Urban Poly Princess

I loooved Grant Von Harrison's missionary series. I attended mission prep they held in the temple visitor's center in Hawaii EVERY Sunday for over 2 years. It was irritating because I watched so many friends get the missionary bug then leave on their missions but I wasn't old enough to go yet.

That was a very good time for me now when I think about it. I remember feeling very cheated because I was in Hawaii while all my friends were having a blast in Utah, taking road trips everywhere. I was bored out of my mind. I was limited to BYU-Hawaii guys who usually had NO money and NO cars. If I wanted to go anywhere it was me that would be driving. I had just been spoiled in Utah by Poly boys with money AND cars. There were still BYU-Hawaii dances BUT yeah that's what I did in High School.

There wasn't a whole lot for me to do except go shopping and take classes here and there. I was still in my mode of NEVER wanting to attend BYU-Hawaii although it was 3 minutes away. I went to Windward Community College in Kaneohe, Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu AND then the University of Hawaii in Manoa taking GE courses. My mother's aunt and uncle gave me and my brother $5000 each for school since their son didn't attend at all. It was VERY nice, I didn't know them AND I enjoyed spending their money.

I also worked briefly for the Census Bureau as a recruiter. It paid VERY well AND it was a great job. Ironically Hawaiians are ostracized in Hawaii. Much like the American Indians they are provided with what are called Hawaiian Homestead Lands. My mother graduated from the Hawaiian private school Kamehameha. Her classmate from there was over the Waipahu Census Bureau District Office. She REALLY wanted me to work there. I took the test, got a perfect score and was hired immediately. My name makes most Hawaiians identify me immediately as such. There are more Asians there than anything else. My mother is an only child. She is half white. I never identified with my Hawaiian side because the only Hawaiian relative I knew was my grandmother who didn't get along with her half-brothers and sisters. There are lots of Hawaiian scholarships. I enjoyed this right after my mission when my RM scholarship was exhausted.

I still have ALL of Grant Von Harrison's books in Salt Lake City. I haven't cracked them open in a looong time. I tried to find out online which book had the choose to be chosen spiel. I was shocked at all the negative reactions to his books. Most people found these too extreme. My favorite was Drawing on the Powers of Heaven and this is listed repeatedly as something that made missionaries depressed because they felt they couldn't measure up. REALLY???!!! Wow!!! I loooved it because it offered specific suggestions about how to do missionary work well.

The missionary guide, scriptures AND any books they give you specifically IS what you need. When I went I was also given as were ALL missionaries-Jesus the Christ, A Marvelous Work and Wonder, Truth Restored and Gospel Principles. I hear this doesn't happen anymore. You DON'T need Grant Von Harrison's books, BUT I loved them. They need to be viewed in the proper perspective. One of my DLs told me Grant Von Harrison wrote and assembled the missionary guide.

It makes sense that he would develop a missionary series and include what the bretheren wouldn't let him include in the guide. The church doesn't publish the names of authors of any of our church curricula. I don't know where my DL got that information and I didn't probe further. I REALLY hope my husband serves as a  mission president. There is nothing I'd enjoy more. The mission president's wife often gets to speak to the missionaries. My mission president's wife was awesome. Although my cousin assured me the full length leather coat I bought in Utah was fine, I was a little nervous about it BUT Sister Ripplinger dressed well and she loved my clothes!

Sister missionaries in Hawaii often wore these ugly jumpers. My personal vow to myself before leaving was to NEVER wear one of those ugly things. I took my dad to Laura Ashley to buy dresses. He was amazed that I wanted conservative dresses that weren't black. He bought me 3 dresses there WITHOUT caring about how much they were. My mother got me a couple of sweaters and 3 suits. She wasn't as easy as my father however and we struggled to find things we BOTH agreed on.

I was going to California. I don't know what I was thinking. They have malls there AND missionaries can shop too. My parents gave me a rude awakening when I wrote home after the money I had been given ran out. A Tongan ward is the BEST. Since I left from a Tongan ward and had a party as is typical, many ward members gave me money. I had over a thousand dollars from them. There is NOTHING to spend money on in the MTC. I went shopping with my cousin for a Winter coat before she took me to the MTC. That and gloves were the only things I bought.

My first area was the SMALL town of Colusa. What the heo???!!! I thought I was going to the capital city of California NOT a little village in the middle of nowhere. When my money ran out I wrote asking for more. I wanted to get my nails done, hair cut-ANYTHING to make my work in the boonies better. My mother responded by telling me she thought I should learn to live with what they gave us!!! For my mission that meant $175 an entire month!!! I survived AND learned to use cheaper hair products AND make up.

In the MTC I had a companion just as vain as me. We got up at 5am every day so we could take a leisurely shower AND have enough time to do our hair and make up. In the field I changed this.