*February 10th: My papers were submitted
*February 15th: My call was assigned
*February 20th: MY CALL CAME!!!
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| Not lookin' my best haha. If I would've known my call was coming that day, I would've actually gotten ready :) |
It seems like most people don't have any kind of story behind receiving their call. Mostly it is, "the mail lady brought my call...I opened it", or "the mailman brought my call, my parents called me, and I drove home that weekend to open it", etc. I have witnessed some interesting things though, like receiving a new call just days after opening the original call, and although my story pales in comparison to that, I think the story surrounding my call is pretty good. :) so here goes...
Wednesday: I had to work the Alpine District science fair up at Pleasant Grove high school that night. I had planned with my family to open my call Thursday because I didn't think it would come until then because of Presidents' Day. Well, around 2:30 my mom texted me and told me that my call hadn't come. The mail had come and my call wasn't in it. A little bit of disappointment went through me, but not a lot because I wasn't anticipating it coming until the next day.
Well, then off I went to work. A couple hours later, my good friend Hannah texted me that her call had come! We had put our papers in the same day, but her call had gotten assigned the day before mine. But I got really excited because it meant that my call was coming the next day since it hadn't come today. I called her and told her how excited I was for her and that she needed to call me and tell me where she is going as soon as she got done with her family.
Well, probably about an hour later my mom called me. She said, "The Johnsons (a family in our ward who have almost the exact same address as us--only one number different) just came by and they brought something. Your call came." At this point in time, I started screaming, and any of you who have heard me screaming for joy (or fear haha) know that it is generally pretty high pitched. Oh funny sidenote--I was holding my boss' 6-month old when my mom called me, and as soon as I started screaming, the baby started crying. :( Oops.... haha. Anyway, then I heard my mom say "just kidding". At this point my heart just sunk. My eyes teared up and I thought "which is it? Is my call here or not?" Well, I tried asking, but the line was dead. So the scenario in my brain was that my mom had taken this opportunity to prank me about my call--totally wouldn't put it past her--and then she hung up.
With eyes full of tears, (with all of the adrenaline going through me, of course I was tearing up) I called my mom back and asked her if my call really had come. She said YES! It had been delivered to the Johnson's home on accident, and they had just brought it over. I asked her why she had said she was kidding. I guess when I was screaming, the high frequency of my squeals had made the phone cut out haha and so I missed what she had said. Here's what she really said: "Your call came. The Johnson's opened it... Just kidding". :)
What a relief! My call had come!! It wasn't a joke. I asked my mom if I could open it tonight. She told me yes and asked why I wouldn't have been able to. (I was dying to open it, but I needed to make sure it worked timing-wise for my family at least--although, I probably would've opened it that night regardless) Well, I didn't get done with work until about 9:30 and my dad had a work meeting until 10:30. So after some discussion, we decided 10:30 would be the time I'd open it (We couldn't do it earlier because my grandparents who are in Cyprus, with the time difference, wouldn't be awake until after 8:30pm our time). I quickly called my brother and my grandma and my friend Tara and told them the situation (I wanted to keep it small. I didn't want a huge gathering of people there when I opened my call. Plus with scheduling, that would've been a nightmare). They all said they could be there.
I got done with work and as I was walking down the hall of the high school to go to my mom's car, I sang "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go". Cheesy? Perhaps haha but I was so excited and nervous at the same time and this helped calm me a little bit! Within the hour, the moment I had been waiting for my entire life would happen. My mom picked me up from the high school and took me home. We got on skype to talk to my grandparents, who are in Cyprus (near Greece) on a mission, to make sure the connection was going to work and to make sure they were awake. And then the waiting game.....
