I have been doing some inner soul searching, and have decided that I am not very good at being a friend. I really love talking with friends, and more often than not, I am thinking about what I can do for my friends. But I rarely follow through with those thoughts. This blog today is dedicated to a really great freind. I have always admired her and would one day like to be more like her. I met Melissa on my mission. I know her as Stearman. She came about three months before I was to go home, and she made those last three months amazing. Her first day, I gave her the chance to stay home and get rested and unpack and stuff, but she told me that she could do it later. She wanted to go out and work. We contacted into a home, and there she did her very best to communicate to the woman her testimony of the gospel. She was so powerful in her sweet testimony and she showed me what great strength she had. The very best thing about Melissa was that she made me laugh. All who know me, know that I am a very intense person, and it is not always easy for me to see the positive. Sometimes, I forget to laugh and just enjoy life as it passes me by. But, she did it. She made me laugh so hard sometimes, that I wo
uld cry. This picture below, is of me and two women who taught me how to dance, Panamanian style. Melissa was nice to let me do this. However, the funny thing is that the woman to the right, asked if she could borrow my white skirt that goes under the top skirt. Like a slip, but thicker and better. So, I was nice and said yes. However, after we danced and stuff, she took it home with her. We stopped by her house a number of times to get it, but she never would. The day that I was leaving for the city, to end my mission, we went again. We know that she was in the house, but they told us she wasn't home. So, we kind of just forced our way in and told her that she had to give me my slip back. She was sooo disappointed. But she did it. And the whole way back, Melissa and I laughed and laughed about this woman and how amazing she was...(not really a positive amazing.) One great memory I have was when I was pretty sick, and coughed all night long for a number of weeks. The elders started to complain that we weren't doing enough, and she got so feisty and wanted to yell at them. "You try hacking up a long all night and going out and working the next day. Or maybe you should come and listen to her at night and see what it is really like" Obviously, those aren't the exact words, but they were pretty similar. And we laughed and laughed becuase I tried everything to sleep and stop coughing and couldn't.
uld cry. This picture below, is of me and two women who taught me how to dance, Panamanian style. Melissa was nice to let me do this. However, the funny thing is that the woman to the right, asked if she could borrow my white skirt that goes under the top skirt. Like a slip, but thicker and better. So, I was nice and said yes. However, after we danced and stuff, she took it home with her. We stopped by her house a number of times to get it, but she never would. The day that I was leaving for the city, to end my mission, we went again. We know that she was in the house, but they told us she wasn't home. So, we kind of just forced our way in and told her that she had to give me my slip back. She was sooo disappointed. But she did it. And the whole way back, Melissa and I laughed and laughed about this woman and how amazing she was...(not really a positive amazing.) One great memory I have was when I was pretty sick, and coughed all night long for a number of weeks. The elders started to complain that we weren't doing enough, and she got so feisty and wanted to yell at them. "You try hacking up a long all night and going out and working the next day. Or maybe you should come and listen to her at night and see what it is really like" Obviously, those aren't the exact words, but they were pretty similar. And we laughed and laughed becuase I tried everything to sleep and stop coughing and couldn't. Another thing that Melissa taught me was to kick my leg back. Back when she was getting ready to be m
arried, they wanted her friends to put together some scrabook pages of what we remember or love about Melissa and memories of our friendship. Well, being a slacker, I didn't do it. So, if I could do it now, I would add the picture of me on my bed, in scrubs, with my leg kicked back into the air. This picture to the right, is our visit to the Temple Bah'ai. And once again, she had me kick my leg back. Or maybe I did it to be funny...I don't really remeber. Any way, it was fun. I hope that she sees this and can remind me why we started to do this. Melissa is a great friend, and I am glad that we have some fun memories together. I hope you see this, Mo and that you can remind me of even more fun things that we did together. Thanks for being such a great friend!
arried, they wanted her friends to put together some scrabook pages of what we remember or love about Melissa and memories of our friendship. Well, being a slacker, I didn't do it. So, if I could do it now, I would add the picture of me on my bed, in scrubs, with my leg kicked back into the air. This picture to the right, is our visit to the Temple Bah'ai. And once again, she had me kick my leg back. Or maybe I did it to be funny...I don't really remeber. Any way, it was fun. I hope that she sees this and can remind me why we started to do this. Melissa is a great friend, and I am glad that we have some fun memories together. I hope you see this, Mo and that you can remind me of even more fun things that we did together. Thanks for being such a great friend!
nice..i like the photos..did u take them yourself..
ReplyDeleteI did take them myself...thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! What an honor to be the main subject of a blog! I don't know what I did to deserve such an honor but I truely appreciate all of your kind words. It was fun to read and visit some of those great Panama memories. I have a few of my own...how about eating those panama cookies and a cup of yogart for breakfast everyday (do you know that I kept that habit for my entire mission?) You introducing me to the music of Hilary Weekes. I had never heard her music before being your companion. We listened to her CDs over and over again. She is now my favorite LDS singer. How about all those nights at the Quintero family's home? Those were some good times! I remember all of those HOT HOT HOT panama days when we would stop at the Chino on the corner and buy big bottles of Gatorade or we would buy a duro for 10 cents...Mmmm duros...soooo yummy! Remember when you made me get up in front of the ward for the Christmas program and sing "Noche de Luz" even though I can't sing worth a lick? Speaking of Christmas...remember when we spent an evening at the church trying to figure out how to make a Christmas ham...especially when neither one of us had ever done it before? Remember our attempts at making panamanian rice? We nearly burnt the place down. But of all of our wild and crazy adventures together my favorite memories of our time together were the evenings. At the end of our long hard days coming home to our dungeon of an "apartment" and each of us laying on our beds and just talking and laughing. And my most tender memory with you was when we very first walked into that dungeon and I started to make my bed and get my things put away and I lost it. I was terrified, missing my home and family and so nervous about speaking Spanish and you just let me sit there and cry my eyes out and you just talked to me, reassuring me that it would be ok. And you were right. I more than survived my 18 months in Panama...I enjoyed them. You taught me the most important lesson a trainer can teach a new missionary. You taught me to be obedient and the blessings that come when you are obedient. It's the principle I tried to apply most in my mission and the thing I tried my hardest to teach to my greenie when I was a trainer. I am grateful that I was so blessed to have you be my first companion in Panama and I am grateful for your friendship now!
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