Mission Possible

I'm just like anybody else.

I was born with two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth. I have two arms, two legs and a bellybutton, an inney...

I sometimes feel hot, cold, pain, hungry, tired, sad and mad...

The rest of the time I feel a joy, peace and contentment in my life that is uncommon in the world today.

Would you like to know why?...

Humans all have the same atomic makeup; differentiated only by our genes, cultures and experiences...

We all have an innate desire for, and need of, human companionship; to love, and to be loved...

Our experiences in life and how we react to them, determine who we become

Growing up, my plan was to serve a mission. I enjoyed all the things any boy my age growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles in the 70's and 80's enjoys. I attended school, played sports and an instrument. I attended church, had crushes on girls and danced. I made mistakes, learned from them and attended college, but the plan was to serve a mission, and then figure it out from there...

I received my call to serve for 2 years in the San Jose, Costa Rica mission in February of 1988. I was 19 years old. I was finishing up my freshman year of college. When I was born, January 11, 1969, my grandpa Tony began putting money in a savings account to pay for my mission. You see, this wasn't an internship or a job, it was 100% voluntary. Missionaries do not receive or earn money or benefits for their service, no exceptions.

Your uniform is business attire: slacks, white shirt and a tie, no exceptions. You can't attend college or further your career. You can't go on dates, have a girlfriend or even hug a female. You can't call your family on the phone, except on Christmas Day and Mother's Day, no exceptions, and remember, there was no email, cell phones or social media in 1988-1990.

You are never alone on a mission. You are assigned a companion, another young man from anywhere in the world, that is with you 24/7, where ever you go or whatever you do, no exceptions. The only personal time you have is from 8am to 4pm each Monday, known as "Preparation Day" or "P- Day". I would always use those 8 hours to write letters to friends or family and play frisbee or basketball. We didn't have to worry about meal preparation or laundry in Costa Rica because whoever we rented from, provided that for us, so we could focus solely on the mission.

You awake at 5:30am and leave the house at 9:30am everyday except P-Day. Those 4 hours are spent: exercising (optional), showering (optional), studying the scriptures/lessons, studying Spanish, studying/planning with your companion (each activity one hour each, not optional) and breakfast. Out of the house by 9:30am, returning by 9:30pm, in bed by 10:30pm. In addition to being assigned a companion, your mission is very organized geographically. You are assigned a specific area, or boundary that you cannot venture out of, no exceptions.

In preparation for the mission, you are sent to what is known as a Missionary Training Center (MTC). There are 14 MTC's scattered throughout the globe. The duration of your stay depends on whether you are serving where your native language is spoken (two weeks) or a foreign language is spoken (two months). Male missionaries are referred to as "Elder", females "Sister" and you receive a black name tag that is worn everyday of your mission, no exceptions.

Elder Yates arrived at the MTC in Provo, UT June 8, 1988. My companion was Elder Starkey. He was born in Costa Rica, but was adopted by a family in the state of Washington at age one. He really struggled learning Spanish, but served a very meaningful mission. He found, taught and baptized his biological parents and siblings with whom he had had no contact with since birth!

I have fond memories of the MTC. Each missionary I met there had distinct personalities and backgrounds, but we were united in a common cause and purpose that brought us much joy. Elder Starkey and I were the only missionaries headed for Costa Rica in our district of eight. The other six were headed to Bilbao Spain. I assure you that if I were to search for any of the missionaries I met in the MTC on social media today, the reconnection would be both emotional and immediate.

My mission provided some "firsts" in my life:

1. First time on an airplane
2. First time in a foreign country
3. First time being robbed (twice) while threatened with a knife and machete
4. First time being away from my family and friends for more than 4 months

I arrived in Costa Rica (CR) August 8, 1988. My first breakfast was gallo pinto, scrambled eggs and toast, delicious! My first area was Guapiles and my first companion was Elder Flemming. I was there 3 months. I love Elder Flemming. Every night after returning from a hard day of work, he would make banana shakes for us, delicious! I'm sure his wife loves him as well ;) He made the transition to living in a foreign country an easy one. We share a mutual love and respect towards each other, to this day.

It was in Guapiles that the rubber hit the road...

I didn't understand a word that was being said for the fist two weeks! I could speak, but not understand.

I learned more Spanish in the 2 months I was in the MTC than in the 2.5 years of high school Spanish I took. {no disrespect Mr. Weber ;)}

This lack of understanding Spanish provided me with the first significant experience of my mission...

Two months after I arrived in Guapiles, Elder Flemming finished his mish and returned home to San Diego. I cried when he left. My next companion was not set to arrive for another week and we had teaching appointments scheduled for that evening. No time to grieve, the work must go on...

