January 31, 2011

We have been so anxious for this day for a long time. And it’s finally arrived. It took me a long time to go to sleep and then it didn’t seem like I got much sleep.. Gene is still coughing quite a bit so he slept in the other room. I woke up about 4:15 am and got up a little after 5:00 am. I read my scriptures and then got in the shower. Gene was up soon after that.

I looked outside because the forecast had been for snow, and I had been a little concerned about driving to the MTC in a storm. It looked okay. No sign of storm and for that we were grateful. We finished packing our suitcases and about 7:00 Alison and Ellie and Scott came over to say good-bye. We left about 7:30 and the ride to Provo was without incident. The weather was good and the roads were dry. We arrived at the MTC just before 10:00 – Right on schedule. As the Brother directing us where to park looked up our name, he said ‘oh, the Marriott. Do you slip them a little extra?’ Well, that settled one question: where we would be staying. Now we knew. At the Marriott. We thought there were advantages and disadvantages.

We parked the truck and went in and proceeded with the registration process. They checked our immunization forms and made an appointment with us to receive the third Hepatitis A & B and also the 2^nd Japanese Encephalitis immunization. We will get that next week on February the 9^th. Then we went to the General Services desk and paid for our lodging. It was pretty cheap for 10 days at the Marriott. We felt pretty spoiled.

After that we had a Welcome to the Senior Missionaries and heard talks from Members of the Presidency at the MTC. A fun part of that was introductions where everyone stood and told where they were going. We had lots of ooohs and aaahs when we said Nepal. One couple had been there on vacation and doing some trekking and they said they really loved it and actually were quite jealous.

We had a ten minute break and then had an overview of our training for the week. This afternoon we also talked about ways to keep healthy and were given some general information on health, medical and safety issues.

After that we were organized into districts of six to eight people. They just called some Elders up as district leaders. Gene was one of them. We will be together as districts for some of our training tomorrow. We were given assignments for the evening. It was to read from Preach My Gospel – Chapter 1 on What is My Purpose as a Missionary. And Chapter 3 from Preach My Gospel; The Message of the Restoration. About 3:30 or so we finished for the day. We sat in the lobby and went over some of the materials we had been given.

A little after 5:00, we went in to dinner. We think the food is good and know we are going to have to watch what we eat. It would be so easy to gain weight here.

Tuesday. February 1, 2011

An Arctic Front has arrived and it is bitterly cold. I sure am glad we didn’t have to stay out for any extended periods today. We had a good night’s rest. Gene is still coughing but I think I see just a little improvement. I sure hope so. And I hope I don’t catch it. So far, I’m feeling good.

We have had a very full day today. We started out with breakfast at 7:00 am. There are so many choices here at the MTC. They do have hot oatmeal and hot cracked wheat cereal. I had some cracked wheat and a few peach slices. Gene. He had some yogurt and some fruit and half bagel. We are trying to watch what we eat.

We had a meeting at 8;00 and it was all on how to invite people to come unto Christ and help them receive the blessings of the gospel. We probably spent an hour or so in discussion lead by Tom Peterson. He is the one we met when we were here the end of November with the English Language class that we took. What a super nice guy and he sure knows what he is doing. They encouraged us to be flexible and to follow the promptings of the spirit. He said that many seniors, because we do have a lot of knowledge growing in the church all of our lives, we want to dump the whole load of hay and we need to remember the KISS formula. KEEP IT SUPER SIMPLE. Just very basic information.

We then divided into our districts and were introduced to our teachers. These were young returned missionaries who work here at the MTC and they are wonderful. Brother Pyne was our teacher and he was awesome. He was trying to help prepare us to teach an ‘investigator’ tomorrow. As we teach, we need to find out where the investigator is ‘at’. What are his needs and what can we do to invite him to come unto Christ? That’s how we spent the morning.

We went to lunch and the afternoon was more of the same. The teachers are so good. It’s a lot of information to absorb. Its information we know, but the hard part is knowing the questions to ask the ‘investigator’, really listening and then formulating the information to give, all the time striving to be lead by the Spirit. Tomorrow we will have a real chance to put in practice what we learned today.

After dinner, we studied a little bit in the MTC lobby, and then it was time to go to the weekly Devotional. The speaker tonight was Kevin Duncan and his wife. Elder Duncan is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He talked about the very thing we talked about today. It was a good review.

We were glad to get back to the hotel. It’s still really cold. Hopefully it will warm up soon. We look forward to tomorrow and new learning opportunities. We are really enjoying meeting all the other senior missionaries and talking about where they are going and what they will be doing.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Gene is still hacking. I keep thinking he is getting a little better, but he said he doesn’t see any improvement. I sure hope he is over it by the time we fly to Kathmandu.

At 8:00 we met together as a big group and had a song and a prayer and then we separated into our Districts and had a small group meeting, getting ready to teach our first ‘discussion’ to our ‘investigator. I don’t know about Gene, but I was a bit worried about it. Our contact was a woman from Sweden. Moved to Switzerland when she was a teenager and though not active in any church, she attended with some of her Catholic Friends. She moved to America when she was 21 and was a graduate of Penn State. She just had questions about the church and was curious.

