MTC Week 1

The MTC Week 1

Saying goodbye to our home and our friends was difficult, but we feel very guided in this endeavor and know that all will be well in our absence.

Before entering the MTC we gathered with family in Salt Lake City to say goodbyes.  Michael’s family, including Alice, Michael’s 94 year old mother and Floyd, Michael’s 102 year old stepfather along with brothers Geoff and John and their wives met at Alice’s home for a nice dinner.

My siblings (shown in this picture below) and their spouses met at Dodo restaurant to wish us well.

We are so grateful for the love and support shown both from our friends in Eagle and from our family members–we love you all!

The MTC is like nothing we’ve ever experienced.  We’ve been immersed in studying Preach My Gospel which teaches us how to share our beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet.  We spent all our study hours (8-11:30am and 1-4pm) with our district, an amazing group who will serve in Tokyo North and South missions and San Diego missions.  We came to love them and our instructors for their spiritual strength, their commitment to the gospel and their willingness to serve so faithfully.  The murals in the newer buildings on the MTC campus are breathtaking.  Our district posed in front of both with our morning and afternoon instructors.

We expect miracles each day especially as we share our journeys with other missionaries and come to learn of their sacrifices.  We often learn of close connections that we have with them through family members or friends.  A single sister, Margaret McGrath Rogers from our old Broadway ward is preparing to serve in Independence Missouri.  A single brother, John Webster lives in my older sister’s ward.

We also met a couple from San Diego, the Halversons who know my good friend as well as my other sister who passed away three years ago.  We’ve run into old friends, the Thomases, now living in Provo and the Fishers from Portland most of whom went to high school with Michael.

We found a young sister missionary from Eagle, Sister Lily Shipp, who just arrived to the MTC and needed a big “momma’s” hug.

Serving as a senior couple brings fun benefits.  We don’t have to stay at the MTC in the evenings or the weekend so we visited good friends the Dargers, attended the temple and went to dinner with family.

We also flew to Portland yesterday to be a part of our daughter Abby and Neil’s engagement celebration.  We are so happy for them and feel so incredibly grateful that we could be with them, other family and friends on this momentous occasion.  We love you Abby and Neil!