MTC Highlights

6/27/10

Highlights to share with all from our Mission Presidents' seminar:

*Three times we were promised that as we leave our home and family, once with an apostolic blessing from President Packer, once through assurance given by Elder Nelson in his reading from Doctrine and Covenants 31: 2-3 that our families will be blessed more by our absence than they could be in our presence.

**Over and over we were assured through the testimonies of the living prophet and of the apostles that Jesus Christ lives and that his great atoning sacrifice is extended to all who will receive Him. (We had the overwhelming privilege to be taught, personally greeted by and encouraged by many of these same men and their wives.)

**We had wonderful, though totally exhausting days of training from 7:30 am until around 8:30 pm. We have sore backs and sore bums. We returned to our fantastic room in the courtyard which was twice "rigged" by Devin and Janene. (this is one of the hotels in dev's internship.) They left us some bubbly, kara chocolates and our swim suits. We fell into our beds exhausted after reviewing the day's instructions and taking a walk by Provo River.

**What a joy it has been to meet and bond with mission presidents and wives who will go all over the world. We have special friends who will serve in Armenia, Sierra Leone (The couple are converts from MONTANA both of who went to MSU ar the time I was completing my work ther.)and Florida.

* The food at the MTC was great!

**The MTC choir sang in each of our main sessions. WOW and Wow and WOW again. "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer" stirred us clear through.

**This Sunday morning we were taught by Elder Holland who bore witness of the prophet Joseph who was martyred this day 166 years ago. (Aren't we blessed to go to the area of his birth.) and of the Savior. Our sole Sacrament meeting speaker was the prophet, President Monson who with warmth and humor, instructed, encouraged and bore testimony of the work of Jesus Christ and our solemn calling to forth to serve and to testify of Him.

MISSIONARY TRAINING CENTER NOTES: (BY MOM)

• General authorities do go walking and do so in street clothes, where we walked by Elder and Sister Oaks. Elder Oaks was present in a class to read his own MTC devotional quote found in Preach my Gospel
• Most of the mission presidents and their wives and the general authorities and their wives hold hands, and have been seen to kiss occasionally
• Sister Nelson teases Elder Nelson. Elder Nelson used tuning forks as an object lesson
• Teaching is not lecturing
• President Hinckley gave a little peck on the cheek to his wife Jane during a zone conference; 113 letters from missionaries that week mentioned that very fact and that they, some of those missionaries had never seen tenderness in their parents’ marriage
• We have eight new lessons to use to train missionaries in improved teaching, especially in receiving and teaching by and with the Holy Ghost
• There is a new dress website coming out for sister missionaries (Sad it’s a little late for us here but yeah, it’s less nylons)
• Our lives are a process of becoming like Christ. The doctrine of Christ found particularly in 2 Ne 31, 2 Ne 11 is our missionary message
• The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the central event in all history and without it we are hopelessly unable to become or do this mammoth responsibility.
• The Lord will not let you make a mistake without warning you first.
• Major changes in the field will occur immediately: interviews every 3 months instead of 6 weeks, Zone Leader Council every month, leadership training of 3-4 days every other month, specialized training every month. Mission President is the lead trainer. Wife is to teach doctrine and not just iron shirts.