We had fun with it. We spent a little time just getting acquainted with her and then into a gospel discussion. She played her role very well and kept us on our toes. I’m sure there were some things we did okay and other things we could have done a whole lot better. I think I was always wanting to dump the whole load of hay when she only needed a pitch fork full. We spent 45 minutes with her and it was a good experience. I know we can do better. We waited until the last minute to bring up the Book of Mormon and it’s one of the most important things.

We spent a few minutes evaluating and then it was time for lunch. As we were leaving the lunch room, I saw Jonathan Conger. Sister Conger, Director at the Logan Employment Center told us her son was here and to watch for him. I have looked for him for a couple of days and today as we were leaving the cafeteria, there he was. We walked over and I gave him a hug from his mother. He is doing well and looks great. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to call his mom, Becky and tell her,. For him, of his love for her. She was excited and grateful that we would call her.

We spent the afternoon in class, talking about the Plan of Salvation. Tomorrow our ‘investigator’ will have heard the Restoration and we will be presenting the Plan of Salvation. I’m not sure how that will go. I don’t feel as comfortable with it. We have read it and reviewed it but I think it might be hard to just keep it simple. It would be so easy to go places we don’t need to go.

We were able to spend the evening reading our next assignment and catching up on the journal a little bit. There really isn’t much down time.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

It’s been cold again today. The skies are blue and it’s pretty, but it’s cold. I can’t wait for it to warm up. In spite of that, it’s been a wonderful day here at the MTC.  We began with breakfast and then had a large group meeting. Brother Judd was the speaker and his topic was the Book of Mormon. He said (I think it was Elder Holland) that said the Book of Mormon was a revelation about a revelation. His talk was so inspirational and he told us a couple of stories related to the Book of Mormon that I hadn’t heard before. It was fascinating.

He talked about the power of the Book of Mormon and how it can change lives and that we should be bold in sharing the message. I really enjoy his presentation. It’s made me think and ponder.

Next, we had a break then met in our small groups where we practiced for this afternoon’s discussion on ‘The Plan of Salvation.’ Gene and I have been a little more nervous about this one, thinking it might be difficult to really just keep it simple. We had the opportunity to practice with other missionaries. Still, I’m apprehensive.  We had lunch and then it was time to extend our ‘invitations.’ We drew ‘Jerry Moffit’. When we knocked on his door, his friend Gary was there. Gary had been excommunicated years before, but his parents were anxious that he look into the church again and he was interested. Jerry was a bit older. His wife had died about four months ago. They had previously met with the missionaries and had been invited back.

We had a lot of fun and felt like we did okay. We spent a little time getting to know them and also doing some follow up to see what they understood from their last appointment. Anyway, they both played their roles great. It was a good learning experience for us. ‘Jerry’ was telling us he didn’t really have the faith to know what we were telling him was true. I felt prompted to have him turn to Alma 32 and we read together about faith and nurturing the mustard seed. I felt good about that. He committed to read that chapter and pray about it. It feels so good to receive and act on inspiration.

We had a little evaluation meeting together and then it was time to return to a large group meeting where Brother and Sister Tree talked to us about seeking out and strengthening the less active members. They told us of two of their missions to Tahiti and shared some of their experiences there.

By then it was time for dinner. After that we came back to the Marriott. We knew we would finish a little early today, so we drove the truck over to the MTC. It was nice to have the sun still shining when we got back here. We are grateful and look forward to the evening. We don’t have a huge assignment tonight. Perhaps we can find a little time to relax. We’ve been going on a pretty fast track.

Friday, February, 4, 2011

Today most of our time was spent working and getting to know the less active and part member families in the area we will be serving. The first hour was spent in a large group meeting with Elder and Sister Burns. Their topic was ‘Love One Another As I Have Loved You’. It was good. They encouraged us to look for those who are lost and to bring them back. They said there are no coincidences and that there are people there waiting for us.

They also said that we never know who in the church is close to leaving the church. So always be friendly, speak to people, make them feel welcome and loved. Always sit by different people and get to know them. They make it seem so easy and I guess it is when you have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. All you have to do is open your mouth and follow the promptings that come.

Then we went to our small groups and discussed a bit more how to listen to them and get to know their needs. We then had the opportunity to practice what we had learned. We paired up with another pair of missionaries and took turns. One couple was the less active and the other couple the missionaries. We were just supposed to get to know them a little and then teach the gospel. We did this a couple of times. I’m not sure how we did, but it’s pretty neat to feel the spirit and be guided in what you should say. We’ve had that experience and I know in real life that will happen. I do have a testimony of that.

The couple we were paired with were Elder and Sister Tuttle from Farmington., UT. As we talked and they said they were from Farmington, Gene asked them if they knew Richard Shipley and they said they sure did, that they were good friends of both of them I told them that my brother married Joyce’s sister Glenda. They think the world of Richard and we do too. He’s a great guy.

It was lunch time. I told Gene I wanted to go to the little store that sold skirts. Sister Mickelson had sent me an email and she said she had bought a couple of the skirts here and loved them and they were perfect for missionaries. I did buy a couple.. I think I will like them a lot.