I recruited a 17 year old kid named Mauricio from the barrio to be my companion for the week. Mauricio could not translate or interpret for me; nor did he know the lessons we were to teach. He could only testify, having already been baptized. As we headed to our appointments that night, I prayed that God would help me. He did, he blessed me with the gift of interpretation of tongues. I was able to understand everything my investigators said that night as if they were speaking English. Although I went on to become fluent in understanding, speaking, reading and writing Spanish, I have never again received the gift of interpretation of tongues.

My second area was Hatillo. I served there for 7 months, 6 of which were with Elder Ricks from SLC, UT. Serving in an area and being assigned to a companion for more than 3 months was considered unusual in my mission. We lived in a one bedroom, one bath apartment attached to the home of Marielos.

Marielos is the most Christian person I have ever met in my life. I consider her my real mother. I know that sounds disrespectful and inconsiderate towards my biological mother. It's not because she made French Toast with all the fixings almost every morning for breakfast. It's not because I lived with her for 7 months, 2 weeks when I returned to Costa Rica in August of 1991 to visit as a non-missionary, and 4.5 months earlier this year. It's because of the extremely strong emotional and spiritual connection I have with her that I don't have with the mother that birthed and raised me. Only those that share a similar connection with someone, a missionary that lived with Marielos as well, or Christ himself, would understand.

It was in Hatillo that I was robbed twice. An $80 quartz watch that my mother gave to me as a "going away gift" before leaving on my mission. Wow!...I just realized this moment, while writing this, how symbolic and foreshadowing that watch was regarding the future status of my mother and I's relationship. Being a creator on Vocal has both enlightened my mind and healed my heart ❤

I don't consider having my watch stolen twice a significant experience of my mission. People all over the world everyday have things stolen. Seeing a person admit they need to make changes in their life, and then witness them making those changes, that is significant...

Elder Ricks and I were searching for someone to teach on foot near the Hatillo/Alejuelita border of our area. I received an impression to knock on the door of a very humble home, which was against the rules of our mission. We were instructed to only contact people in buses/taxis, walking on the streets/sidewalks or those sitting on their front porches. A lady in her mid twenties opened the door. We introduced ourselves and told her we had a message about Christ we wanted to share with her. She invited us in and proceeded to tell us that just a few moments before I knocked on her door, she was praying to God that he would send her "His Angels". Just what every missionary wants to hear :)

We broke a mission rule that day. We taught a single mother (her son was only 3) without another adult male in the room (remember what I mentioned earlier about women?). Rosa got baptized soon after. It was the first significant fruit of my labors.

My third area was downtown San Jose. I was there 2 months. My companion was Elder Lehr from Alberta Canada. All I really remember about that experience was that I had been promoted to senior companion, the pretty women, and showering with cold water because there wasn't any hot!

Las Juntas de Guanacaste was very hot! I don't remember the name of my companion (shame on me), but I know he was from Utah. It's probably because we were only together 2 months. I have some significant memories from that area because it was unlike any other area I served in during my mission:

• This area had very few members of the church. It was considered a branch instead of a ward. My companion and I's assignment was to grow the branch into a ward
• Because my companion and I were the first missionaries to serve there, there was no one to feed us or do our laundry. We lived alone in the small meeting house. Note: I absolutely loved the shower in that meeting house. The cold, strong, water power was so refreshing after sweating it out all day in the hot, humid jungle
• It was one of only two areas during my mission in which we rode bikes instead of walking because of how rural and spread out it was. Guapiles was the other
• The meeting house didn't have a baptismal font. We got to baptize our investigators in a river :)

Speaking of rivers, there were many. In order for us to baptize someone, one of the requirements were that they had to attend church at least once prior. One of my favorite memories was crossing a rather deep river to bring an investigator to church. The expression on the faces of the members of the branch that Sunday, seeing my companion, the investigator and I, show up late and drenched from our arm pits down, was priceless!

The last area I served in was Tibas. I was there 9 months, and would have stayed longer had President Bowhler allowed me. It was here that I met Elder Gillespie from Castle Rock, CO. We were companions for 6 months. Christopher is one of my best friends.

I was there when he married Magda, whom we both met in Tibas. I was there for him when they divorced. I was there when he married Cari. He was there for me, as my "best man", when I married Paola {not from Costa Rica ;)}. He was there for me when we divorced. I named my first child after him. When I finished my doctorate in chiropractic, I moved my family to Castle Rock to live near him.

We've drifted apart a little over the years, but the friendship we developed will last forever because of what we experienced together on the mission.

We experienced the baptism of many people. Human beings doing the most difficult thing to do in life: Admitting changes that needed to take place, and then changing.

The result for them, and for us, was joy, peace and contentment...

Our experiences in life and how we react to them, determine who we become

My mission taught me everything I needed to know that I didn't learn in Kindergarten. It taught me: faith, hope, charity, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, kindness, humility, diligence, work, discipline, and love, for myself, mankind, and God.

I am who I am because of my mission.