Missionaries

I'm not sure when it happened, but one day I woke up and realized that missionaries are actually human. Dont get me wrong, I never thought that the Mormon church had robots going around preaching our gospel, but I never realized that missionaries actually had lives. It always seemed to me that they were old men (oh the views of a 10 year old) who happened to conveniently have two years to spare.
However, now that many of my friends are turning in their papers and heading off to the MTC, I'm realizing that missionaries are actually people! They live lives, and they have family, friends, and school. They enjoy watching movies and bowling, just like the rest of us.
Another shocking revelation is that these young men dont just happen to have two year gaps in their lives. It used to seem that their friends and family would stop moving with them, and when they got home everything would just pick up where it left off. But, like I said, with so many of my friends reaching this time in life I'm amazed to see that thats not quite how it works. I am now realizing that going on a mission is a huge sacrifice, and no matter how many blessings these young men are receiving, it still takes a great amount of faith to put off schooling, dating, swimming, and other such necessities for 24 months.
So, to all young men about to head off on a mission, I would just like to say, on behalf of Mormon girls everywhere, thank you. We really do appreciate what you do!