Day 4 -

Today there's no pictures of us - We're either getting to be such seasoned missionaries, that nothing seems new & photo-worthy.... or.... we're so incredibly busy we have no time to take any pictures. The latter is definitely it! Today was another day to go to the TRC (Teaching Resource Center) to practice with volunteer "investigators". Our task today was a little less structured. Today we were to teach lesson 2 - The Plan of Salvation - maybe. We were supposed to go to this investigator as the 2nd time they had been seen. It was a lesson on how to follow up. So, we were to follow up and see if they a) had lived up to the committments made the week before when the missionaries taught them lesson 1 (as in, are they reading in the Book of Mormon) - if not we need to do a little re-committing or finding out why they didn't read. Or we might follow up if they DID read & find out if they had any questions... then answer the questions.... OR we might follow up to see if they remember anything about Lesson 1 - Joseph Smith, or the first vision, or prophets, etc... if not , we may end up teaching lesson 1 again... or if they do, they may have questions about that lesson- so we teach it & clarify it again. If all was well, we could go ahead & teach lesson 2. So, there were a lot of potential scenarios-which makes me MORE than a little anxious! Our investigator was Doug Perry. He was 77. He made it very easy for us! Thanks heaven. Especially since they always video-tape the whole 45 min. experience so the teacher can evaluate later. Well, Doug spoke 9 languages & wanted to do the lesson in french - which Roger probably could have done, but not ME!!! Thank heaven the teachers asked us to do it in English so they would be able to listen & watch & evaluate. Again, he was wonderfully nice, and Roger & I are doing great at letting each other teach part of the time - then pray for our companions while they are doing the teaching - One teaching, one silently praying! Miracle of Miracles, our investigator asked so many questions we never got to teach Lesson 2 - but at one point he said, Where can you support what you are saying in the Bible.. and, Amazingly enough- I found a wonderful scripture to support our answer! WHEW!!! At the end, Doug stood up, we spoke with him a little in French, and then he said - You might have heard of my wife.... JANICE KAPP PERRY!!!!! OH brother! This man has been on a mission, served with his wife on a mission, has been a mission pres. & his wife is famous! Glad we didn't know that going in!
In so many ways we have been stretched & blessed in all the learning and teaching we've been required to do! Tomorrow is our last day. At our tutoring session tonight we worked on how to bear our testimony in French, because we are going to have a big testimony meeting tomorrow night & we are all asked to bear our testimonies in the language we are learning. Great! Stress clear up to the end! ha! This has been a fantastic experience! My advice to anyone considering it- start reading Preach My Gospel & start walking! You'll be much more prepared for all of it.
We have gained such a larger appreciation for our children and their spouses who also went through all of this - only for much longer!!! We love you all ! To the rest of any readers of this blog - invite a missionary to dinner & give them a referral... and offer your home to teach in! You'll never regret it!