After lunch we had another large group meeting and then went back to our small group instruction. There we had two senior sister missionaries who had served in Australia. They told us about arriving in the country and their mission president meeting them and then driving them far into the ‘bush’ and told them he felt they needed to be there. It was an area that the Elders had thoroughly tracted out. The mission president dropped them off and he left. They told us they didn’t know what to do. NO ONE in the whole little town would look at them, smile at them or anything. She said that they even told them they didn’t like them. They had a hard time for quite a while and were always looking for a way to break through and make some friends. After much prayer and fasting, the impression came to them to join ‘Weight Watchers.’ She said that was what it took.

Now they were on common ground and they began to make friends. Slowly at first, but it happened. They made friends and friends of friends came around. They stayed their whole mission in this little town and by the time they left, there had been some baptisms and the church began to grow. And all because they were obedient and receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Tonight Gordon and Marsha Christensen, who returned home from Nepal a year ago in October, came to the MTC and picked us up and took us to their home for dinner and to visit with us about Nepal. We had a great time. They loved Nepal and shared a lot with us. They showed us a lot of pictures of people we would meet, branch members and such. They also shared with us pictures and talked about some of the projects they had worked on. Wow! It looked like quite a hike to get to some of those sites. I think there will be times like those when ‘missionary attire’ needs to be pretty casual. We are just so excited and are ready to begin. They told us we were joining an elite group as their haven’t really been that many missionaries in the country of Nepal. It was a wonderful evening

Saturday, February 5, 2011

This morning we had breakfast and then went to our first meeting pertaining to Humanitarian Services. Elder and Sister Wright were our instructors and we loved them. They were so fun and personable and full of energy. They had a couple of quotes on the board that we thought were so good. I wanted to share them.

“There are no coincidences, only minor miracles in which the Lord prefers to remain anonymous.”   Kipling 

“We cannot judge for we know little of what has been endured and nothing of what has been resisted.” Anonymous

We took a little time for introductions. I knew there were a couple going to Istanbul, Turkey and I knew their name was Canfield. I had thought I should ask if she was related to Anita Canfield. When they got up to introduce themselves, they said they were Steve and Anita Canfield and that he was a dentist. That rang a bell with me and I thought she must be the Anita Canfield. LDS author and writer.

When we had a break, I went up to her and told her I thought we had something in common. Then I said “Self Esteem and the Latter Day Saint Women”. She said ‘yes’. That was a book she had written.  I told her that back in may, 1988, I was a counselor in a Stake Relief Society Presidency. We had a Stake Women’s Conference and she came to our stake to speak. I’m not sure she really remembered that, but we embraced and chatted the whole break time. I feel so privileged to be here among so many wonderful senior missionaries.

The Canfields don’t really know what they will be doing in Turkey. There is no mission president, no mission and they have no idea of who they will be reporting to. There are about 20 members of the church in the country and one of the members will meet them and help them find a place to stay. They are excited about their call and just feel like Turkey might be on the verge of important things happening. What a thrill that would be.

Elder Wright talked about Abraham being one of the noble and great ones. He asked who we thought might be included in that group. And then he told us that we were among ‘the noble and great ones’. And that we were saved for this time and for these missions. Again, “There are no coincidences.” This is the Lord’s work and he is directing it.  

We went over the schedule for next week and it sounds like a busy one. Monday we will go to Salt Lake and look forward to that.

 Our nephew. Mike and his wife Stacy (who we adopted into our family years ago) came and picked us up at the hotel and took us to dinner. We just had a wonderful, wonderful time. We went to Greenwood, a barbecue place. We just had such a good visit and shared some quite personal things and testimony building experiences. Thank you Mike and Stacey! We just appreciate your kindness so much! They dropped us off at the hotel and we said good-bye. We love those guys a lot and committed to stay in touch.

As senior missionaries, you have a lot more liberty to do things. So when we got back, I called my sister,Lenore. She had thought that we were home and ready to fly out. Not so. We had a great visit and she is so excited for us. She said she would tell that we were so happy and ready to go. And we are. We talked for about 45 minutes.

By now it’s bed time.  We have had such a wonder day, full of spiritual experiences. We are just so grateful to our Heavenly Father and feel his blessings upon us.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Today is Fast Sunday. We were back at the MTC by 8:00 AM for Sacrament Meeting.  We were in with a group of young missionaries headed to foreign language missions. It was wonderful to hear them bear their testimonies. Some were making great sacrifices to go. One young sister said her mother didn’t want her to go and shared some personal things with us. She had such a strong testimony and we were touched by it. After hearing these young people from all over the world here to go out and preach the gospel, we know the church is in good hands and they truly are instruments in God’s hands doing his work.

At 10:00 we went to the Wilford Woodruff building and assembled for our Mission Conference. It was so good. There is a fairly new mission presidency here and we heard from them. Also a couple of beautiful musical numbers. What a choice experience!

We do have just a little time this afternoon and then will return to the MTC for dinner and a fireside. Gosh, time is going by quickly. We only have four more days here, then soon we will be headed to Kathmandu.