During this time I was just pacing the kitchen, trying to keep my mind occupied and telling myself that wherever I got called I would be ok with it. I had been kind of nervous since putting my papers in that I would get called somewhere where I'd initially be disappointed in going. That's why I didn't want a big group of people there because I didn't want people to see the split-second of disappointment in my eyes if that were to happen. I knew I would be ok with wherever I got called, but I had to mentally prepare for what I would consider to be the worst situation. Of all places that I could be called, for some reason getting called to Billings, Montana was my worst possible scenario. Now hear me out, I have nothing against Montana. I've heard it's actually quite lovely there. But from my childhood, I had some not so positive things connected with Montana, such as that it is empty. Is it really? I'm not sure, but learning geography as a kid, I was taught that it was MT and empty. haha. Also, I thought that it is full of farmers who live miles and miles apart from each other (that's not a bad thing, so I don't know why that would've been an issue for me haha) Also, some guy in my ward growing up got called there and he was....an interesting fellow..., so I guess I also connected him with my fear of Billings. I concluded during the week and a half while I waited for my call that I would be ok going even there. Once I could honestly say that I really would go anywhere, I knew I'd be ok. I knew I would be going where the Lord needed me (but that didn't stop me from praying to Him and asking if I could go foreign and Spanish speaking :) haha)
FINALLY everyone arrived. (including Tara's roommate and our friend Clay, who she had invited. That was definitely a surprise, but it was a fun surprise to have them there!) We went into the living room and set the laptop down in front of me. Everyone gathered around. I didn't let anyone stand behind me or to my side because I didn't want anyone reading over my shoulder and seeing where I had been called to before I did.
So I'm REALLY horrible at opening envelopes. I literally destroy every envelope I open, and this was one I didn't want to destroy. So my dad passed me some scissors because a letter opener wasn't readily available. Ya...that wasn't working super well and I could see disaster was eminent if I continued using them. So my mom ran and grabbed her letter opener, and apparently I didn't know how to use a letter opener 'cause I was trying to use it incorrectly?... haha So my mom opened part of my envelope to show me how to use the letter opener. I tried on my own only to have unsuccessful results. So my mom put her hand over mine, and together we opened the rest of the envelope. haha (You'd think by the age of 20 I'd have had the opportunity to use one of them and to do it successfully.)
I pulled the papers out of the envelope (face down of course), grabbed some other papers in the envelope and covered the call with them. (As I put the papers on top of the call I had the thought that I was going foreign--which I dismissed as just a thought because I also was pretty convinced I was going to get called to Tegucigalpa, Honduras--which *Spoiler* I didn't get called to) Slowly I slid the papers down and began reading. You know the address line where it has your name and then your address in the upper left corner? Well I saw my name (the address was covered) and I began reading. "Sister Kylie Rachelle Butler". I slid the paper down only to discover the address was the next line. Oops. hahaha So I slid it down until the letter really started.
"Dear Sister Butler:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
At this point I stopped. I knew the next line contained where I would be called and I took a deep breath and braced myself. This is it. I slid the paper down one more line and read to myself "Chile Rancagua Mission". At this point I just broke down and sobbed in gratitude and relief and excitement for what this call meant to me and what it held in store for me. I had been called foreign and Spanish speaking!!
The family watched on as I cried until I was able to control myself enough to tell them where I was going. "You are assigned to labor in the Chile Rancagua Mission...You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. You will prepare to teach the gospel in the Spanish language".
Oh what joy filled my heart. Everyone cheered. :) My dad and brothers and friends all got the map out to look and see where my mission was located in Chile, while I talked with my grandparents. Opening my call was a beautiful moment. Better than anything I had ever pictured in my head. The joy and happiness and gratitude that overcame me I cannot describe. Needless to say, I am thrilled about my call! I am SO excited to share the gospel with the people in Chile!! I know it's still months away, but the timing of my call feels right too, and having to wait a little longer will actually be a blessing because it'll allow me to work a little bit AND my good friend gets home from his mission about a week before I leave so I'll get to see him before I go, and that just makes me really happy. What a tender mercy from God!
As time passes (ok, it's only been a week and a half, but still), I get more and more excited every day! And as I learn about the country, I cannot think of a better place for me that I could've been called to. It is everything that I thought I wanted in a mission and more (check with me post-mission to see if this still holds true haha)--mild summers and winters, four seasons, no snow, mountains, coasts, not too crazy of food (supposedly), a different culture, a different language, and David Archuleta (just kidding) haha. What's funny is that a while back I had thrown out as a joke that it would be cool to serve in the same mission as him. When I got my call, I didn't think anything of it, but the next day my roommate told me that my mission is David Archuleta's mission. haha What are the chances?? It would be really cool to meet him, but I'm not holding my breath. :)
Anyway, I'm SO excited and So grateful! The Lord is really mindful of each of us and He knows the thoughts and desires of our hearts.
CHILE, Here I come!! :)
Rancagua 
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