MTC Day 2-5

Being in the Mission Training Center was a very positive experience even though we were there for less than a week. The devotional, the large group training and the training we received in our District was spiritually moving. 

I drank chocolate milk every day in the cafeteria and still lost weight! What?

How they feed 2,000 missionaries every day is amazing to see.

Our District became close and we enjoyed our time together.  
Joanne and I learned a lot from their faith and testimonies.

Our District consisted of four couples being sent all over the world.  
From left to right our district included the Ed and Vickie Austin going to Serbia, Joanne and I going to Frankfurt, Germany, one of our capable MTC instructors, Sister Monroe, Randy and Sharon Hansen going to Kirtland, Ohio and Russ and Diane Walton going to Berlin, Germany.

In my journal I made a note about why we teach the doctrine...
- It's the Iron Rod
- The Foundation
- Keeps us on HIS path

The Book or Mormon outlines the plan of Salvation where the Bible doesn't.

I really enjoyed learning from our young MTC teachers. All three were sisters who had recently returned from their missions and they were so confident and very knowledgeable in the doctrine.

Alma 5:7 "Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he
awakened them out of a deep sleep,
and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the 
midst of darkness; 
nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word..."

Jacob 2:8  "And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, 

yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul."

We now have name tags and represent Christ. How would I answer these questions?

 What do I want to become as a missionary?
What do you want to say you have done as a missionary?
What difference would you want others to notice in you?

We were privileged to get to know Elder and Sister Penrose. We worked with them as we learned how to reach out to others on our mission. "Which part of the doctrines of Christ stand out to you?"

It's just so hard to put into words how wonderful "This Past Week" in the MTC has been for both of us. We learned how to be bold and to 
enthusiastically declare that we are missionaries for the 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

With His strength we can do the things we would never have been able to do on our own. What a wonderful beginning to our mission experience. 

This stone was displayed in the lobby of our dorm. Growing up, David O. McKay was the prophet of the Church and I always loved this story. Later, on my mission to England, it took on more meaning and inspired me to work hard. The full story is explained below.

An experience that occurred during young David O. McKay’s mission to Scotland left an impression that impacted his entire life. At a time when he was homesick and discouraged, he and his companion went to see Stirling Castle. On their way back to their apartment they passed a building with an inscription carved in stone. The quotation, thought to be from Shakespeare, read, “What-E’er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part.” President McKay recorded his feelings in his journal:

I said to myself, or the Spirit within me whispered, “You are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More than that, you are a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. You accepted the responsibility as a representative of the Church.” Then I thought [about] what we had done that morning. We had been sightseeing. We had gained historical instruction and information, it is true, and I was thrilled with it. . . . However, that was not missionary work. . . .

. . . I accepted the message given to me on that stone, and from that moment we tried to do our part as missionaries in Scotland.

The stone’s message had a profound impact on then Elder McKay. Each individual is important no matter how small or how large his part. When one neglects his duties, the equation changes and the outcome is different. This experience not only changed David O. McKay’s perspective as a missionary but also reminded him throughout his life to act in each responsibility the best that he was able.

Our room at the MTC was quite adequate but was by no means a luxury suite. We looked forward to being in a hotel for the next week with a King sized bed during our training in Salt Lake.

Friday night we had a great dinner with Will and Val. Our week was really packed, so it was nice to relax and enjoy being with them and Z and Sebs. 

Saturday morning we took a shuttle to the Ramada where we 
will stay during our training.