The First Week

We entered the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Monday, May 7, 2012, and it has been non-stop since then. After we dropped off our luggage in our room, the missionary couples were all gathered in the main building of the MTC. There we were given a quick orientation and were asked to introduce ourselves and state what mission we were going to. The reaction to our call was similar to what it was when we announced it to the family. Where? (I think we have explained it a hundred times since then) Most of the couples in the group were going to Nauvoo or Cove Fort. There were some assigned, like us, to be member and leadership support around the country and some going out of the country, but most were going to English speaking places. One couple, Elder and Sister Heaps, however was asked to do a Public Affairs mission in Hong Kong - that changed my perspective on learning Portuguese!
Later we were divided into districts with four couples in each. Elder Mathews was asked to be a district leader. There were 10 -12 districts so it was a large group of us. From there we went to our class rooms and met our remarkable young teachers, Brother Meyer and Brother Barney. Our district consisted of  Elder and Sister Lee, both in their 80's and so excited to be going on a mission. She has always wanted to go but had to get past breast cancer and a stroke and the converting of her second husband before she could go. She wasn't going to die before getting this chance! He has been in the church 10 years and is as excited as she is. They are going to Cove Fort. The McBrides are going to the Farmington, New Mexico Mission. They will start their mission in Shiprock as member and leadership support. They are from Logan and know many of Elder Mathews' cousins. He was the basketball and cross country coach at Logan High and later the athletic director.After working with them, we know they are going to do an amazing job. The Jardines are from Denver and going to Nauvoo. They are a very outgoing and friendly couple but also a very strong couple. They are going to be the rocks of their mission. Elder Jardine is actually the brother of a close friend of ours, Jenny Scharman who is married to Paul Scharman who is the brother of Janet Thorn, Dr. Randy Thorn's wife. Small world. I think all four couples have one thing in common. We all feel we have been richly blessed and need to give back something to the Lord.

Tuesday was spent preparing for Wednesday when we would actually have to teach the Restoration lesson to a volunteer posing as an investigator. Our teachers did a wonderful job preparing us for it and we learned just how remarkable Preach My Gospel is.That night we had the privilege of going to a fireside where Elder D. Todd Christofferson and his wife spoke.

Wednesday we faced our rather obstinate "investigators." We thought we knew what we were doing as we began with the first principle of the lesson - we are God's children and He loves us. Simply enough, right? Wrong! The investigator chimes in to say, "You mean you think Hitler is my brother and those crazy Muslims too." He just kept going on and on and I knew if we couldn't get him off that subject we'd never get anywhere in the lesson. I finally said that I agreed not everyone acted like the brother and sister we would like them to be but nonetheless they were God's children like the rest of us. I then told him if it made him feel better he could just consider them cousins. He didn't laugh but it did finally quiet him. We actually got through the lesson and gave them a Book Of Mormon and invited them to read it. Our teacher - who was observing it through a hidden camera - said we did well and that the head teacher at the MTC had peeked in on our lesson and said, "This couple really knows what they are doing." We laughed at that! We both walked out of the lesson thinking we had totally blown it. Apparently they have a sense of humor here in the MTC or very low expectations! After that we began preparing for the next day - teaching the Plan of Salvation to another volunteer. Then when everyone else in our district got to go back to their rooms to relax for the evening we had 2 hours of language training - one on one, face to face. I was grateful I had Talida, the tutor who had been working with me all along on Skype. Elder Mathews' tutor was the son of the mission president in Lisbon, Portugal - Bro. Torgan. They were both amazing.

Thursday we faced another "investigator" to teach the Plan of Salvation.This one was not as obstinate but her questions were off the charts. It was all we could do to keep her on topic. But we muddled through again. Our teacher was once again kind in his evaluation but by this point we were getting suspicious. I think he must tell all of us old folks we are doing great. The rest of the day was spent preparing to pair up with another couple to teach. Each of us would take turns pretending to be inactive members of the church.  After dinner it was 2 more hours of language study. I had a bit of a break through and got a glimpse of what it might be to really understand the language. Talida had me reading Preach my Gospel in Portuguese and I was amazed at how much I understood. Speaking it is another story.
Friday we were paired with Elder and Sister Tagg to be inactives. The experience was much better. They were not near as hard on us as our "investigators" had been. I think our pairing was not by mistake either. We found out their son lives in Europe and works for the church. He has been assigned to find land to build chapels in ... Cape Verde. We hope to meet him while on our mission.That night we had more language lessons and then were taken to a small chapel where we met up with the couple going to Hong Kong. With our teachers we had an intimate testimony meeting where we gave our testimonies in our foreign language. I did it! And so did Sister Heaps in Mandarin!
Saturday was P-day! First stop was the Temple where I realized I had left my Temple recommend in my other purse - the one I left at Paul's apartment. They did let me in after they called my Bishop. Paul was kind enough to bring my recommend to me and take us all around Provo to pick up a few things we needed. I think we might finally be ready to go. Well ... maybe.
Today has been sweet as the Elders keep wishing me a Happy Mothers Day. We had a good Sacrament meeting and watched the Spoken Word for Sunday School. It was a Mother's Day special. We saw Ryan, Paul's boss, and Jana Thompson in the choir. Then the MTC president spoke to us in RS.
We will attend 2 firesides tonight and then pack tomorrow. We leave at 6 AM on Tuesday morning, fly to Boston and arrive in Cape Verde on Wednesday at 8:30 AM. We can't wait!!