The MTC

Elder Shipley and I have just completed five days of training at the MTC - Mission Training Center. Each day was filled with training from 8am to 5pm. Then 2-3 hours of homework every night. There was no room left in the inn (MTC) so we came home each evening to Robyn and Matt's home exhausted by the time we dropped into bed.

Looking back it was really kind of fun. We met wonderful couples and single sisters who have dedicated the next eighteen months to two years to the Lord. Elder and Sister Buckles going to London, England to handle public affairs, Elder and Sister Warr going to the State of Washington to develop a recreational area the church will use for youth camps. Elder and Sister Gee (formerly Mission President of Ekaterenburg Russia Mission) to serve in the Finland Temple. Elder and Sister Hatton in the picture with us are going to the West Indies. Most of our teachers were young returned missionaries. We were able to get a picture of Elder DeVries with us - he returned from the Samara, Russia Mission. He was a wonderful teacher, full of light and always happy - you can tell that in his picture.

We were immersed in "Preach My Gospel" and came to love the lessons. They said it was written on the other side of the veil and published on this side. I must admit it is a masterpiece. Most of all Steve and I learned that we make a great teaching team. We complimented each other so well as we taught. He was strong on finding scriptures, I was strong in relating experiences, and we both knew the gospel so well. As a senior couple it is so much fun because your testimony is built with bricks of experience. You have put the Lord's words to the test and have experienced the fruits of living by His words. While in the MTC we are given investigators to teach (volunteers from the community who role play their parts). Our first investigator was about 80 years old and was on oxygen. We just loved him and ignored the repetitive sound of the oxygen feeding into his tubes. That was another discovery - though I think we already knew it - we love people - it matters not what race they are or what handicap they have. We all have some kind of handicap. So we had a good time teaching him. Our last investigator of the week came into the room with her guide dog. This lesson was on the gospel: atonement, faith, repentence, baptism, gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end. I had drawn a diagram on the board and immediately realized I would have to draw that image in her mind. I was grateful to the Nevilles in our Somerset neighborhood who taught us about not petting and trying to get the attention of guide dogs - one of their daughters trained guide dogs and would bring them to church with her. It's funny how experiences combine in your life to prepare you for future tasks. We had a lovely discussion with this brilliant woman who had lost her sight.
I love teaching. I love feeling the spirit. Hopefully we will have some opportunity to teach, even though our responsibilies are mostly administrative.

One aftenoon we had some returned senior missionaries speak to us about their missions. The first couple had been called to Greece. Their friends upon hearing of their calling, said, "You'd better call your mission president. I heard that another couple just left for Green and that filled the need to have a couple there." So they called and sure enought they were not needed there so they were told they would go to Sicily. They began preparing for Sicily and when they went through checkin at the MTC they were told their mission assignment had been changed again this time to Jordan. The second set of returned missionaries were two sisters who had been companions in Australia. The mission president sent them to a tiny town, Findly, Australia with a population of 2200. The town had had missionaries repeatedly and every house had been tracked out repeatedly to where the town of Findly hated the Mormons! They said they went to get groceries and the cashier closed down the register so that they could not go through the line. They were rejected everywhere so they decided they would create a 90 day plan. Their plan was just to serve the people and become their friends, not to try to teach them anything about the gospel except by example. They joined weightwatchers, went to sewing classes, helped at the Catholic Fair in town. The mission went from 90 days in that town to a full 18 months. The first Christmas the community churches joined to form a choir whcih would give a holiday concert. The Mormons were not invited - for "they are not Christians" (Hmm where have we heard that before!). So that was ok - they attended the concert. By the time the next Christmas rolled around they had made such good friends with everyone in town the Mormon Church was invited to join the choir. At the end of the performance the community gave out an award and that year the award was given to these two sister missionaries. In eightenn months they had turned the town from hating our faith to embracing those who were members.
The lesson: be flexible on your mission = do whatever you feel the spirit guides you to do.

Well we had to get our picture taken in front of the map - after all, all our kids did. We leave tomorrow morning for Accra, Ghana, arriving on Tuesday morning at 8am Ghana time. The adventure begins!