I had the best Valentine's Day ever.
But not for reasons you would expect.
I had been subbing in a Primary class
for the past three weeks, so when the Relief Society asked for
volunteers to help out at a missionary luncheon for the holiday, I
jumped at the chance so I could get to know the sisters better since
I hadn't really gotten the chance to do so since we've moved in.
Besides, it had been a while since I participated in an act of
service, and Phil would be at work during the luncheon anyway, so it
wouldn't affect our time together that day.
When I got there, I found out the lunch
was actually a part of a zone conference for the Sacramento
missionaries – all 105 of them. I never served a mission myself, is
that a lot? Because it blew my mind. My Relief Society president,
Sister Anderson, poured her heart and soul into this luncheon. The
Valentine's Day/Presidents' Day decorations we set up and the food we
served (potato soup, sandwich wraps, sliced oranges and brownies/ice
cream) were awesome and delicious. I wish I took pictures because
everything looked so nice. Sister Anderson and I had made Valentine's
Day cards for all of the missionaries earlier in the week, and she
had added individual handwritten messages on each of them,
encouraging the missionaries to do their best and letting them know
how much we loved them – the missionaries loved those! And, hanging
up at the front of the cultural hall was a huge banner with all the
missionaries' signatures on it.
During the lunch, I got to talk to a
lot of the elders and sisters (who were quite fashionable and super
cute!) while serving them the soup. They were all so nice and easy to
get along with (my favorite was an elder from France, he made me
laugh). I was touched by their gratefulness toward us just taking the
time being there and giving them food. After the lunch was over, the
volunteer Relief Society/Young Women sisters were asked to come out
so the missionaries could thank us. They sang to us Called to
Serve and Love One Another. I almost cried during the
second song because of how lovely it was and I just focused on
feeling the Holy Ghost. It really was a sweet moment.
Afterward, we quickly cleaned up the
tables and the kitchen. Most of the volunteers had left after that
point, but I stayed around to chat with Sister Anderson and a girl
who was still in Young Women (and who I bonded with instantly) when a
couple of sister missionaries popped their heads in asking if we had
any extra Valentine's Day cards since one of the volunteers
accidentally threw theirs away during the cleanup. We felt horrible
because we didn't have anymore and they thanked us anyway and walked
away sadly.
I don't remember whose idea it was, but
one of the two women suggested we go dumpster diving and find some
Valentine's Day cards. We couldn't let the missionaries down, gosh
dang it! They ransacked the garbage, while I just stood there and
laughed at the scene. But, they did find five cards unscathed! So, we
ran and found the sister missionaries and gave them the cards, haha.
They were sooo happy. We found a few elders who wanted cards, as
well.
I had such a good time there and even
asked an older missionary on the requirements for couple missionaries
because I would love to go with Phil on a mission some day. This
opportunity to serve rejuvenated my love for our missionaries and
serving in general.
I also had a nice Valentine's Day with
Phil when he got home from work. We didn't do much because we
splurged on Sacramento Comic Con tickets, so we were broke, but we
did make delicious cheese stuffed manicotti for dinner, along with
sourdough french bread and martinellis. He surprised me with an
Amazon gift card and a bag of peanut m&ms (my fave). I love him
so much and so grateful for everything he does for me!
