Monday Memoirs - The S.E.M

I thought that I would share my mission with you, I served in the Scotland Edinburgh Mission from 1996-1998. I know back in November I shared a little bit about my life before I left and the events that led up to it. To re-cap, I called off a wedding 10 days before because, well I knew in my heart that I wasn't making the right decision for me at that time in my life. I had always wanted to serve a mission and had turned my papers in - well, I had made it to my Stake President's office and told him I was in love. So his counsel to me was to wait and see what happens....and I got engaged. Well, with all the courage I could muster and of course the Lord directing me, I called it off and was in the MTC 3 months later.

The call to my bishop a few days after I had cancelled the big day:

Me: "Bishop, it's Mel, I need another set of mission papers, I've decided I'm going"

Bishop: " Well, you might want to call President Hanson, I think he saved them."

At my interview with Pres. Hanson he told me that he knew I'd go, he just couldn't intervene. Man, are they inspired or what! Anyway, within 10 days I had my call and I'm ashamed to admit, I thought it wasn't inspired because I really wanted to go some place warm and speak another language. Silly, I know! I learned shortly after I arrived in Scotland that I was supposed to be there. My trainer ended up being my 3rd cousin, our grandma's are 1st cousins. Our great great grandparents John and Ingaboirg Johnson were some of the first pioneers from Iceland to come over to Utah. We are kindred spirits and are still really close and loved serving together.
I have scrapbooked my pics with Regan and can't find my binder....so, this is a picture in our beautiful Mission Home with Sisters Peterson, Barney, me and D'Addeo. We call this a generation photie, yes a photie, that's what they call them in Scotland. Sister Barney (my 1st greenie) trained Sister Peterson at the same time I trained D'Addeo.
The first people I Golden Questioned on the street.... and ended up being the most lovely people, Denise got baptized about 3 years after I got home and George never joined - last I heard. They had been taught the discussions 30 years before by an Elder Stephen Spiers....I looked him up when I got home. I sent a letter to him thru Church Headquaters, he was stationed over in Germany when he received my letter. He was SO amazed that the Brett's remembered him and in fact, he is the one that baptized Denise some 30+ years after he taught her. Talk about sowing some good seeds. I was so happy I could be instrumental in her conversion. I loved my mission and served with some wonderful people that I love and adore and taught many people that I saw accept the gospel.