Timewarp Tuesday: The Mission 1991-1993

Finally. I figured out my scanner. I think.

Today marks the day that I copy some degree of concept and content from two other bloggers. Ashley and Jen (of the now defunct Analogue in Digital blog).

We're moving in a couple of weeks and in an effort to minimize moving day anxiety, I thought I'd get a jump start on the organizing, when I came across a ton of photos.

So here's the first of probably many Timewarp Tuesdays. This week is my mission, next week Ti's.

I served in the Virginia Roanoke Mission for 9 months before it was split and then I served in the Virginia Richmond for the remaining 9. I remember getting the big envelope and thinking, "I'll go where the Lord wants me to go." Mind you, I had told anyone and everyone who had asked, that I "felt" the Lord was going to call me to South America. I think. Or maybe I said Taiwan. I can't remember. Point is, I was called to Virginia and I was mortified. This was one of many lessons of faith, pride, and humility that I learned about life from the Lord. It was an amazing experience and I can honestly say that I would never EVER trade the experience for anything.

This is a jenky photo but it still has meaning for me. It was taken the day I was to report to the MTC. I was with Jared Uyehara. Who lives in St. George with his beautiful wife and 3 kids. My sister was getting married a month after I was to report, so financial and familial support were a little off, and going to the MTC with me just wasn't an option in the mind of my family. This is where my great brother, Jared came in. I stayed with his family before I went in and still remember how wonderful they were. Jared and also Mike Jackson were my brothers for quite some time. Don't you think Jared and I even look related in this?

I was with Lisa Lattimer in this one. She was cool and significant because she made me learn how to drive!! Yes, I was 22 yrs. old before I got my license. It was a thing with my companions. I memorized all my scripture mastery cards in half the time that they did because they drove while I learned. Totally benefiting me and Sister Lattimer wasn't having it. Which makes me laugh now because I don't know that I'd be driving if she didn't sweetly demand it!

These are two of my closest companions. We LOVED each other. Always laughed, so real with each other, and did some hardcore work in the field. Wait, did I mention that I was crazy obedient on my mission? It's true. I was a zealot for the work. Felt like the world depended on it.

This is me with Rebecca Richardson

And me with Jill Mikkelson
And this is the Price family. I wouldn't call them golden contacts in the traditional sense of the word. But for us, they were a Golden Family. We loved the Prices. Jill, Rebecca, and I all served in their ward with different companions. So many awesome families, and they were one of them. Joel (the dad) was the last one to be baptized and just in time to baptize his daughter, Jessica. He became truly converted to the Book of Mormon, reading it during lunch breaks in his office or in restaurants. I loved this family so much and also got to see so clearly how the gospel enhances the lives of great people.
And that concludes this edition of Timewarp.
Keep the Faith!

Let's Play "Have You Ever?"

1. Have you ever agreed to work on a certain date thinking it was a Saturday but found out it was really a Sunday AFTER YOU COMMITTED TO WORK?

I have.

Yesterday.

And I felt so not good about it! Especially since I heard the conference talks were amazing. I'm never doing it again.

2. Have you ever been paid $25 for a 9 hr. day?

I have.

Yesterday.

And even though I would've done it for free because I loved having the experience, the yuk feeling of #1 coupled with the pay just made me feel like a cheap date breaking the Sabbath.

3. Have you ever seen chocolate syrup and raw chicken used as blood and gore and veins in a hospital scene?

I have.

Yesterday.

And I still had to avoid looking at it else I would've fainted right there on camera! Seriously, it's so gross!

4. Have you ever been the biggest woman on the set of a show?

I hadn't.

Until yesterday.

Which explains why I was at the gym at 6:30 this morning. There was this 60 yr. old lady who told me she had just lost 95 pounds. SHE LOOKED GREAT. But then she started lecturing at me. NOT SO GREAT. Still, she was totally inspirational. Oh, and a big thanks to Melissa who spent a good portion of time teaching me how to use the weight equipment. That was a Monday morning blessing right there.

5. Have you ever been on a low budget cable show that next to no one will watch?

I have.

Yesterday.

The show is called, "How I Survived" and is a brand new unscripted series that documents "individuals incredible encounters with animals and how the power of the human spirit ultimately enables them to survive." It'll be on Animal Planet this year.

