A Story of Service

In my ward we have a really neat service organization. Service in the ward naturally connects to dating. So the co-chairs of the service committee put those two things into action and thus we see: service dates.

Service dates are pretty much like an arranged marriage, without the commitment attached. But really a boy and a girl are just picked out of a hat, come together, and go do an hour of service. I was lucky enough to be randomly chosen last week. Here is my story of service.

The Man: David

The Date: DI Unloading

I was especially lucky because in the midst of trying to figure out how to set up the service dates I was not announced at ward prayer like previous girls had been. David had to come and ask me in person after he drew my name from a hat. He came by during the day on Thursday when only my roommate Katie was home. Since I was not home Katie said she could just give him my number so he could call. He said he would like to ask in person and would just come back later that night (bonus points). Later that night he did come back. He asked me. I accepted. I noticed a very apparent difference in the way he asked for the date and the ways that I have previously been asked (pre mission vs. post mission?). In his experience he had it confidently aligned into a question of clarity. All bases were covered. Time. Date. Location. What I should wear. Perfect.

Well Saturday came around and he was here to pick me up right on time (double/triple/ quadruple bonus points.) If you want to start a date off right, pick her up on time. We drove to the DI, completed our service assignment and then some, and went to get ice cream for our efforts.

We reported a good date and a good time at the next ward prayer.

Dates do not have to be extravagant or expensive. They do not have to extend across hours of activities. They can be simple. They can be productive. They can be fun, even if you are with a complete stranger.