A Failed Attempt at Missionary Work....And Beyond

hey hey everyone! i'm back in the states! i had a fun time in mexico and i'm delighted to report that i also sport a moderate new tan! (exciting i know.) 

the most interesting of my experiences however i believe have been published already, excepting this one. >>> read on to learn more. >>>

and on the topic of the hot guys, sheesh, well, i did meet this one guy in the pool at our condo. at first i tried to make convo with him. let me tell you the basic sequence of events. pretend this is a play, just to show you what i mean:

(scene: a teenage girl is idling around the pool, waiting for something to come along and make her day worth putting on makeup [in short: a hott guy]. She is extremely bored. It is now that a male is spotted near the edge of the pool. He is dark haired [appearing to have a shag], cool intellectual-looking glasses that can only be described as "chauncey," and he's heavyset, looking to be several years older than she. she says, "aw, what the heck" and going ahead with the whole convo thing anyways. so she swims up lavishly and has barely decided how to introduce herself when he suddenly dives under the water. he stays under for about 20 seconds, then comes back up to the surface, gasping for air. she is confused for a moment, then makes another less enthusiastic attempt to speak, but again he plunges beneath the surface, to her surprise and annoyance. he stays under for about the same amount of time and returns to the surface again, sucking in the air. one last time she tries to communicate with him, but he is back underwater before she can get a word in. she stands there perplexed for a moment, and quickly bored with this guy. she turns away and heads to the other end of the pool, while he continues his pattern for about half an hour. when she finally can take it no longer, she ventures over again and waits until he comes right back up for air before she speaks.)

GIRL: hey
BOY: oh, heyy.
GIRL (turns away, rolls her eyes, turns back): what's your name
BOY: devin
(they both nod for a minute)
BOY: you?
GIRL: becca.
(they both nod for a minute)
(at this point he is about ready to plunge underwater again, but she catches him before he can.)
GIRL: So. where you from?
BOY: phoenix. 
(they both nod for a minute)
BOY: you?
GIRl: utah
BOY: nice.
(they both nod for a minute)
GIRL: so. what grade are you in?
BOY: 11th.
(they both nod for a minute)
BOY: you?
GIRL [chuckles without humor]: 9th.
BOY [chuckling also, really thinking that a joke was made]: 9th, nice.
(they both nod for a minute)
GIRL: ....yeah.
(again, he looks anxious to dive under the water again, but not so much as before.)
GIRL: soooo. you into any sports?
BOY (takes question REAL seriously before responding in a contemplative voice): well, i took up bowling for a while. . . . 

GIRL appears unimpressed. BOY's voice is now frantic with suggestion.

BOY: ... but then i tried out... tennis.
(he glances reproachfully over at GIRL.)
GIRL: oh, that's ... cool. so tennis just didn't work out for ya, then?
BOY: no, it was really hard---
(his sister comes over and speaks loudly)
SISTER: whos this devin. your girlfriend?
BOY: uh---
SISTER: you only say its hard to play tennis cause you can't run!
(BOY's cheeks flush bright red)

BOY: why don't you shut up, analesa.

GIRL: so, what are you into then, other than. . . . tennis?
BOY: oh, you know. . . . i don't really have any hobbies. . . . i collect weird little things. like you know those one sunglasses with the lines through them? i bought two of them yesterday. 

GIRL: uhhh, awesome
BOY: thanks, yeah. . . they're pretty sweet. . . . 

GIRL: so what religion are you?
BOY (seems to hesitate a bit) er. . . . Catholic.
GIRL: oh.
(they both nod for a minute)
BOY: you?
GIRL: mormon. 
BOY: ....um. oh
GIRL (laughing): do you even know what that is?
BOY: uhhhhh, i have a very. . . . narrow idea.
GIRL: oh. well, wh----
BOY (interrupts with nervous chortling): ---i mean i kind of don't get some of it.
GIRL: oh. well you can ask me a question. what don't you get?

(at this point, GIRL is wishing that she had read Preach My Gospel when she'd had the chance, three weeks ago at Family Night, when she suddenly remembers her copy of "for the Strength of Youth" sitting in her purse in her bedroom.)

BOY: Kind of....all of it.
GIRL: oh welllll. . . . i have this book that you can read ---
BOY (shrugs his shoulders): why not. i've been reading this whole trip.
(they both nod for a minute)

(he dives suddenly back underneath the water, and that's the end of that. scene fades out.)


so yeah. great huh. lol. well i can't wait to see you. i miss all of you guys absolutely a ton.