Chase and I both served missions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and though our paths crossed briefly at the Missionary Training Center (MTC), our story didn’t truly begin until years later. Looking back, it’s incredible to see how so many small moments aligned perfectly to bring us together.

In 2020, the pandemic turned everything upside down for missionaries. What had always been an immersive, in-person experience became entirely virtual. For me, being called to Barcelona, Spain, was a dream come true. I couldn’t wait to serve and immerse myself in the Spanish language and culture. I started my missionary journey with six weeks of online MTC training to learn the language. However, the pandemic’s uncertainties led to my reassignment to Kennewick, Washington. It wasn’t what I had planned, but I trusted it was where I needed to be.

The MTC during COVID was unique. Classes, devotionals, and companion study sessions were all held over Zoom. To fill our schedules and keep us engaged, missionaries could sign up for additional classes like Book of Mormon study, Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel, or live devotionals. These classes often included missionaries from all over the world, which was one of my favorite parts—it felt like we were all united in the same purpose, even from afar.

A week before I left for Kennewick, I decided to sign up for one last class: “Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel.” As always, the class began with the hosts introducing the topic and explaining the plan for the session. Then came the breakout rooms, where missionaries were randomly assigned to smaller groups to practice teaching or discuss the lesson.

When the breakout room opened, I was paired with a missionary named Chase (Elder Oakey). We sat there, waiting for our assigned teacher to join, but after eight minutes, it was clear no one was coming. The timer for the session ticked on, and the silence became awkward. Finally, I broke it.

“Hey, Elder Oakey!” I said.

He smiled, and we started chatting. I noticed an Italian flag hanging on the wall behind him.

“No way! Are you going to Italy?” I asked.

“Yes, Milan,” he replied. “My dad actually served in the same mission, so it’s pretty special.”

“That’s amazing,” I said. “How does it feel to serve where your dad did?”

“It honestly feels like a dream. I still can’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head still in disbelief.

He then noticed the Spanish flag in my background and asked where I was serving. I explained that I had been called to Barcelona but was reassigned to the Kennewick Washington Mission. At that, his face lit up.

“No way! My cousin is serving in Kennewick!” he said excitedly.

“Seriously? What’s her name?” I asked, grabbing a pen to write it down.

He told me, “Hermana Platt” and I promised to look out for her, though I wasn’t sure how realistic that was, given the size of the mission.

As the Zoom timer wound down, we realized we had a lot in common and were both excited to start our missions. We weren’t looking for anything more than friendship, but before the class ended, Chase asked for my name and he was quick to find me on Facebook. We said goodbye, and I didn’t think much more about it.

Fast forward to my first area in Kennewick. To my surprise, I met Chase’s cousin, Hermana Platt, almost immediately! It took me a moment to connect the dots, but eventually, I asked her, “Is your cousin Elder Oakey?”

She laughed and said, “Oakeyyy! Yes, he is!”

I sent Chase a picture of us together, saying, “I found her!” Hermana Platt and I ended up in the same zones, apartments, and leadership roles throughout our missions. We became great friends and saw each other often.

Meanwhile, Chase would occasionally message me to check in, but we were both busy focusing on our missions. One preparation day, I was writing letters to family and friends when Chase (Elder Oakey) messaged me again. As we chatted, I asked him, on a whim, if he wanted a letter.

“Sure!” he said.

“But only if you write back,” I teased.

“Of course I will!” he replied.

We exchanged addresses, and I sent him a letter. He later told me he received it, but with the chaos of preparing to fly to Italy, he never had the chance to mail his back to me. I didn’t think much of it—life on the mission was busy for both of us. We lost touch.

Two years later…

After finishing my mission, I returned home and settled back into normal life. Seven months had passed, and I began dating and moving forward. Then, one day, I posted something on my Facebook story, and a message popped up from a familiar name: Chase Oakey.

At first, I couldn’t place him. I scrolled through his Facebook photos, trying to remember where I knew him from. Finally, it clicked: Elder Oakey from the MTC! I messaged back, “Elder! How’s the mission?”

He laughed. “Hey! I’ve been home for three months now!”

As we caught up, Chase told me about a letter he had found while unpacking his mission things. He had written it to me but never mailed it. He felt terrible about forgetting and decided to look me up on Facebook.

I joked, “What are you going to do about that?”

“Well,” he said, “I could mail it…

I said “Or you can hand-deliver it”!!

To his surprise not knowing how to respond and giddy and excited, this only gave him the courage to ask me out and get my phone number.

On our first date, Chase forgot the letter. On our second date, he forgot it again. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to stretch things out for a third date, but eventually, he handed me the sweet letter he had kept all this time.

As we got to know each other, Chase opened up about how he had felt when we first met and finding the letter he had wrote me. He admitted that he thought I was way out of his league and never imagined we’d end up together. I laughed, knowing that life has a funny way of proving us wrong.

The rest, as they say, is history. I can’t wait to keep making history and adding priceless memories to life and all of its beautiful events to come.

C&S

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