleep again hoping the bright light from the movie would make my eyes tired. No such luck. I looked at the clock, 3:45. So I thought it would be a good time to go through all 1,000+ pictures I had saved on my iPad. After my trip down memory lane, I looked at the clock, 5. So I laid there and thought about what the future had in store for me; where will I go for the next 18 months? Will I go back to SUU when I get home? Will I ever be able to decide if I should change my major? How mad is dad going to be when he sees what I got on my anthropology final? Where will I live? Should I apply for school at USC? Another glance at the clock, 6:20. I figured it was safe to text my dad:
"Has is come?? Have they called??? Is it here??? I think I've waited long enough!! These have been the longest 25 days of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He replied at 7:55
"No call from the post office."
My heart sank. I was devistated and so exhausted from being awake all night, after I got that text I finally fell asleep for the next two hours.
When I woke up I texted my dad back:
"Is there any possible way it could be there?"
"Where?"
"At the post office. Ellie said they didn't call Taylor or Spencer."
"Depends on the day. I'll check at lunch."
"I'm pretty sure if it doesn't come soon I'm going to start losing my hair. I've been wide awake since 2. If it's not here today I'm going to take a butt load of sleeping pills tonight."
By this time we were back in St. George picking up one of our trailers and Ellie and I wandered over to the pool while my grandpa hitched up the trailer and I left my phone in the truck. After we had been there awhile we decided to go back to the truck to see if we were leaving yet. I checked my phone and saw that I had a few missed calls from my dad and a text that said:
"I called the post office. They're holding it for me, I will pick it up in 10 minutes."
I was dancing around the parking lot on cloud 9. We left St. George ten minutes later. Normally it takes me about 3 1/2 hours to get home from Cedar so I figured we'd make it in a little over 4 hours. I did not account for the fact that we were pulling a trailer and you can't exactly go 80 mph while pulling a trailer. It was the LONGEST car ride of my life. And it didn't help with my dad sending me this picture and telling me he was just going to open it and tell me where I was going.
We finally made it to Provo and met up with my mom so we could go home. I don't think I've ever seen my mom drive that quickly up Provo canyon.
The second we pulled into the driveway I jumped out of the car and ran inside. I saw my call sitting on the island in our kitchen leaning against the fruit stand. I picked it up and it was so thin so I immediately thought I was going to go stateside and wouldn't have to worry about applying for a visa or a passport.
People started showing up to our house; first my grandparents from Logan and then my aunt Suzy and Uncle Scott and their adorable kids. Then some neighbors, young woman leaders and friends from high school. Once everyone who wasn't able to make it was in our living room via FaceTime and Skype it was time to open it.
I stood in my living room and had a big knife to open the envelope because I don't like when letters get torn and I remember my mom making fun of me asking me if I wanted a bigger knife. I couldn't get that thing open fast enough. I set the knife in the window seal and reached into the envelope and when my friend Paige opened her mission call she pulled it out backwards and upside down so I glanced down to make sure I had my call facing the right way and I truly had no intention of peaking and wanted to find out where I was going as I was reading it out loud. But the second I glanced down my eyes went straight to my assignment. I stood there and my eyes got so big and I put my hand over my mouth and started laughing and said,
"Oh my gosh you guys. I saw it. I know. I know where I'm going."
Right away I started shaking almost uncontrollably. And my mom said,
"Well read it out loud!"
So I started reading,
"Dear Sister Tuddenham, (I began to get choked up right after those three words left my mouth)
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You are assigned to serve in the Guatemala, Guatemala City South Mission. You should report to the Guatemala Missionary Training Center on September 17, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language."
I'm pretty sure my mind turned straight to mush after that because I could not think straight at all. I was so excited and was not expecting that at all. I figured because I wanted to leave the country and learn Spanish so badly that I would go in the states and English speaking. I couldn't have been happier. I felt the spirit so strongly in that moment confirm to me that Guatemala is exactly where the Lord has planned for me to be and He has been preparing myself and people in Guatemala for this. This is a moment that I will truly never forget and one that I hold very dear in my heart. I am so thrilled to go serve the Lord and the lovely people of Guatemala.
"Has is come?? Have they called??? Is it here??? I think I've waited long enough!! These have been the longest 25 days of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He replied at 7:55
"No call from the post office."
My heart sank. I was devistated and so exhausted from being awake all night, after I got that text I finally fell asleep for the next two hours.
When I woke up I texted my dad back:
"Is there any possible way it could be there?"
"Where?"
"At the post office. Ellie said they didn't call Taylor or Spencer."
"Depends on the day. I'll check at lunch."
"I'm pretty sure if it doesn't come soon I'm going to start losing my hair. I've been wide awake since 2. If it's not here today I'm going to take a butt load of sleeping pills tonight."
By this time we were back in St. George picking up one of our trailers and Ellie and I wandered over to the pool while my grandpa hitched up the trailer and I left my phone in the truck. After we had been there awhile we decided to go back to the truck to see if we were leaving yet. I checked my phone and saw that I had a few missed calls from my dad and a text that said:
"I called the post office. They're holding it for me, I will pick it up in 10 minutes."
I was dancing around the parking lot on cloud 9. We left St. George ten minutes later. Normally it takes me about 3 1/2 hours to get home from Cedar so I figured we'd make it in a little over 4 hours. I did not account for the fact that we were pulling a trailer and you can't exactly go 80 mph while pulling a trailer. It was the LONGEST car ride of my life. And it didn't help with my dad sending me this picture and telling me he was just going to open it and tell me where I was going.
We finally made it to Provo and met up with my mom so we could go home. I don't think I've ever seen my mom drive that quickly up Provo canyon.
The second we pulled into the driveway I jumped out of the car and ran inside. I saw my call sitting on the island in our kitchen leaning against the fruit stand. I picked it up and it was so thin so I immediately thought I was going to go stateside and wouldn't have to worry about applying for a visa or a passport.
People started showing up to our house; first my grandparents from Logan and then my aunt Suzy and Uncle Scott and their adorable kids. Then some neighbors, young woman leaders and friends from high school. Once everyone who wasn't able to make it was in our living room via FaceTime and Skype it was time to open it.
I stood in my living room and had a big knife to open the envelope because I don't like when letters get torn and I remember my mom making fun of me asking me if I wanted a bigger knife. I couldn't get that thing open fast enough. I set the knife in the window seal and reached into the envelope and when my friend Paige opened her mission call she pulled it out backwards and upside down so I glanced down to make sure I had my call facing the right way and I truly had no intention of peaking and wanted to find out where I was going as I was reading it out loud. But the second I glanced down my eyes went straight to my assignment. I stood there and my eyes got so big and I put my hand over my mouth and started laughing and said,
"Oh my gosh you guys. I saw it. I know. I know where I'm going."
Right away I started shaking almost uncontrollably. And my mom said,
"Well read it out loud!"
So I started reading,
"Dear Sister Tuddenham, (I began to get choked up right after those three words left my mouth)
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You are assigned to serve in the Guatemala, Guatemala City South Mission. You should report to the Guatemala Missionary Training Center on September 17, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language."
I'm pretty sure my mind turned straight to mush after that because I could not think straight at all. I was so excited and was not expecting that at all. I figured because I wanted to leave the country and learn Spanish so badly that I would go in the states and English speaking. I couldn't have been happier. I felt the spirit so strongly in that moment confirm to me that Guatemala is exactly where the Lord has planned for me to be and He has been preparing myself and people in Guatemala for this. This is a moment that I will truly never forget and one that I hold very dear in my heart. I am so thrilled to go serve the Lord and the lovely people of Guatemala.
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