MTC

We entered the MTC at 10 a.m., Monday, March 16, 2015. As I write this, it's Tuesday at about 10:30 p.m. -- we've been here two days and it feels more like two weeks have passed, the days have been so full. We are part of a group of 79 senior missionaries -- 36 couples and one single sister. It is so fun to get acquainted with these folks and learn where they are going to serve. The four senior couples in our little district will be serving in Japan, the Phillipines, Tahiti, and Fiji -- we'll all be islanders!  And all English speaking except the couple going to Tahiti, they'll be speaking French.

Here's our "Islanders' District" - left to right, Elder and Sister Gardner--Phillipines, Elder and Sister Caldwell--Tahiti, Sister Brown--our trainer, Elder and Sister Vermeeren--Fiji, and us--Japan!

And here with are with our other trainers, Elder Jex and Sister Smith

We are reminded frequently of what a small world it is. Sister Brown served in the Ecuador Guayaquil South Mission. Sister Smith served in Minnesota and knows our friend Elder Rust from North Logan, and is also well acquainted with the Leavitt family in southern Utah. Fun connections!

Missionaries in our group are also going to New Zealand, Australia, Zambia, England, Mexico, Peru, Germany, Sweden, Chile, Lithuania, Portugal, South Africa, Kenya, Canada, Hawaii, and some seventeen states in the continental United States (including a couple who will serve in the mission office of the Tacoma Washington Mission and who are parents-in-law of Becca Cramer, daughter of our friends Phil and Kris Cramer in Olympia!)

Monday's schedule included a lot of getting acquainted, reviewing what was going to be happening, getting organized into districts, unpacking, etc. Today (Tuesday) we hit the ground running and are learning to teach. We're studying the missionary purpose:" to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." We had quite a discussion about this statement. It seems to me that in the past we have prayed for the missionaries "to find people and bring them to Christ," which makes the investigator sound just a little bit passive, doesn't it?  Our discussion was focused on words like "invite", "come", "helping", and "receive". We invite and help, as partners with our investigators who respect their agency -- and they choose to come and receive. We hope. :[)

In our smaller group study we prepared to teach and did some role playing. It was a little unnerving, but so effective! And I really loved it. I was moved to tears when Bruce and I were acting as investigators who refused to be baptized because we couldn't afford to pay tithing, and Elder and Sister Caldwell (the couple going to Tahiti) shared their personal experiences and testimony of that principle. Inspiring stuff.

Elder Don R. Clarke, a Seventy, spoke at a devotional tonight and shared a powerful message. And the MTC choir -- just heavenly and thrilling to hear!

The food's fine -- obviously the menu plan is made with young elders and sisters who have a much faster metabolism than me in mind. I'm going to have to watch it!  They still have chest freezers full of ice cream sandwiches in two or three locations, Dave would be happy to hear. It's cafeteria food, but it's okay.

Bruce has gone to bed and I should get some sleep, too. More later.