The Missionary Training Center experience has been interesting.
There are 84 senior missionaries that entered the MTC Monday and our
district training group is 8 people, consisting of 4 couples, with
destinations to London, England, Alaska, and Norway, and we of course
are headed to Australia, as you already know.
There are all kinds of mission assignments represented here: such as office, member and leader support, young single adults, military liaison, and CES ( church education) assignments. We are taking classes ( in large and small groups ) on teaching techniques, including teaching by the spirit, personal revelation, using the scriptures, invitations, commitments, accountability, with considerable time spent role playing, and we quickly realized how much we have to learn. :-)
There are all kinds of mission assignments represented here: such as office, member and leader support, young single adults, military liaison, and CES ( church education) assignments. We are taking classes ( in large and small groups ) on teaching techniques, including teaching by the spirit, personal revelation, using the scriptures, invitations, commitments, accountability, with considerable time spent role playing, and we quickly realized how much we have to learn. :-)
This is our district, minus one couple who left on Thursday to help daughter deliver baby three weeks early in St. George. The two in the white shirts are our afternoon trainers.
Monday was organizational...we are staying at the Provo Marriott
and Senior missionary training is held in a ward building behind the
MTC. We eat meals at the MTC with 3500 other missionaries.
We ran into Kurtis from our ward at breakfast one day.
He is going to the Philippines on Monday.
We were up by 5:50 am Tues to have breakfast before class began at
8 am. We had training all day and a devotional that night at 7:00 pm.
It was a long, but fun day. The speaker at the Marriott center Tues
night was L Lionel Kendrick, Seventy emeritus, and he spoke on personal
revelation.
Sister Kendrick's topic was obedience. She challenged the 3500 missionaries in attendance to obey all mission rules at all times and promised we would be greatly blessed our entire life for doing so.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent in preparation and practice for TRC which means Training Resource Center (someone told us TRC meant terrified retired couples and we all had a big laugh) with evaluations afterwards. The training is highly organized and the instructors are top notch! It's challenging and draining, but enjoyable and valuable! Our district trainer in the morning is Elder Jacobs and in the afternoon Elders Meyer and Rowe.
After our Wed morning TRC and during evaluations, Lee got a text from Lindsey saying all the girls were doing a field trip to Provo and if we heard singing outside the MTC windows about 10:30, we would know who it was! As it turned out we had a break at that time and called Lindsey to tell her so. They were a block away and my heart jumped and tears stung at the sight of the 4 van caravan coming around the corner towards us a few minutes later. ( Thank you Shelby, Lindsey, Kacey and Heather) We only had time for a quick hug and a picture of Mimi and Papa in front of the MTC with our 12 angel grand kids. (After they left us, they finished touring the Provo temple grounds from the car, went to lunch, bowling at BYU, and had ice cream at the BYU creamery. Visualize 4 vans with 4 moms, 12 kids, and 2 strollers moving from place to place as a large group!! GONG SHOW!)
Sister Kendrick's topic was obedience. She challenged the 3500 missionaries in attendance to obey all mission rules at all times and promised we would be greatly blessed our entire life for doing so.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent in preparation and practice for TRC which means Training Resource Center (someone told us TRC meant terrified retired couples and we all had a big laugh) with evaluations afterwards. The training is highly organized and the instructors are top notch! It's challenging and draining, but enjoyable and valuable! Our district trainer in the morning is Elder Jacobs and in the afternoon Elders Meyer and Rowe.
After our Wed morning TRC and during evaluations, Lee got a text from Lindsey saying all the girls were doing a field trip to Provo and if we heard singing outside the MTC windows about 10:30, we would know who it was! As it turned out we had a break at that time and called Lindsey to tell her so. They were a block away and my heart jumped and tears stung at the sight of the 4 van caravan coming around the corner towards us a few minutes later. ( Thank you Shelby, Lindsey, Kacey and Heather) We only had time for a quick hug and a picture of Mimi and Papa in front of the MTC with our 12 angel grand kids. (After they left us, they finished touring the Provo temple grounds from the car, went to lunch, bowling at BYU, and had ice cream at the BYU creamery. Visualize 4 vans with 4 moms, 12 kids, and 2 strollers moving from place to place as a large group!! GONG SHOW!)
We left the MTC campus Thursday for lunch at Zupas with Logan. It was a nice break and always fun to be with him. Thursday afternoon's guest speakers were Elder and Sister Tree
from Sandy Utah, who have served 4 senior missions, 2 to Tahiti, a
service mission with the Pima Indian tribe on the reservation, and New
Zealand. Wow!! Their stories and experiences were inspirational!
Today, Friday was our final role playing session, and preparation for role playing. The results were more pleasing and we totally give credit to the instructors. They were amazing in every way!!
After lunch we had return senior missionary guest speakers facilitate brainstorming sessions resolving provided case studies. It was very insightful and we are now more aware of some of the ups and downs senior missionaries typically experience.
The closing large group training session featured video clips from President Eyring on promoting unity and speaking kindly of others, and from Elder Holland encouraging stepping to the very edge of our comfort zones and " flying" instead of fearing we will fall. Both were very inspirational!
Today, Friday was our final role playing session, and preparation for role playing. The results were more pleasing and we totally give credit to the instructors. They were amazing in every way!!
After lunch we had return senior missionary guest speakers facilitate brainstorming sessions resolving provided case studies. It was very insightful and we are now more aware of some of the ups and downs senior missionaries typically experience.
The closing large group training session featured video clips from President Eyring on promoting unity and speaking kindly of others, and from Elder Holland encouraging stepping to the very edge of our comfort zones and " flying" instead of fearing we will fall. Both were very inspirational!
We took group pictures as some of the missionaries were departing
for their destinations today after the last session. Others are
returning next week for further training, depending on their type of
mission assignment. We have office training Mon-Thurs and are scheduled
to fly out at 8:30 pm that night if our Visas arrive. We checked with
the travel office today and were told it doesn't look good.
The last session ended at 3:15 and we were on the road home 1 minute after. We packed up our room this morning so didn't have to go back before heading to Riverton. It feels good to be home! It was a long week and we are weary, but it was also a glorious week! We learned so much, met wonderful people, were trained by young returned missionaries who really know their Preach My Gospel book, felt the Spirit strongly and often, and are more committed than ever to serve by sharing the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
The last session ended at 3:15 and we were on the road home 1 minute after. We packed up our room this morning so didn't have to go back before heading to Riverton. It feels good to be home! It was a long week and we are weary, but it was also a glorious week! We learned so much, met wonderful people, were trained by young returned missionaries who really know their Preach My Gospel book, felt the Spirit strongly and often, and are more committed than ever to serve by sharing the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
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