The MTC experience.



The first day we arrived, we (all of the new senior missionaries) were broken up into districts with a leader assigned for each one. Elder Stumm had the privilege of being assigned as district leader over the best group of Elder & Sister Senior Missionaries.

Pictured is our group, Elder and Sister Tew, going to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Elder and Sister Stout , going to Sao Paulo, Brazil, Elder and Sister Stumm, still going to South Africa Cape Town, and Elder and Sister Boothe, going to Arizona, Phoenix.  What a great group!!

When we first started our training we felt a bit like this donkey, a little overwhelmed.

We spent the week being taught by what could have been our children or grandchildren as they were all return missionaries and students at BYU.  And they were great!!!!

As the week progressed with help from our morning instructor Elder Thornton...











...and our afternoon instructor Elder Pike (who as it turned out, is the grandson of our first bishop when were baptized, Bishop Richard M. Richards, in the Spokane valley).














We learned to better trust our feeling and rely more on the Spirit. We also watched a devotional talk by Elder Bednar. He said quit worrying, quit fussin' about whether or not the good thoughts you have are from you or the Holy Ghost. If it is a good thing to do, do it and the Spirit will guide you. We have received so much “good stuff” here about relying on the prompting of the Spirit who is the testifier of the truth.

A lot of our time was spent role playing (which no one liked at first) as missionaries and investigators. But in the end, we all agreed it was very helpful in learning how to respond to questions and what to teach so we could answer the questions and meet the needs of our investigators.  Wednesday was the first "real practice role play" with  “real investigators". We were given a room to go to where we would be greeted by an investigator. Sometimes we would have a little information about them, other times nothing. We would be watched by our teachers by hidden camera so we could be evaluated and given positive feed back on our experience. We would spend the first 15 minutes getting to know them and a feeling about what to teach. The next 30 minutes we would try to help them prepare to follow the example of Jesus Christ and take upon them the saving ordinance of baptism.

Our investigators were actually  people from the community who volunteered to play investigators for the missionaries. Boy are they good. Some are pretty tough and test you whether you're there just to recite a planed lesson or listen to them, answer their questions and meet their needs.  You feel you really are teaching an investigator!!    


One of the things we heard in the Music and the Spoken Word Sunday was, being tired at the end of the day after doing good, is more rewarding and satisfying than just relaxing all day drinking lemonade. These are true words and this week is proof of it. It has been a great week and we are looking forward to starting the work in our mission and experiencing even greater spiritual experiences. 

Saturday was our P-day and free from a structured schedule that meant we had the day all to ourselves.  We attended a session at the Provo Temple. It was a very peaceful time.
 









When we were leaving the temple we ran into a former missionary serving in our ward, Elder Byrd.  He saw us and recognized us but couldn’t remember our names. He was one of the missionaries who taught three of our friends, Heather Andrakin, her son Matt and Kacie Oaks. After lunch we did a little laundry and started packing again for our departure on Monday.  (I hate packing!)

As to the laundry you can see the laundry facility here is huge.  I have never seen so many washers and dryers all in one room before.  It is amazing. 

Well, today is Sunday and we started off with the breakfast most kids love –cold cereal.  It must be the traditional breakfast at the MTC for Sunday.  Usually you get real plates, cups, and silverware.  Today it was paper bowls, plastic spoons, and paper cups.  Great idea for keeping down the need to work on Sunday!  However, lunch was back to normal.  We also had BYU Creamery ice cream for lunch.  YUM!  Okay—for dessert.

Tomorrow, bright and early we are off.   Next stop Cape Town South Africa. 

MTC

"I'm here to get rid of these old people, where do I take them?"

  

These are the words our loving daughter spoke to the first person she saw after driving us down to the Missionary Training Center in Provo Utah.  I love that girl. She makes me laugh.

We arrived on time even after missing our exit because of road construction and getting lost... no, a little disoriented, a couple of times. I knew we should have brought our GPS.

