This will be the last post of Sister Collett. This will be a long one. I was going to break it up into two different posts, but the pictures at the bottom -- I kind of wanted to have them get lost. :-) I almost didn't put them on here, but I said I was going to put the good, the bad, and the ugly, so I decided to include them for completeness sake.
and you thought the gold plates were taken up into heaven :-)
This is inside the library at the Seminole ward building.
I think we were meeting our district leaders at the church for a baptismal interview. That's why we are lollygagging in the library.
I think the guy on the left, Elder Weissman, was our district leader. And his companion on the right. I can't remember his name. :-(
Elder Weissman thought he was cool.
another photograph of me holding the gold plates :-)
outside of the Seminole church
This must've been after the baptismal interview. I think it was Preston's baptismal interview. I already put his baptismal pictures on here. I guess these are little out of order. :-(
another picture of Sister Collett, Sister Stone, Elder?, Elder Weissman
Elder Weissman, district leader
Elders goofing off again
Sister Collett studying. Check out our lovely couch :-) that's back when they made stuff to last! Looks like vintage 1970s, to me. That fabric was indestructible :-)
okay, I'm going to tell a story here. Since this is such a lovely picture of Sister Collett and myself. :-)
Obviously, we are out tracting. Notice the two books of Mormon in my hand. Which means we probably gave one away already, because we usually took three with us. :-)
Also, notice the clipboard. We kept meticulous records of where we tracted and who we contacted.
Okay now for the story that I wasn't going to tell -- well, I've been debating with myself on whether I was going to tell it or not. But I decide I will include it for completeness sake, because it is one of my more vivid memories of my mission.
I'm not sure if it was with Sister Collett, I think it was. It may have been with Sister Erickson, my last companion. Anyway, we were out tracting, much like the picture above. We were in a nicer neighborhood. I would say upper-middle-class. And we knocked on a door and a man answered. I'm not very good with ages, but I'm guessing he was in his late 30s or early 40s. I'm not sure who was doing the door approach. But, he told us he wasn't interested and we left.
As were walking away down the sidewalk, the man opened the door and called us back and told us he was interested after all. I think that was probably the only time that ever happened.
So we went back and started talking to him. I don't remember if we gave him the first discussion or not. I don't think we did, we may have given him a short version on the doorstep. But anyway, I remember he told us about his fancy sports car he had-- I'm not a car aficionado, I have no idea what kind of sports car it was-- and that he wanted to take me shopping in his nice sports car and buy me a new spring dress. Strangely enough, he didn't offer to buy my companion a dress. But he did say she could tag along. Dead Giveaway! :-) I was a little creeped out by that. But people offered to give us stuff and buy us stuff sometimes, so it wasn't all that out of the ordinary. So I thought. And I'm not even sure that exchange took place the first time or the second time we met him.
I thought it was odd that he offered to take me to the mall in his fancy sports car and buy me a new dress, but not give the same offer to my companion. Apparently he didn't like what I was wearing :-)
Of course, I politely declined.
Anyway, we set up an appointment for a real discussion -- either first or second, I can't remember.
After we left, my companion -- I think it was Sister Collett -- told me she didn't want to go back or didn't think we should go back because he was creepy. And she didn't feel good about it. I kind of felt the same way about the guy. But, in my logical brain I was thinking that we are missionaries and teaching people is what we do, and if someone wants to hear the gospel we should not deny them.
So anyway, logical or not, we decided, or I decided that we would go back and give him another chance, and teach him a formal discussion. --at this point, I wish someone would have cued Waylon Jennings, "WRONG!" -- But as a precaution I told my companion that we should make sure to bring another Sister, along -- as per mission rules. Which, we didn't always do when we taught single males. Unfortunately, I wasn't very good at following that rule. :-(
So, a week or so later, we went back with another Sister from the ward to teach him a formal discussion. I wasn't even sure he would be home because he didn't really seem that interested in learning the Gospel. And a lot of times people would make appointments with us and then not answer their door or never show up. So I thought that might be what happened here.