I played a wild and deadly boar.

Just kidding! I played a nurse and then a doctor. Please do not watch it. I'm so scary on film. Or if you do watch it, make sure you're not eating anything and make sure to remember that the nurse who looks like a man is really me with a bad brow wax!

So I learned a lot of hard lessons from yesterday and feel sufficiently chastised by the Lord. I mean, he does chasten those he loves so without going into any explanation, I feel like he gave me choices and instead of just canceling, I chose to follow through with a commitment that I had made. And there were some painful consequences that I reaped. Like I said, I'll never do that again.

Funny thing though, out of a cast of about 15, 6 of us were LDS. One lady was from a Mililani ward and was going on about how she "felt inspired by the story" to come and work on this and how it seemed "appropriate given the power of the spirit that's shown in the show" and since her call time was after conference finished (mine was right smack in the middle of conference) that it was fine that she worked on the Sabbath.

But all I heard were justifications of making a poor choice. Which in fact made me feel worse about the choice I had made, and also made me more committed never to make that choice again. Many professional productions do not film on a Sunday and those are the ones I can aim for from now on.

6. Have you ever learned from a mistake and become more resolute to never make that mistake again?

I have.

Yesterday.

But I'm learnin' and growin' and repentin'! Geez, what a day that was!

Have You Seen This Movie Yet?

I have an aversion to certain images. Any type of violence completely freaks me out. I have to leave the room even while I watch the news.

So I have wanted to watch this movie since I heard about it a couple of years ago. It was nominated for several awards and I knew it was a great movie. I put off watching it because I was worried that it would have some brutal images that news often contains and I am NEVER in a place emotionally where I am able to see those.

Anyway, Ti and I finally watched it tonight and we are so glad we did. No violence or allusions to violence at all. It is Rated PG so I should have known. (You can click on the photo to read the quote).
I really loved the message of this movie. I think because I love my country so much, I don't know. I know that when I tell my friends and relatives that I am unabashedly American and that after having been to several different countries, I would not want to live anywhere else but America, it can sound offensive or ethnocentric or even "uncool". Everybody is suppose to want to travel and explore. I think to me the "Western tourist gaze"is embarrassing and I can say that because I have been a willing participant in 13 countries (I think. Unless I missed a couple just now trying to write out a list).

My passion is thinking and doing locally and nationally. There are problems this country has. Lots of them, actually. Even here in Hawaii, clean water, land, and GMOs are things our legislature are grappling with and it looks like there's no end in sight sometimes. But I really believe in our country's ability to work through these things. I believe in our political system. Is it steadily being controlled by lobbyists, corporations, and especially pharmaceutical companies? YES. But it's the best system in the world. The best because we are ultimately responsible as individuals to research and decide for ourselves what we would like for our country. I wish more Americans would do just that actually.

And I believe our media has an important function and responsibility to facilitate our acquiring of knowledge through the freedom of press.
And because America is such a gift, I feel like we need to really LOOK at the issues (and look out for each other while we're at it), while looking at ourselves and looking away from the caustic, dishonest, hate filled rhetoric that is so accessible. How do such idiots make it into the discussions of respectable political pundits? I don't know. But I do know that I'd never stand with a group who wanted to take even their right to free speech away.
These photos are from Newseum. Aside from attending the inauguration, spending the whole day in this place was the absolute highlight of my trip to D.C. Every minute of it was packed with history, education, controversy, and compassion.
This is just a piece of the Berlin wall. Were it not for the media, this may still be up and not on display. East Germans would stay awake late at night and listen to the Western media on their radios or call a number that would give them updates. This was one of many powerful exhibits about the power of our beloved press.

The first photo of this post is just part of their 9-11 section. What a horrifying occurrence in our country's history. I'm getting teary-eyed just remembering that exhibit. So much loss and yet so much love on the part of many nations who stood with us. We knew this because the media let us know.

For all the complaining we do in our country about the media, I wouldn't change it for anything. I'm so grateful we have it. I'm grateful we have a constitution that protects them and I'm grateful for reporters who so willingly take risks in the name of honest reporting.

I loved the movie and hope you get a chance to watch it.