Since I open my papers to work on applying for an LDS mission, I have had a theory that being assigned to an area is like being sorted into your Hogwarts House.
Truth is. We are all a little scared of where we will be put.
And while we are in the process of filling out the papers, we find that there are places to indicate whether you want stateside or foreign, do you know a language, do you want to speak a different language, talents, ancestry, where grandparents served, are there any considerations we should make in assigning the call, etc. So it turns out that, although we will go where are suppose to, we do have some say in the matter.
"Hmm, difficult. VERY difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes. And a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you? "
"Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin. "
You have the ability to go multiple places and what you think you want may not always be the place to help you grow or where you are needed the most.
"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that. No?"
And no matter where you are called. In the end, this is exactly your face.
And it is all over and you are now a sorted member of Hogwarts! You are a portion of a great community with a long and great past. You know where you will be living and the colors you will wear. You can picture yourself there.
However, people often neglect Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. They often thought of as lower houses, but after many years of Harry Potter Wiki and books and games, I've learned that they aren't.
But, that doesn't mean I didn't secretly hope to get assigned to Gryffindor every time I got sorted in a Harry Potter game. And if you told other kids on the play ground that you were a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, they would wonder what exactly you did in order not to get the cool houses of Gryffindor or Slytherin. And if a Hufflepuff tried to defend their house on said playground, let's face it, you would think they were bitter.
Cool Marah, you think about Harry Potter too much. Here's why I said all this (a continuation to the actual story):
My mission call had arrived and people would show up at 10pm to watch the great unveiling, but I wanted to know and NEEDED to know now. It was right there. I had to competing thoughts in my head.
1. In the end, it doesn't matter when I open it. The only important part is that I am going to serve a mission.
2. I would feel ripped off if I drove up to be part of this big life event and it had already passed.
So I came up with a compromise: I would have my mom open it and I could ask three questions and she could answer three questions. Stateside or foreign? Stateside. Do I leave before the end of November? No, but you leave before New Years. What is the climate? Warmish.
Upon hearing the word "stateside" my heart sunk. Completely unexpected, my heart sunk. I had been telling everyone and I thought it was true that I didn't care if I went stateside or foreign. That it was the same work no matter where you go. So, why was I so disappointed?
Disclaimer: I was not disappointed I was serving stateside.
However, I was disappointed that no one would gasp when I opened my mission call. I was disappointed I couldn't put up a country's flag as my cover photo. I was disappointed I wouldn't be learning a new foreign culture or language. I was disappointed that people would be fake-excited when I told them where I was going. I was disappointed that people might think I'm fake-excited to go and that it might be true. I was disappointed that I got called to be a Hufflepuff.
Not because I was upset that I was a Hufflepuff, but I was worried what other people would think.
However, I have to admit... I've heard many people say about others, "I'm surprised that person got called stateside because they are so spiritual," or "You will get called somewhere crazy, because you are so good." And part of me started to wonder, does the Lord not trust me with a harder mission? Did I do something wrong? I knew it was crazy and dumb, but it happened.
These were legitimate feelings and I felt like I should not hide them, because I want to be honest and I am sure I am not the only one who had these thoughts. I had 6 hours, not knowing where I would go but knowing I was going stateside.
After the original shock, I stopped caring and started wondering where I would go because (after all)
So, please stay tuned for part three where I open my call and go watch a Harry Potter movie :)
(especially you Lauren.)
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