But he was home, and answered the door and invited all three of us in. Now let me just interject here what I remember him looking like when he opened the door. What comes to mind is Larry from "Three's Company". open shirt, hairy chest -- disgusting. He wasn't dressed like that the first time we met him. So, right away I was thinking that I probably made the wrong choice in going back. But we were there and went to the trouble of getting another sister to come with us so, we went in to teach the discussion. And he acted excited to see us and seemed eager to hear the discussion.
Well, with any appointment, we always started out with BRT -- building relationships of trust. Which basically is getting to know people, small talk basically. He seemed totally focused on me and didn't really engage with the other two Sisters. I remember he kept asking me my first name. And normally when people would ask me my first name I wouldn't have a problem telling them. But I was a little creeped out by the guy and did not want to give him my first name. So I explained to him that as full-time missionaries, we go by our title of Sister or Elder.
He wasn't satisfied with that answer and kept asking me my first name. I don't think I ever gave it to him.
As we started to teach the discussion, I remember that he kept interrupting. I don't remember what he asked or said, but I don't think it had anything to do with what we were trying to teach him. I think he kept asking me personal questions.
It became obvious very fast that he was interested in me. As we were trying to teach the discussion, I remember he kept staring at me and didn't look at anyone else. Even when my companion was teaching -- or trying to teach -- the principle. It was very odd. The way he was looking at me was very creepy, like he was undressing me with his eyes. Needless to say I was very uncomfortable.
Then, out of the blue, he said to me, in a nutshell, that I was his type, and he was looking for a wife. And he thought I would make a good wife. And he flat out told me that he wanted to marry me. He told me that he would provide well for me, and that I would never have to work, and I would never have to worry about money. The way he worded it almost made it sound like he was doing me a favor by allowing me to be his wife. As if any woman would jump at the chance.
This guy thought he was Rico Sauve. He thought he'd just given me an offer I couldn't refuse. So, you should've seen the look on his face when I told him that I would NEVER marry him and I didn't care about money. I may have even told him that he was way too old for me and that I did not find him attractive at all. :-) if I didn't say that I should have :-)
He was in total shock. Obviously he wasn't used to being rejected by women. In fact, I do believe he told me that I was making a big mistake. And that I would regret it. Ha! I just had to laugh at that one.
I was more than happy to reject him! in fact, I took great pleasure in it :-)
I don't know why he thought I would be interested in him, I was 22, and at the time, even a 30-year-old man seemed ancient to me. Not to mention he was just plain creepy.
So needless to say, we didn't finish the discussion, and we got out of there as fast as we could.
And of course I learned another valuable lesson about listening to the promptings of the Spirit. I should have listened to my companion when she told me we should not go back. Even I didn't feel that good about it. But I wanted to give him a chance to hear the gospel.
"Regrets. I've had a few, but then again too few to mention." :-)
I felt bad for the poor sister that we dragged along with us. I think she was getting ready to go on a mission herself. I hope that didn't scare her away.
So that was my second and last (thankfully) creepy marriage proposal on my mission.
That whole experience was very surreal.
apparently, I like this pose. I don't know where this is. It looks lovely :-)
okay, here's another story. I'll try to keep it short.
I know the picture is a little blurry, but it's the only one I have. This is a picture of two clown fish named Stone and Collett. :-)
One of our investigators, who ended up being baptized -- I have pictures and will tell that story later, admired us so much that he went and bought two clown fish and named them after us. :-)
Needless to say, we were both flattered. And yes, he was another single male investigator :-)
I didn't even know what a clown fish was. I wasn't sure if he was calling us clowns or not. :-) But hey, that's the only time I had anything named after me, so I took it as a compliment :-)
This was before the Disney movie came out that had a clown fish in it. I think it was called Finding Nemo. I've never seen it. :-)
looks like a real Elder in my apartment :-)
I'm not sure if I put this picture on here yet or not.