When we finally found where we were to go, we were met by a whole group of young elders assigned to help us. I asked them if they were assigned to help the old people because they had done something wrong, but they assured me that this wasn't the case and it was their pleasure to assist us by taking our luggage to our room and showing us the way to the MTC welcome and orientation room.  We are told that there are over 2100 young elder and sister missionaries here, and we can believe it. I have never seen so many white shirts and name tags in my life. It's a great sight.

We are one of 37 couples and 4 senior sisters arriving on this last Monday. We are a varied group, coming from different backgrounds, occupations and countries. Some have lived their whole life in the church, while one couple are members of only 4 years. Some have served numerous senior missions but most of us are experiencing our first full time senior mission.  While most have been called to serve in the US including Hawaii, others will be serving around the world in Cambodia, China, Philippines, Portugal, Tonga, Germany, Brazil, Canada and of course South Africa. The mission calls also vary greatly. Some will serve, as we will, in member and leadership support, others in employment centers where unemployment is over 20%, others to family counseling, health, medical, and dental service missions. The most interesting one I think was the couple called to serve as maintenance and operation leaders in a peanut butter canning plant in Texas.

We were given this weeks schedule and it looks busy and we will be studying a lot. We will be mainly trained by college students on the how and why of missionary work using the "Preach My Gospel" book.
When President  Brown,  the MTC president spoke, he said something that hit me hard. "There are people where you are called to serve that are  prepared to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They may not know it, but you do. The training you will receive this week will better prepare you to say the right things at the right times."  This is going to be a very spiritual week.

Tuesday we were privileged to sing in a missionary choir at a devotional where Russell M Nelson and his wife Wendy spoke. We also will be blessed to attend firesides and other devotional throughout the week, and on Saturday, attend the Provo Temple.

We senior missionaries are being put up in nice accommodations. While some are staying at the Marriott, we have been given a very nice room in the MTC (which doesn't stand for the Marriott Travel Center) but it's a nice room with a great view. We were treated to a "Haka" which is a traditional Maori war dance from  New Zealand. I don't know if it was a group from BYU or a bunch of Elders from the MTC but it was very entertaining.
















We have a cafeteria which has a varied menu and it's all you can eat. I have never eaten so much and moved so little. It's a good thing we will only be here for one week or I would be rolling to class instead of walking and looking to buying a larger size pair of pants to wear.

Our Next Great Adventure

Well the time has finally arrived. After marrying and raising seven children, we are now on to our next great adventure.

This one is serving as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in South Africa, Cape Town Mission as member and leader support missionaries.

We have spent the last nine months attending to all the details of preparing for our mission.

First we needed to request an opportunity to serve a mission by submitting a missionary recommendation to church headquarters which included filling out forms about us, our past education, work history and skills, personal health and abilities to serve, skills, talents and experience serving in the church.
After we received our call to serve in South Africa we needed passports, medical and dental checkups, law enforcement clearances from the local agency’s as well as the FBI. We needed to complete a list of requirements for a Visa which among other things needed a letter from a physician stating that we had no mental health problems and were of sound mind (this one worried me some but I passed).

Here we are on the eve of our great adventure with all our tasks completed, clothes purchased and packed, house taken care of, farewell talks given, and good bye’s said.

We flew down to Salt Lake City three days ago and are being graciously taken care of by our daughter Cheri and her husband Nate. We have received some sound wisdom from them on embracing new cultures (they are world travelers), been taken to great eating establishments, and watched our daughter run in the Salt Lake City ½ Marathon.

 

We left Spokane with its unpredictable weather.
 

And now we are trying to get into the South African flow by thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather here in Utah, where the trees and lilac brushes are in full bloom. What a sweet treat.

My wife and I have received our missionary haircuts,

We have read and underlined portions of the “Preach My Gospel” book, charged the batteries on our computer and camera, and have a ride to the MTC in the morning. I think we are ready.