Missionary Training Center

We are two-and-a-half days into our experience here in Provo, UT, and it has been GREAT and exhausting!  We have a huge group of senior missionaries this week (128 compared to the normal 70), so instead of staying in a dorm room on campus, we have a room at the Marriott Courtyard for the five days. It's nice, other than the lack of opportunity to sneak back to our room for items (or naps!). Our training is a mix of large group meetings (maybe 20%) and smaller group activities. One of the things that I think is cool is getting to teach with your companion, and I am reminded over and over what a good teacher Diane is!  Her skill and love for students (and me) is obvious to all!!

We eat in a large cafeteria along with probably 500 young missionaries (they split the 2000 in attendance into several different times), so the place is a beehive of activity, with four or five different types of food. The food is decent, although with more emphasis on filling missionaries up than gourmet options. I've enjoyed it, but Diane has had a hard time finding low-salt options, so she's eating like a rabbit again. Five days will be OK, but she'll be glad to get settled again! Today's menu included a large ice cream sunday bar, so I was in hog heaven. (I may have made one for my companion, even though I strongly suspected she wouldn't eat it. You can never be too thoughtful to your companion!!)

The spirit of the Lord is so strong here, with so many good people trying to do their best to learn and be kind! I think it's way happier than the advertised 'happiest places on earth'!  Emotions and love are always near the surface, and we love it!  Time for bed, so I'll finish tomorrow, and hopefully figure how to make this blog work and actually invite people!

Another day down, and it was another great one!!  The 7 couples and two single sisters in our district have become fast friends, and we will hate to leave them tomorrow! Most of the day was focused on helping us and the couple we are assigned to teach (and them us) become closer to Christ.  We love the other couple a lot, and will be sad to see them go, too! Their names are Elder (Craig) and Sister (Kim) Simons from Pocatello, ID, going to the Houston TX South mission to do records preservation work. He worked for the railroad as a conductor for 38 years, and she worked as a para-educator for the past few years after the kids were in school. They have five children, in the opposite configuration as us (1 girl/4 boys).  She grew up in RENO! We have a lot in common with them (in fact, we have a lot in common with almost ALL the senior missionaries!  It's (the MTC) a wonderful experience that everyone should have!! Wish I could share it better! As I get older my emotions are closer to the surface, and as everyone who knows me knows, when I feel the spirit I cry.  This week there were several times Diane had to jump in and save me and say what I couldn't get out! I need to get over that, so I can teach more effectively. Meanwhile, it's great to have a companion!

I think I'll go ahead and post this note, even though it will be boring without any pictures. I don't have the right hookups here to get the pictures off Diane's phone, so pictures may need to wait until we get settled in Reno.  Marc