Posted by:
toto
(
)
Date: February 06, 2013 10:02PM
And now, for your reading pleasure, a female's perspective.
MTC 1 and 2. Threesome; one was amazingly intelligent; the other, well, um, not a lot going on upstairs and she just went along with the other companion and I; we had a ton of fun and then... (BTW: Companion 1 was at my temple wedding and I was at hers and we're still friends.)
MTC 3. ...A sister from a neighboring French mission had previously been in the MTC and was going through therapy for anorexia/bulimia at a nearby psych hospital and then was unbelievably allowed to return to the MTC (her family wouldn't allow her to go home). I was personally "chosen" to be her companion and man, did we have fun. She was quite intelligent, full of mischievous behavior that I loved, and I also attended weekly group meetings with her (which were eye-opening). She ended up going state-side and we kept in touch throughout our missions.
Mission 4. My trainer was close in age to my mother, hated my enthusiasm and almost struck me once.
5. We looked like twins. She was an artist and I loved the way she colored her weekly tracking chart so I did the same thing throughout my mission. She was quite nervous and insecure, but also highly intelligent like two of my companions in the MTC. We were teaching the brother of a member in our branch who ended up proposing to BOTH OF US. I didn't know the language as well as she did but when she told me, I said, "We're out of here, now." The crazy gal gave him her address in that town and he wrote to her waiting for her until her mission was finished. We called each other "sister-wife" throughout our mission. I still can't believe she gave him her address.
6. BEST COMPANION and one of my closest friends today. We were together through the only Christmas on my mission. There were many things she told me that made me start questioning the church and surprisingly we left the church around the same time but didn't know it until a while later. She's one of the most intelligent people I know (both male and female). She was also at my temple wedding.
7 and 8. Another threesome with two of the sweetest women I'll ever know. Like amazingly humble and beautiful and kind and wow. Those two were quickly snagged by guys when they got home.
8 and 9. 7 was transferred and there was still an imbalance in the number of sister missionaries so insecure 9 joined 8 and I. We couldn't do anything right by her. I mean, she was awful the way she made everything about her. I was glad when another sister showed up and I became her companion but I felt badly for 8 who had to remain with 9. 8 and I are still friends.
10. Awesome gal from the mid-west who loved the way I treated her as an equal rather than the "junior companion". I told her I didn't have all the answers and that inspiration could come from both of us. She was blown away. She was such a good support to me when I found out my parents were divorcing.
11. The I've-got-a-grudge-against-others companion who rightfully couldn't stand being with another person 24/7 and almost ran away twice. She was at least 1 1/2 feet taller than me and 30 pounds heavier but I was able to physically hold her from running away. There were many times when she just collapsed in my arms crying. I felt badly for her.
12. Crazy, nuts, unbelievably rude elderly French woman who was my interim comp until my blue (greenie) arrived. There was nothing, absolutely nothing I could say that she didn't criticize or argue about and I didn't let her attitude get to me. She'd say something and I'd think, "The crazy bitch is going at it again, will she just stop?" We only spoke French and she hated it if I spoke English at church with other missionaries. I finally called my mission president, in English, and told him I'm typically awesome with elderly people but I was about to kill this one. Guess who replaced her? Not the blue.
Lucky 13. She was an "emergency transfer" from the north side of the mission. She'd actually hit her companion and was sent to me so I could bring some peace and calm to her life. I made the best of it while wondering if I would be hit by her and how I could defend myself (I could've taken her on, I believe). She was my last companion and the mission president thanked me profusely for taking her on.
14/1 (in spirit only; had to add that phrase). When we had our final interviews, the mission president told me and my first companion that we were the first "traveling sisters" in the mission field. But this designation was simply in name only since we were leaving the field. She and I had been asking the mission president to allow us to be companions again and again but he wouldn't do so because we were "both too strong to only be together" and he "needed us to help others". Whatever. Three months after we left, the first real traveling sisters began their reign.
ETA: Original thread:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,783478And the second one:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,786007,786007#msg-786007Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2013 02:30PM by toto.