My past two years in Texas

[Robyn]

Just over two years ago I said goodbye to GT. I was to participate in a service Mission for the church of which I am a member of, the LDS Mormon church. I would go (in my case) Houston, Texas for two years and teach about Jesus Christ and His Gospel. I had a more unique assignment, in that I would focus on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Houston. I would thus need to learn American Sign Language, so I went to Provo Utah first to learn the basics, then flew to Houston. I then spent two years in a small Deaf unit setup by the church, helping the Deaf and their friends progress and improve their lives. I had a companion with me, the definition meaning a person of no romantic relationship but a desire to teach as well and a willingness to work in unity with me to effectively teach.

As a Missionary, we have strict rules we must follow to help us to stay focused on our assignments and not get distracted. Some rules included not watching TV, going to the movies, listening to the radio, dating girls, accessing websites that weren't authorized by the church (such as Proboards), etc. But it was a good practice for self discipline. I learned a lot. Others say I have matured a lot. I feel more ready for future events such as dating, marriage and working. I'm willing to be more serious with life. Less bible bashing, less proving I'm right, less virtual games that waste my time, and more serious real life commitments.

Tl;dr - I spent two years in Houston Texas teaching the Deaf about Jesus Christ.

Anyway, I have created this thread to inform you on my past two years and to invite you to ask questions about what I did if you are curious. Questions can include what my typical schedule looked like every day, or what my lessons consisted of, or what foods I learned to love in Texas, etc. You may also share your experiences of separation from family and friends for a long period of time. Do with this thread as ya'll wish. (Yes, I said ya'll)

First fun fact: Because of my special assignment, I used a car for transportation my full two years. Missionaries are commonly though of as those whom walk or bike door to door, but we drove because of the exceeding great distances between the Deaf. The cars I drove were Toyota Corolla, Chevy Cruze and Ford Fusion.

[Søren]

Sounds like you learn lots (: Cool you know ASL now, useful skill to have.

Does it feel odd/boring to be home now?

When i can home from uni it felt odd as was in city for most of 3 years then back to small country town

[Former Member]

That's great!

so no more video games for you? And will you be doing YouTube videos anymore? Before you left I was semi active in watching yours. I can pm you what I've done in the last 2 years so it doesn't take away from you in this thread.

Did you ever find your self in a difficult situation where you either succeeded or failed?

[James [a_leon]]

First let me say welcome back and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourself.


What was the biggest cultural shock being in Texas compared to dairyland?

If you don't mind, what was the best and the worst experience/interaction on your mission?

[RedBassett]

In addition to James [a_leon]'s questions, what was the most interesting/strange thing you saw during the trip? (Related to the mission or not)

[Former Member]

What is Texas like?

[Syko Nachoman]

There's a saying that the only unavoidable things in life are death and Texas. Now that you've already experienced Texas, all you have left to look forward to is death. How does this make you feel?

[Robyn]

Jul 13, 2014 8:20:24 GMT -8 Søren said:

Sounds like you learn lots (: Cool you know ASL now, useful skill to have.

Does it feel odd/boring to be home now?

When i can home from uni it felt odd as was in city for most of 3 years then back to small country town

It is different being home without a strict schedule and goals and plans. I have to also worry more about working and school and education and don't have any main reference point, since you can go anywhere with these.

It's nice not driving for 45 minutes in traffic to get to my next appointment though. Things are 10 minutes away again.

Jul 13, 2014 8:59:04 GMT -8 @tidus90 said:

That's great!

so no more video games for you? And will you be doing YouTube videos anymore? Before you left I was semi active in watching yours. I can pm you what I've done in the last 2 years so it doesn't take away from you in this thread.

Did you ever find your self in a difficult situation where you either succeeded or failed?

I will ease my way into video games eventually. It's not a top priority anymore. I will eventually start posting youtube videos again. I first want to setup school and work and if one or both require the use of video technology then I will focus more on that than on just fun. I feel ready to be more serious. Go for it and PM me your videos.

Yes many many times. I have stories and stories. Most of the time it's either due to a companionship or a person we are teaching.

Jul 13, 2014 9:43:48 GMT -8 James [a_leon] said:

First let me say welcome back and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourself.


What was the biggest cultural shock being in Texas compared to dairyland?

If you don't mind, what was the best and the worst experience/interaction on your mission?

The attitude of people in Texas is different. But because I intermingled with the Deaf, being involved with them was the biggest shock as the culture in the Deaf community is so different from the hearing. Just things such as information sharing or bluntness and the way we present information is different.