Sister Collett packing up her scriptures to go to ZDM dressed as Elder Collett.
this is my buddy James and me.
James was a student at the school where we did community service. He struggled with reading and I was able to tutor him. I liked him, he was a cool kid. Of course, he loved me also, who wouldn't? :-)
I worked with him every week during our time at that school.
Sister Collett with the student she tutored. I don't remember her name :-(
St. Petersburg zone
okay this is the start of the pictures I wanted to bury at the bottom.
These pictures are a little bit out of order, but here's another story.
Sister Collett bought an acrylic nail kit at the store. I don't know what I was thinking , but apparently we both did our nails with her acrylic nail kit.
I never liked long fingernails. I always thought they were gross. Still do. So I don't know what I was thinking. But I got on a kick of having long nails at the end of my mission. Thanks to Sister Collett.
I think the above picture is of the acrylic nails on my hands. I don't think we did too bad for amateurs. :-)
I believe these are my real nails without any acrylic. I have always had strong nails that could grow long. Sister Collett convinced me to grow my nails out -- because I could, I guess.
Her nails could not grow like mine. Her nails grew flat and wavy and weak :-) thus the upcoming pictures of platypus thumb :-)
Anyway, sorry about the gross picture, but that was part of my mission. I think I kept the long nails until sometime during my first year back at Utah State.
then I finally wised up and cut them off for good -- never to grow them long again!
platypus thumb!
I know the picture is kind of blurry. But, Sister Collet tried to put acrylic -- the powder and liquid that you mix together and paint on your fingernails to make them stronger -- on her thumb and it was lumpy and looked like a platypus bill :-)
So she drew a face on her thumb to make it look like a platypus.
it was hilarious! Maybe you had to be there :-)
Sister Collett making a platypus face :-)
I know you can't see it very well, but this is the close-up of the platypus thumb.
If you look close you can sort of make out the ink on her thumb where she tried to draw a face.
okay, here are more silly pictures that I tried to bury at the bottom of this post :-)
Let me preface by saying that back in 1992, there was a group called Right Said Fred and they had a popular song out at the time called "I'm too sexy"
Well apparently I ran with that theme on all of these crazy conversation bubbles that I stuck to my pictures.
Yes, it's embarrassing. :-(
If you don't know the song, he mentions that he's too sexy for a myriad of things. Such as, I'm too sexy for my car, I'm too sexy for my hat, I'm too sexy by far, etc.
Anyway, now you will understand why I wrote all those crazy things on my pictures.
Silly girls!
embarrassing. :-(
My handwriting is actually mostly legible :-)
apparently I'm showing off the seashells. I'm not sure why :-)
Sister Collet doing the same
Sister Collett doing a silly pose in the laundry room at our apartment complex.
me doing the same silly pose
me and Sister Collett posing again in the laundry room. Thankfully, you can't see much of me :-)
who came up with these silly poses?
not sure what I'm doing here :-)
okay this pose isn't bad. :-) Although the picture is a bit blurry.
I don't know what we were thinking here. Maybe showing off the outside of our apartment :-)
another embarrassing pose :-)
Sister Collett's version
embarrassing :-(
I had to make sure to emphasize way :-) what crazy things we did for entertainment :-)
Obviously I don't know how to pose properly --Looks like I'm scratching my head :-)
the front of our apartment. Living room on the left, you can see the lamp. Bedroom on the right.
at least I didn't put a silly conversation bubble on this one :-)
although I must say, my hair looks pretty good :-)
crazy sister missionaries. :-)
This concludes my time with Sister Collett. I'm not sure if I was with her for two or three months. I don't remember where she got transferred to, but I stayed in Seminole to complete my mission and received Sister Erickson as my new companion.
I didn't keep in contact with Sister Collett.
As you can see, we had a lot of fun together. And we worked hard. It was challenging to open a new area and train a new missionary at the same time. Sister Collett was great. She was a hard worker and a willing learner. I'm sure she had much success during the remainder of her mission.
Next up, my last companion -- Sister Erickson
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