When I was done writing my last blog post on Sunday, Lily and I figured out dinner and had just come up with a plan when the phone rang. It wasn't a number I recognized but I answered it and it turned out to be none other than the Trythalls! Sister Trythall had sent me FB message asking for my phone number a week or so ago and I couldn't believe it was real. I sent back asking if this was a hoax and she responded and said no and asked when a good time to call would be. I sent my number and let her know Sunday afternoons were a good time, as well as most mornings and voila! They actually called me!
President Trythall was my first mission president and I absolutely adore him. I'm sure I've written about him on here before but I could not have been more happy that he called me. There are four men that I have very strong feelings about: my husband, my dad, President Hinckley and President Trythall (with an honorable mention to my father-in-law who is a wonderful guy). President and Sister Trythall taught me how to be a good missionary, I poured my heart out to him in a letter every week, I interviewed with him every six weeks and he helped me through some of the toughtest experiences I've ever had to deal with. He loved me, supported me and taught me so much. I get teary-eyed just thinking about how much I love him. When he was leaving to go home (I still had 8 months to go when we got a new mission president) he kind of hinted to me that he had a son who had just gotten home from a mission in Russia and implied that it would be wonderful if I wanted to marry him. Let me tell you, if I hadn't already been madly in love with Josh, I would have been on a plan to California to meet that guy the second I got home from my mission if it meant being a part of the Trythall family.
The last time I had seen or talked to them was 15 years ago when we stopped at their house on our way to San Franciso (we lived in Provo at the time while Josh was still going to school). It was so wonderful to see them (they still call me Sister Burningham) but that was a long time ago and since then it has just been comments on facebook and Christmas cards. That's why I was so surprised when she asked for my number. They have six kids and something like 30 grandkids and hundreds of missionaries who love them so how I got on their call list, I'm not sure, but it made my whole week. We chatted for about 45 minutes about where I live and my kids, they told me about what they're up to and their current calling and we swapped some missionary stories. They told me how wonderful I am and made me feel so good about myself. I just can't descibe how special it is to be loved by people you aren't related to who knew you at a challenging time and yet recognize the good in you and love you so much.
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Stole this from the church's website! It was in the announcement
when he was called as the Kiev temple president |
One of my favorite things the Trythalls used to say all of the time was how grateful they are for all the problems they don't have. President even said it again on Sunday evening and it just made me smile. It is something I think of often and I am truly grateful, especially at this weird time, that there are lots of problems I do not have. They are such good examples of being faithful, strictly obedient, valiant and dedicated to Jesus Christ and his work on the earth. They are kind and loving, honest, funny, and wise. Most of the valuable lessons I learned as a missionary were taught to be by the Trythalls and the completely shaped my mission experience. I'm forever in their debt and words cannot express my love or gratitude for them in my life.
I just went though all of my mission pictures and somehow I do not have one with the Trythalls! Not sure how that happened but here are some fun mission pictures anyway.
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| My Ukrainian family, the Nesherets. This was on my birthday and they gave me that angel figurine. They were inactive and we taught their two younger daughters, who were baptized. |
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| At an outdoor historcal folk museum in the pouring rain because you only get one preparation day |
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| My beloved Sister Maria who is one of the best cooks in Ukraine, with her daughter and granddaughters |
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| We would heart attack people regularly |
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| Baba Nina, one of my favorite ladies. She was 85 but soaked up the gospel and was baptized. She loved reading the Book of Mormon even though it hurt her eyes and she could only read a few pages a day |
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