Entering the MTC

We left for the Provo MTC on Monday morning, August 31, 2015!  The Bishop family and Heather and Asher were there to send us off.  We felt like we were going to our first day of school!!!

 

Standing at the world map in the MTC pointing to the England London mission

We ran into Elder Jake Ware in the cafeteria and took a picture before we were told we weren't supposed to take pictures in the cafeteria

This is one of our favorite pictures.  The thing that made it special was this picture was donated to the MTC by our dear friends, Layne and Mary Cannon!

We felt like celebraties!  We were treated with such respect everywhere we went.  The MTC was an experience like no other, one that changed our lives.  We went every morning at 8 and finished classes at 4:30, and we were inspired and exhausted!  We were in a group of about 45 couples and 14 single sisters.  Even though we only knew them a few days, we feel like eternal friends!  The whole experience was one of spiritual uplift.  The most tender experience for us was when we had the chance to teach the gospel in the TRC.  We were assigned to an investigator (a volunteer who acted as if they were not a member of the Church)  We were to get to know and understand them for about 15 minutes and then proceed to teach them a discussion based upon the assessed needs and observations we felt inspired to do for 30 minutes.  We were told as senior missionaries that we had lived the gospel all of our lives so we didn't focus on learning the discussions, but rather how to teach.  We had homework every night to read and study from Preach My Gospel.  Wow! what an inspired book!  We had been assigned prior to entering the MTC to read the Book of Mormon again and several chapters of Preach My Gospel.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks was one of our devotional speakers and he told us that we need to teach by the spirit or we cannot teach.  Brad and I were both nervous for our first teaching opportunity, but it proved to be the highlight of our MTC experience (as Nate told us it would be!).  As we prepared, and prayerfully approached our investigators, we found that as we opened our mouths, the Lord filled us with what we were to teach!  It was an incredibly humbling experience.

Bishop Causse from the Presiding Bishopric and his lovely wife spoke at another of the devotionals.  They were so inspiring.  They were very humble and taught us to be bold missionaries, by being humble and obedient.  A mission is not about us, it is about the Lord Jesus Christ.  After the devotional I felt so buoyed up, I felt as though I could convert the whole island of Great Britain!!!!

After we finished class, because we were staying at our own home, we were able to visit each of our children who live close.  They fixed us dinner and we had a chance to share a missionary discussion.  The lessons lasted maybe 1 1/2 minutes!  But what a precious time for grandpa and grandma!!!

Avery loved Grandma's missionary tag!

Two of our morning MTC instructors, Sister Patino and Brother Keddington.  We loved them both!

Our district!!!  From left to right; the Randalls, the Phaers, the Bairds, the Jackmans, Sister Yazzie, our afternoon instructor, the Bells, the Parks, and the Reeds

Teaching Keaton (and Tucker) about the Restoration

 

Teaching McKinley the Plan of Salvation