And so it Begins.

So it's been quite an adventure. I'm in Utah as I write this, and I report to the Missionary Training Center(MTC) tomorrow in the afternoon. I've got the last of my little knick knacks and am wrangling my bags downstairs(who knew it would be so hard to pack your whole life in a luggage bag?). My name is no longer Christine for the duration- it's 'Sister'.

About two years ago I got on my knees and prayed about the course of my life. My engagement had fallen apart and I was struggling to get my life emotionally back on track. School seemed pointless, my extracurriculars felt hollow, and nothing seemed to fit right. So I prayed. And I prayed again. And I prayed about it a third time. All three times I got the same answer, and I couldn't really fight it- I needed to serve a mission. It wasn't what I wanted at all- I had school to finish, and in the world of art, a two year old portfolio was an archaic portfolio. Eighteen months is a long time.

But it needed doing; I asked, I had an answer, and so I needed to do something with that. It's been a long, difficult, frustrating trip. Set back after set back plagued me- first I couldn't get into the website, then I couldn't some of the paperwork done, then I was told I had to wait awhile for some other things to happen. Appointments were hard to get. Rules weren't clear, certain things were preferences as opposed to hard and fast things written in the handbooks. For something that I was told to do, this was a lot more challenging than you'd think it'd be. If I had left shortly after the first time I completed my paperwork, I'd be back by now.

Sometimes you need to wait. And apparently I needed to wait. I met a lot of people, had my patience tried, and I've done a lot of things. I had a job for a little while, and that money helped pay for the costs. So it's not a bad thing that it took so long.

I bought a lot of stuff from Goodwill, Walmart, Ross. You don't get winter clothes, real winter gear, in sunny southern California in the middle of the summer, so I'll be doing a little more shopping after I get there.

My mother's also really ready and gungho. I guess another missionary mommy blogs had this thing called a 'Babylon Box', which is essentially a container for all the worldly things the missionary leaves behind. Stuff like movies, music, trinkets... Most of the stuff I follow is online, so who knows how much physical stuff will actually be in the box.

Several people have also been committed to keeping me appraised of the goings on in the world- new anime, video games, what's happening with the family, etc. If you feel so compelled to help, to share, feel free! I like hearing about stuff more than once, since everyone comes at it from a different direction.

So lots of people have asked for my mission address! Its worth noting that the MTC address won't be good for very long- I'll be there only 2 weeks at most. So if you want to wait a little bit, the second address is better!

Sister Christine Kurt
Missionary Training Center
2005 North 900 East
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Sister Christine Kurt
Iowa Des Moines Mission
8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19
Urbandale, IA 50322-2924

It's worth noting that it's best to send it by US Postal Service! Anything else(UPS, FedEx and even USPS Parcel Post) will take up to a month to get to me, because of the way forwarding things works. Send me love! Tell me about stuff!