Ok so my best friend/not anymore boyfriend, Dan, was just set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. (aka mormon) So I have a few comments on that. First of all I am so proud of him, it isn't an easy decision to make to go on a mission. He is giving up 2 years of his life to serve the Lord. In two years he could almost be ready to graduate from college, date, make money. If he had a full time job (40 hours a week) at even just we'll say $10 an hour in 104 weeks he could make $41,600. Instead he is going on a mission, where he doesn't get paid, and gives 24/7 service to the Lord. Not many 19 year old guys would do that especially when you consider you can't text, use the internet except once a week to email family, have a cell phone unless your mission allows it and only for church use, call anyone except contacts, your mission prez, and your family twice a year (Christmas and mothers day), and you can't hug girls outside of your family. That is a lot to sacrifice.
2nd thing, there should definitely be a term for the not anymore boyfriend missionary. Me and Dan "ended our relationship" not because of rocky roads, in fact everything was fine and dandy, but because it wouldn't be appropriate to try to take some of Dan's attention away from spreading the gospel. We are still friends, even best friends, and we would still be dating and we aren't exes so he isn't my ex boyfriend or my boyfriend or even just my friend.... anyway you see my dilemma... but thats just kinda petty.
3rd thing: watching a young man get set apart as a missionary is an amazing experience. It is somewhere between getting set apart for a calling and a patriarchal blessing for those of you that know what that is. You are given advice on how to serve and also comfort and kind of vague instruction on what may happen. It is strange but such an amazing experience.
So i think those are all of my "things" about Dan going on a mission. So now I'm just kinda living life... it's a totally different life though because I have been so used to having Dan just always at least a txt away. He truly was my best friend and I relied on him so much. I knew he always loved and cared about me and that he could make me feel better and not having that so close any more is just different not to mention heart breaking. But there are a lot of ways to think about Dan's mission. It could be good or bad, I choose good. The next step in our relationship would probably have been marriage and neither of us are even close for that so this break is really well timed. We both need to grow a little more and I need to date more than just one guy. Even if Dan is "the one" it wouldn't be fair to either of us if we weren't ready to enter that next step. Dan gets back in approximately 730 days, or 104 weeks, or 24 months. Right now I think days and weeks seems a little too long. 24 months means, 24 more fast Sundays, 24 more "that time of the months". Which when you think about it isn't too bad... Weeks its 104 more times going to church, 104 more weekends, 104 more leg shaves... In the time that Dan is gone I will have gone through at least 4 more semesters of school probably even more. I think that one is my favorite. Only 4 more semesters of school until dan gets back... but that also includes holiday breaks, spring and summer, but if I go on study abroad that's 5 more semesters and I will probably do at least one spring or summer semester so that's only 6 semesters and 2 summers which is only like 2 months. I like that one the most. 6 semesters and 2.5 summers (.5 is the last half of this one) until Dan gets back. :) anyway.... you can see where my mind is... i'll write back soonish, now that i have time...
