17 years ago today
It was June 30th, 1993...17 years ago today that I entered the Missionary Training Center of the LDS church in Provo, UT.
Most people who know me today might be surprised that I was, at one point, Mormon, let alone a missionary. It seems crazy to me too. But I swear it made sense at the time. People often talk about feeling pressure to go on a mission, but for me it was more like an absence of other choices...there was nothing else on the horizon at the age of 19. It wasn't even a decision...it just sort of happened.
Of course the rigor of the MTC brought my circumstances in stark relief. Suddenly 2 years (the time a male missionary is expected to serve) felt like a really long time.
I was in for maybe 24 hours (which honestly felt like 2 weeks) when I crafted my own hackey sack with a sock filled with popcorn kernels. One day in and I had already come to the realization that I was going to need a hobby if I was going to make it. Going home wasn't an option...I would just have to make the best of it.
After 48 hours I started constructing elaborate count down calendars. 24 boxes to represent the months, 104 boxes for the weeks, 730 boxes for the days. After a week I had pages and pages of grids representing hours. A sane person would have just thrown in the towel.
The weird thing was I didn't miss home at all. In fact I was actually having a pretty good time. I can't explain it. Nothing seemed real, least of all time.
A lot of people have asked me now that I no longer consider myself Mormon (and I haven't for about six years now) if I regretted my 2 years of hard time or if I resented the cultural upbringing that caused me to go in the first place. The short answer is no. I made the decision, I did my time, I actually had some amazing experiences, and I met a few folks that I will have a connection with for the rest of my life. I wish I would have served in another area perhaps (the entire state of Minnesota can eat a bag of dicks in my opinion).
I think more young people should get a chance to live a selfless life for a while, have some structure, and perhaps do some good. Does it need to have the whole god thing in order to be effective? Hell no. But I think I am a better person for going. So no regrets.
But man...I still hate me some Minnesota.
