THE MTC IN PROVO, UTAH ON THE BYU CAMPUS

Monday (Labor Day), September 5, 2011, we entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center.)  It was exciting to be back on the BYU campus after graduating from there 44 (43 & 44 for Dale) years ago!  I cannot believe it has been that long.  As we arrived we were directed to a room where they checked our immunizations and had us pay for our meal tickets.

Following the preliminaries that needed to be done we met the coordinators over the senior missionaries.  They were (much to my surprise) Elder and Sister Stock who grew up in Burley!  His parents were Merlin and Moselle Stock who lived in my ward for many years.  I just loved them.  Maybe some of you remember them.  She was a Holyoak who grew up out in Star Ward.  I remembered her parents also. They were just wonderful coordinators.  They went over all the rules, etc. about the MTC.  (Older couple missionaries have very few rules to follow compared to the young missionaries.)  We were treated royally.  The mission presidency (President & Sister Brown) and their wives welcomed us to the MTC and gave us advice.   

Then came our first meal at the MTC!  There was lots of food and most of it was excellent.  There was enough variety that anyone should be satisfied and happy.  I am happy we were there only one week or I wouldn’t fit into my mission clothes.  On Wednesdays you can have all of the BYU creamery ice cream you want and it was soooo scrumptious!

Following a huge lunch, we all needed a nap but there was no time for that!  Classes started in earnest preparing us to be missionaries in every sense of the word.  I wish I had had the opportunity to have these classes earlier in my life.   I know I would have been a better mom and Relief Society President. 

At 5:00 we went to the cafeteria for supper.  They fed so many missionaries in about 1 ½ hrs.  It was amazing.  We overate again.  There were so many couple missionaries this week (39), they put some of us up at the Marriot.  We were fortunate enough to be assigned there.  We checked in (took us three trips to carry everything in—don’t know why did not use one of the luggage carts!) and read assignments until bedtime for the following day.  When we went to bed that night we decided we couldn’t eat as much as  we did that first day.

Internet service was available in the rooms but we would have had to pay a $10 per day fee and we were too tired to return to the lobby where it was free.  

           Tuesday they divided us into districts.  Dale was our district leader.  There were 5 couples in a district.  I am amazed how quickly we learned to love them.  By the end of the week, we were such good friends.  

The Telfords, Petersens, McDonalds, Neilsens, Swabs

We had two wonderful young men who were our trainers.  One was Brother Jordan Hawkes from South Jordan, Utah.  He is a nephew to Richard and Nikki Hawkes who live in our ward in Twin Falls. The other trainer was Brother Meyer.  We were amazed at what great trainers they were.  We learned so much from them. 

Brother Hawkes

Brother Meyer

  

          We spent most of the rest of the week practicing different situations and teaching lessons from “Preach My Gospel.”   That made me very nervous as our trainers watched us on closed circuit TV.  We were then critiqued.  These situations were extremely life like. It was hard to believe our second contact was not real he was so good and especially when he prayed at the end of the meeting.  As stressed out as I was, these experiences were probably the most beneficial things we did at the MTC. We were amazed how strong the spirit was there.  We are so thankful for the opportunities we had there.