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envelope guy: part 2 (why I call him envelope guy)

Right before I entered the MTC, Dallin messaged me and told me good luck.  I told me him thank you and, “if you ever have time, write me a letter in one of the cool envelopes that your sister makes.”

I remember the first envelope I got. It was my first day in the MTC.  It was from the BYU College of Nursing and I was very confused, and in it was a packet called “Emma’s Missionary Survival Guide.”  With that was another letter with an envelope made out of a magazine.  I was pretty surprised. This boy, who I had only gone on one date with, had actually written me a letter in a cool envelope.

And the envelopes kept coming.  I got 1 or 2 a week. They were such good letters! Just filled with mission stories and motivating advice. I’m not gonna lie, at first I was a little weirded out.  I didn’t know him at all and he kept writing. In envelopes made out of fashion magazines.  What was I supposed to think about that? (but then again, I did tell him to send them in the cool envelopes…) I wouldn’t respond to every letter he wrote me because I was afraid of leading him on too much.  I didn’t think he would keep writing; I thought it was just in the MTC or something.

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Once Anziano Betchi and Anziano Valentine figured out the pattern (district leaders delivered the letters to us) they said: you’re going to marry him.  I said, “no way.”  And then they accused me of being a terrible person and that I needed to write him off.  But I wasn’t going to do that!  It wasn’t like he was waiting for me or anything.  He was just sending supportive letters!

From the MTC onward, my district had given him a name: the envelope guy.  Ask anyone with whom I served, and they will know of envelope boy. I even told him we called him that, and his last letter to me before I flew off to Italy had this on the back:

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But that’s the thing.  The envelopes never stopped.  I never admitted how much I enjoyed getting them. I told people that I didn’t even know him!  But, that’s the thing… I did  know him.  I kept getting to know him.  When I had about 6 months left the letters turned from more spiritual mission stories to just telling each other about ourselves and asking questions.

I didn’t think a ton about it.  I was a missionary!  I was doing missionary work! And I was very focused.  But getting those letters once a month… I definitely didn’t complain.

Then, when I had three months left, Dallin started emailing me every week and stopped sending the handmade envelopes.  It was at that point I thought – he must like me.  I mean, who writes a girl for a year and a half and doesn’t like her? And who writes a girl handwritten letters for that long?  In handmade envelopes nonetheless?

It wasn’t until my last companion that I admitted that I thought we would probably date.  Sorella Bringas thought I was crazy and she laughed at me – “ma non lo conosci!” ( but you don’t even know him!)  Yeah, but I knew.  Call me crazy, but I always knew deep down something was there.

About a week after I got home, Dallin messaged me on what would be my P-day and said:  “Wednesday seems a lot less exciting when I don’t have to check my email anymore. So welcome home and I hope your first week has been awesome!”  I gave him my number, he called me, and the conversation was once again effortless.  It just picked up where we had left off from the last letter.

And we have talked every day since.

 

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