Our First Week at the MTC

We have finished our first week at the MTC.  We learned a lot about how to be good missionaries and how to teach the gospel.  Most of all we learned that you can make life-long friends in a matter of a few days or even hours.  Mostly we learned that the Lord is always close by and is ready with tender-mercies whenever we need them.

I had often wondered if I would see anyone I knew here, and right away I did.  A member of the MTC presidency stood up to welcome us at orientation, and I whispered to Jerrol “I know him.” He was Richard Roach from my class in high school!  We visited a few minutes after the meeting and he remembered me too.  It was so nice to see a familiar face. Then another senior missionary came up to me, and she was also a fellow student from high school, Maxine Bowen Christensen.  It has been fun all week having her here too.  They are going to Virginia on their mission.  

We were divided into Districts, with four couples in each.  We have 3 couples and 2 sister missionaries in ours.  Elder and Sister Kempf (from Michigan) are going to California.  Elder and Sister Willie (from Lehi) are going to upstate New York.  Sister Calaway and Sister Blazer are both going to New York City and will be companions.  They hit it off immediately and will be great together.  They both come from small towns and are excited to go to the big city.   

We have met some wonderful people here, I have loved talking to them, sharing stories about families and where we are going.  We are the only ones going to England.  One couple are going to Russia, others are going to the Philippines, Honduras, Hawaii, Peru, Guatemala, Kansas, Jamaica, New York; but there are some that are staying home and serving in their own stakes. One of those couples is from here in Provo.  He is 80 years old! 

Elder and Sister Ward from Preston Idaho are one of my favorite couples.  They are a lot older and will be serving from home.  They are so much fun to talk to, very interesting.  She is in poor health so he gets her meals for her and helps her get around.  That’s why they are serving from home.  He owns an auction business, is an auctioneer (for cattle, etc.), but also restores antique trucks, tractors, has restored a covered wagon, built a stage coach from scratch, and a princess coach drawn by horses.  He brought a photo album to show what he has done.  Very impressive!  AND Jerrol found out he served his mission in Canada, in some of the same areas around Vancouver ten years earlier.  They had so much fun talking about their experiences!  I really connected with her and just love her!  I am seriously planning on going to Preston when we get back to visit them.

I met a woman in the rest room who was a volunteer at the MTC.  I could see that she was not from around here and when she began talking I could barely understand her.  I asked her where she was from and she said, “Tonga.”  I was so excited to tell her I had 2 Tongan grandsons and she was excited to hear it!  She asked me what their last name was and when I told her Pouha, she was even more excited, because she said the Pouhas were her cousins.  Then she began telling me all the history of the Tongan people from the time of Zedekiah to Mulek, then to  Hagar.  She was so enthusiastic but I could barely understand her.  I was late to my next class so couldn’t talk to her very long.  She gave me a paper with a picture of the Tongan flag and a scripture message. It was rolled up with “May God bless you on your mission.  Love, Sister Na’ati Talakia from Tonga” written on the outside.  She must be handing those out to missionaries she meets.  What a sweet sister!

What a wonderful week! We are going to Salt Lake on Sunday night for a week's training in Family History.