MY WISH CAME TRUE

WISH: To open my call and have that feeling of rightness hit. 

Thank you Tel Aviv Fountain. Just that happened. 

Now let’s go back to the beginning…

As we were walking into the Jerusalem Center after a long field trip day…I saw my branch president and before processing the envelopes in his hand I was already screaming and sprinting down the hallway. The poor man didn’t even get a chance to congratulate me. I grabbed it from his hands and proceeded to jump up and down almost sing-song screaming at that point. As more and more kids entered the building the screams continued on as the news spread that my call, along with two others, had finally arrived.

 

1 hour and about 16 minutes later, I was standing in front of the entire Jeru Crew and all of our lovely service couples and professor’s families ready to open my call. That moment of crazy anticipation with all sorts of wonderful people surrounding me was one I will never forget, especially as my darling friend Lindee called me Jessica in her prayer hahaha.

Alright, are we ready? Suspenseful.

Drum roll please....

“Dear Sister Hutchins:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Florida Jacksonville Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language.”

Seeing Jacksonville Florida for the first time may have been the most surreal moment in my life. At first it didn’t process…and then it hit me. I had been feeling like I was going to serve in the South for a while. I had been joking with my roomie Hannah about it for weeks. I even guessed Alabama…pretty close. Little did I know how accurate that tiny inkling had been. I feel as if this picture best captures that insane happiness/surrealness/rightness…if only the darlin Lindee had made it in.

You would assume my whole mission would be in Florida….nope, not even close. This giant mission includes northern Florida, the east coast of Georgia, and the south east corner of South Carolina.  

All in all, I would say this experience was all I could have wanted. I was able to google chat with my family later and that was oh so nice. I have missed them like crazy. And now, as finals and big papers approach, I doodle in my notes about my mission all throughout class. Danger danger danger.

Fun Facts about Florida:

*State hit most by lightning

*18.8 million people

*Temperature: Low 40s to 100s. Oh baby. 

*SO MUCH RAIN. Bring on the humidy and my lovely poofy hair.

*Home to lovely alligators.

I LOVE THAT I AM GOING ON A MISSION. PTL PTL PTL PTL PTL. AND I LOVE ALL OF YOU!