I've had many of both, but one of the best would be witnessing different people in different situations humbling themselves and accepting baptism into the church, and then watching their lives changes. The worst would be just a serious of lack of communication between missionaries that caused arguments and issues in our groups and hurt feelings came along.

Jul 13, 2014 11:23:56 GMT -8 RedBassett said:

In addition to James [a_leon]'s questions, what was the most interesting/strange thing you saw during the trip? (Related to the mission or not)

As we drove around so much, one thing I found interesting was the number of absolutely expensive cars that would freely be driving around. We saw Lamborghini, Ferrari, audi r8, Nissan GT-R, etc. Also seeing the culture changes as we drove around town. One minute we are in downtown, the next we are in bad ghetto, then the next Chinatown, then the next we are in Mexico city. All while driving on one freeway.

Jul 13, 2014 11:25:01 GMT -8 @zar said:

What is Texas like?

Jul 13, 2014 13:46:59 GMT -8 Syko Nachoman said:

There's a saying that the only unavoidable things in life are death and Texas. Now that you've already experienced Texas, all you have left to look forward to is death. How does this make you feel?

Ready to accept the next many challenges that are placed before me as thanks to my religious beliefs I know where I go after death.

[Former Member]

What's it like to live in? Is it a nice place to live & spend time in?

[Former Member]

Jul 13, 2014 14:13:18 GMT -8 @zar said:

What's it like to live in? Is it a nice place to live & spend time in?

Oh @zar, you're going to Vegas. No time for Texas. haha.

[RedBassett]

Jul 13, 2014 13:46:59 GMT -8 Syko Nachoman said:

There's a saying that the only unavoidable things in life are death and Texas. Now that you've already experienced Texas, all you have left to look forward to is death. How does this make you feel?

I hate having to deal with Texas every spring

[Tumbleweed]

Welcome back Robyn! I can't hardly believe two years have gone by and I'm still here (I need a life!) and you are back! Honestly, it really only seems more like one year.

I still think it is wonderful you dedicated two years of your life toward doing good things. Most people can't say they dedicated a day. 

How long did you have to learn the basics of sign language? Even learning the basics, it takes a lot of practice to be able to communicate well so I'm impressed.

[Former Member]

n/a


Zar

[Thesealion]

Welcome back Robert!

Did you stay in the Huston area the entire time you were there or did you take road trips at all? I mean I know you wouldn't be going places for pleasure and stuff, but how far from Huston did you go?

Texas is the land of guns, religion, nice cars (because we don't have snow and the salt that comes with it to ruin them), trucks, and Mericans Also, we like to think of ourselves as better than the rest of the world...mostly because we are... We also are very humble

[Robyn]

Jul 13, 2014 14:13:18 GMT -8 @zar said:

What's it like to live in? Is it a nice place to live & spend time in?

It's a lot more big, the sky is more lower. The temps are a lot higher. It feels the same as Wisconsin in general. Just withoutthe cold snow. The sky plays a big part in it. The grass is bigger too! 

There are SOME towns that I lived in during my 2 years that I'd be willing to spend time in, yes. Such as Tomball tx or Klein Tx or Katy tx.

Jul 13, 2014 21:43:00 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

Welcome back Robyn! I can't hardly believe two years have gone by and I'm still here (I need a life!) and you are back! Honestly, it really only seems more like one year.

I still think it is wonderful you dedicated two years of your life toward doing good things. Most people can't say they dedicated a day. 

How long did you have to learn the basics of sign language? Even learning the basics, it takes a lot of practice to be able to communicate well so I'm impressed.

Crazy how it all works right?
Thanks!
To learn basic sign language about 10 weeks. Then consistently being involved in the deaf community and having deaf people to talk with every day helped me to behave more like a deaf person and sign faster and catch sign language more.

Jul 14, 2014 6:10:09 GMT -8 Thesealion said:

Welcome back Robert!

Did you stay in the Huston area the entire time you were there or did you take road trips at all? I mean I know you wouldn't be going places for pleasure and stuff, but how far from Huston did you go?

Texas is the land of guns, religion, nice cars (because we don't have snow and the salt that comes with it to ruin them), trucks, and Mericans Also, we like to think of ourselves as better than the rest of the world...mostly because we are... We also are very humble

I was able to venture outside the houston county line if someone was deaf or hard of hearing and wanted a visit, etc. So riverside tx, daytown, willis, freszno, galveston, etc.

You phrase that as if you are a Texan, lol!