The Colorado, Colorado Springs mission called my name. August 13th I left for the MTC. It was hard saying goodbye to Kylee. I shed a few tears (don’t let that leak all over the internet please). In the back of my mind I knew that everything was going to be just fine. I was excited to serve the Lord. I didn’t worry about Kylee getting married while I was gone. If she did I knew that the Lord would be there to comfort me. I also knew that we would always remain friends. That was a blessing in which I remembered to count often. I still count it each day. She is not only my fiancé, but also my best friend. She’ll lose the fiancé title when we get married, but forever she’ll remain my best friend. I am eternally grateful for that. She wrote to me faithfully throughout my mission. In fact, my first letter was from her! I looked forward to my weekly/bi-weekly letter from her. There were so many times where I had a prayer answered by something Kylee had written to me. Each letter picked me up and put me on a new level. Through her letters I gathered that she had been dating other people. That didn’t bother me. I honestly wasn’t sure if we would ever date again. I knew that I wanted too, but I wasn’t sure if it would happen. Thirteen months into my mission I received some of the worst news I’ve ever been given. I was being sent home. I’ve had health issues with my stomach for year and it slowly has been getting worse. It was the cause of me being sent home from the Kyiv, Ukraine mission prior to Kylee and I meeting. My mission President felt that I had served to the best of my ability. I did. I gave it my all. I wasn’t perfect but I tried to be. I was honorably released and sent home with short notice. It killed me. I was bitter and angry. All I wanted to do was serve. My two years weren’t even close to being up yet. There was so much more work to be done and I wanted to be a part of it. The entire plane ride home was a difficult one. I was able to talk about the Church to a non-member who sat next to me but in the back of my mind I knew that in less than six hours I would no longer be a full-time missionary. I stepped off of the plane and was greeted by more than I could ask for. Family and Friends were there waiting in the airport with welcome home signs. Among them was Kylee. My heart dropped. I couldn’t believe that she was there. I wasn’t even aware that she knew I was coming home. I have to admit. I kept my distance. It was weird being home and knowing that I could hug a girl without breaking rules. Especially Kylee. I loved her but hadn’t even thought about seeing her for another thirteen months. I never expected the events that followed to happen, especially so soon. It’s important to note that if it wasn’t for Kylee I would still be struggling with being home from my mission. I truly felt like a failure. It wasn’t until I read a letter that Kylee had given me at the airport that I finally was able to pull out of my crazy state of mind. I owe so much to her for that simple letter. As much as I try to tell her the effect it had on me she’ll never really understand. You’re the best Kylee!

Kylee Maughan

Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.

kyleeannphotography.com/kylee