Missionary Training Center

We did it.  We finished our first week at the MTC!  This week was Preach My Gospel training.  Next week is two and a half days of Visitor’s Center/Historic Site training.  We are exhausted.

The MTC is amazing!  It is a well-oiled machine.  We were to report between 10:40 and 11 on Monday morning.  They checked us in out in the parking lot, told us where to park, and what to do in the MTC lobby area.  We picked up our tags and a packet we didn’t have time to look through.  We got our MTC IDs activated, and then went back to our car to drive over to the Jacob Hamblin building next door.  (They needed the parking spots at the MTC for the next seniors checking in.) We were only in the MTC 1M building 5 or 10 minutes, tops.

 

 We had 4 places to go in the second building: Travel Office, Bookstore, Immunizations and General Services.  The travel office handed us an envelope with a check in it for travel reimbursement since we will be driving to San Diego.  The bookstore handed us a bag of stuff we didn’t have time to look through.  (We put it with the first packet we didn’t have time to look through.)  The bookstore cashier also asked if we wanted to order another badge.  I thought it would be a good idea in case anything happened to the one we had.  Since we are Historic Site missionaries, our tags have extra writing on them and cost a little more than the other ones.  Ok.  They'll be ready later.

We were supposed to pay for all of our meals at  General Services, but since we are staying at home and not at the MTC we need to count the meals we eat and come back when we are done with our MTC experience and settle up.  We can do that.

Next stop was the stake center on the property next to the MTC campus.  That is where we spent the rest of the week.  We had some good informational meetings.  The MTC president spoke to us, as did one of his counselors and his wife. We were in a large group of 108 seniors, including 6 single sisters. Sixteen of the couples are going to Nauvoo.  Many couples are set apart full time MLS (Member and Leadership Support) missionaries in their own stakes.  Missionaries are going all over the world. At the end of the day we were divided into districts of eight people.  We were with 3 other couples: Elder and Sister Wright from WA going to Brazil (MLS), Elder and Sister Tanner from Lehi going to Argentina (MLS), Elder and Sister Larson from Alpine, going to Nauvoo.  

 

Robinsons, Larsons, Bro Vance, Wrights and Tanners

   Our morning teacher was Brother Zundel and our afternoon teacher was Brother Vance, both cute BYU students.  They did a good job with us.  We had role playing for 2 days and some practice teaching on other missionaries on the last day.  Plus other meetings mixed in.

 

Brother Zundel

 

I did find out the Nauvoo missionaries have to make their own costumes or pay someone to make them.  They also have aprons.  The ladies making our costumes came to the MTC to do some fittings this week.  I am lucky!

They served us lunch daily at the stake center, but we found that it was much more fun to go over to the MTC cafeteria with all of the young missionaries.  They are all so cute. 

We met such nice people here and found missionaries who have common friends with us.  One lady recognized Craig and realized she knew us from over 25 years ago!  She and her husband are going to Chicago.  Good to see Marti Calder Shelley again!  We picked right up where we left off.  She is always such fun.

It was a tiring week!  Here is a picture of half of the group. We couldn't all fit in one picture.  If you have very good eyes, you might be able to find us.