I entered the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah, on January 14, 1987, to start my mission. On the first day in the MTC, we had a fireside for all the missionaries who entered the MTC that day. I do not know the exact number ... but it was around 200 - 300.
As my companion (Elder Boulden) and I entered the meeting room for the fireside, we walked past a group of sister missionaries. One of them (who was quite cute) made eye contact with me and smiled. I nodded to acknowledge her but we did not speak.
The next day, when we went to the cafeteria for lunch, I saw that sister missionary again. She smiled at me and said, "ohayou gozaimasu" (it sounded like "oh-hi-oh goh-zai-mas"). I smiled back and said hello. Ohayou gozaimasu is a formal greeting in Japanese. As was common in the MTC, missionaries frequently greeted each other in the language of their mission. I assumed she was going on a Japanese-speaking mission.
Throughout my time in the MTC (two months), I would see this sister missionary one or two times each day, in the cafeteria, the large devotional meeting room, the laundry room, the halls, etc. Each time, we were close, she smiled and said "ohayou gozaimasu, Elder." I always smiled back at her but we never stopped to talk to one another. After all, we were missionaries and not supposed to be talking to or flirting with missionaries of the opposite sex!
On the morning of March 16, we left the MTC to travel to our mission countries. We got on buses at the MTC at 4:00 a.m. and drove to the SLC airport to catch our flights. As we were waiting to get on the buses at the MTC, I saw this sister missionary again. She and her companion walked up to my companion and me. She greeted me with "ohayou gozaimasu."
Then she stepped close to read my name tag and said, "Oh, I thought you were doing to Japan on your mission but your name tag is not in Japanese." I told her I was going to Germany. She was going to Korea. She was embarrassed because she had been saying hello to me in Japanese for two months and I was going to a German-speaking mission. I told her that I had assumed she was going to Japan because she was using the Japanese greeting.
Neither of us was going to Japan. But, both thought the other was going to Japan!
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