Meeting people from my mission.
I am lucky for where I leave. Having served my mission in Ireland there really is not a lot of us around. I think at the time I served there was about 140 to 160 missionaries in Ireland and there was 20+ thousand serving around the would, so we were less than 1 percent of missionaries in the world. I live in area where there is a lot of us. I just found out that there was a guy in my sister's old ward in Gilbert that served in Ireland in the 70's. In my ward there are three of us and two of us served under the same Mission President.
I have two former companions that live here in the Phoenix Area. I have meet up with one them, and keep telling myself that I will call the other, one of these days, but it gets pushed back every day.
But my former companion is not the only one that I have meet over the years. When I first got home in October of 1990, Randall McClellan was around. We would hang out, go out and eat, and go to a few dances. Then when I was in college, I would bump into Kevin Ford at Mesa Community College. We went to lunch a few times. Jon Riley came to the valley to do some training with the Army, and we would spend the weekends hanging out. There was also Shane Hatch, who was in the same singles ward as me. And when I we lived in the apartments, we had Bruce and Zena Hunt in our Ward. It was great to see them, and I think that we had two missionary reunions (Missionaries in the Phoenix Area) at there home, and that was the last time I saw Mike Butterfield before he moved to Northern Ireland. And a few months back I was able to meet up with him and his family, and had a great night of music and chat.
But today I meet up with Gary Wensel. I can not think of the last time I saw him. I think it in Dublin around Elder Critchfield's death. So it had been over 23 years. We have been Facebooks friends for I think over a year, and last week he message me saying he would be in the area. We never served together, but we became good friends while in Ireland. This was really hard to do during the President Martin Years. President Martin did not like the mission getting together a lot, and I think to this day, there are probably missionaries I served with in Ireland that I have never meet.
I don't know how long we sat there and talked most of the time about the mission and the urban legends that you hear about, but do not know was true or not. We talked about companions, and the struggles of doing the missionary work. We also talked about our lives and why he was in the area. And we talked about what we have been doing the past 23 years. It was more fun talking about the mission.
Gary says he will be back in the area in 6 months. I hope that we can catch up again when he is here. And maybe I will call that companion by than too.
I have two former companions that live here in the Phoenix Area. I have meet up with one them, and keep telling myself that I will call the other, one of these days, but it gets pushed back every day.
But my former companion is not the only one that I have meet over the years. When I first got home in October of 1990, Randall McClellan was around. We would hang out, go out and eat, and go to a few dances. Then when I was in college, I would bump into Kevin Ford at Mesa Community College. We went to lunch a few times. Jon Riley came to the valley to do some training with the Army, and we would spend the weekends hanging out. There was also Shane Hatch, who was in the same singles ward as me. And when I we lived in the apartments, we had Bruce and Zena Hunt in our Ward. It was great to see them, and I think that we had two missionary reunions (Missionaries in the Phoenix Area) at there home, and that was the last time I saw Mike Butterfield before he moved to Northern Ireland. And a few months back I was able to meet up with him and his family, and had a great night of music and chat.
But today I meet up with Gary Wensel. I can not think of the last time I saw him. I think it in Dublin around Elder Critchfield's death. So it had been over 23 years. We have been Facebooks friends for I think over a year, and last week he message me saying he would be in the area. We never served together, but we became good friends while in Ireland. This was really hard to do during the President Martin Years. President Martin did not like the mission getting together a lot, and I think to this day, there are probably missionaries I served with in Ireland that I have never meet.
I don't know how long we sat there and talked most of the time about the mission and the urban legends that you hear about, but do not know was true or not. We talked about companions, and the struggles of doing the missionary work. We also talked about our lives and why he was in the area. And we talked about what we have been doing the past 23 years. It was more fun talking about the mission.
Gary says he will be back in the area in 6 months. I hope that we can catch up again when he is here. And maybe I will call that companion by than too.
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