So, when I was a little 20 year old I sent off my mission papers hoping for some French speaking country to follow in the tradition of my mother (who served in Belgium) and my sister (who served in Switzerland).
And instead I got Armenia. And I was like "Armenia?! Where is that? Who cares about that place?" I did not.
But of course, the testimony meeting end of the story is that turns out, I loved Armenia! It was perfect for me!
And since there were like 30 missionaries total, we were was a close-knit group. Family you could say. So much so that when Elder Maahs and Elder DeGraw went home to SLC I told them to stop by my mom's frame shop and tell her hello because she would get a kick out of that. And they did. And they kept going back for the whole year I was still gone. So when I got home Elder Maahs was actually Mike to everyone else and he was like a new family member. And that was cool because Mike was fun to be around and had the biggest heart I'd ever known in real life.
He bought a house on Wood Avenue shortly thereafter. I moved in and so did 3 other old Armenian missionaries, Blake, Little Mike and Jeanine. My brother Christopher also moved in and was in the process of falling in love with yet another Armenian missionary, Tasha (confusing yet?). We all lived and hung out in that Woodhouse bliss for a while and it was fantastic.
So that takes us to Thanksgiving 4 years ago. We planned a movie party cool down at The Woodhouse. I was excited cus my new church friend Kristina was coming over and mentioned she was bringing her friend Katie who had recently come home from her mission. They showed up and Katie was friendly and sassy and beautiful so Mike's heart fell on the floor. And hers fell back so they got married the next summer with a great, great party.
And Mike was a bunch of wonderful things before, so what a delight that with that redheaded Katie, together they are the kind of people who turn your Wasatch Back Relay team car into a rave at 2:00 in the morning. And they are the kind of people who open themselves up to strangers and friends alike. And they are the kind of people who are perfectly suited for an adventure in New Zealand for the next few years.
I am going to miss them. Christopher is surely going to miss them. And the house full of people who gathered on Saturday to send them off are going to miss them too. Thank goodness the internet was invented and thank goodness we all know two years isn't the end of the world.
But mostly, thank goodness Mike Maahs and Katie Faust Maahs were invented.
7 comments:
That is so so exciting for them! I don't know them well but I think they are both very cool people and I got to chat with Katie a couple weeks ago and thought she was quite lovely. Also, I want her hairstyle bad.
Best of luck to them!
So glad I got to know them before they left.
I didn't realize that Tasha was an Armenian missionary too!
So um, after reading your and Chritopher's posteses I'm feeling quite cheated that i didn't know those two.
Sometimes I think I served my mission in Armenia. And I'm glad I wasn't the only one who met their mission call with those sorts of feelings. Good thing God knows better than we do.
Mike was welcome at our home and table from the moment we knew him. I've never met such a loyal friend and a good hearted boy.He stole our hearts and Katie stole his.
And let's not forget that we have those two, and Jeanine and Mike and Blake, and best of all Tasha, in our family - because Emily was such a delight that her friends hung around for a year waiting for her her to come home.
Omigosh. My favorite people in Bulgaria are actually Armenians!! Love it..
It’s funny how I know exactly how the story played out. I was also there the night those two met for the first time. I love them both, and all mentioned in the story and Jayne. I will miss my brother and his cute Katie
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