Our first day in the MTC - AMAZING!!!

We have finished our first MTC day! It was absolutely amazing! I wish I had words to say all the things we saw & learned. We drove in and were met by the security booth. Gone are the days when you can just drive in- now there is a large imposing Security booth to stop people. Also gone are the pictures taken by the wall out by the street with "Missionary Training Center" on it. And certainly no more going into a huge room where missionaries, friends and families all hear a talk & then exit through different doors.

First off, there is no wall with the Missionary Training Center plague on it. Now it is just a plain brick wall with shrubs and flowers in front. Then, we drove in & parked- but when families bring their young elders or sisters, they have about 20 small cones w/flags right in front of the same place you've always entered. You pull up to one of the cones, pop your trunk, there is a missionary there assigned to your son or daughter who takes the luggage out of the trunk - (I don't think you're even supposed to get out, but most do manage a quick hug & Maybe a quick picture) Then they are escorted off into the MTC and you pull out & leave. WHOA!!

And there is no large room with a talk explaining the MTC anymore - of course, the Senior Missionaries have their own orientation anyway. (and, of course, Senior Missionaries get many more considerations so we could take whatever pictures we wanted.) First we began by going through a series of stations - check-in, get name tags. Sorry, senior missionaries do not get a dork dot - (a red dot they put on a new missionary's nametag) - so we just look like we already KNOW our way around! ha!

Then we meet the ecclesiastical leaders (a couple who are on a full-time mission & whose job is solely to organize & help the senior missionaries during their MTC experience). Next we go thru the medical station. Finally, we have our pictures taken for our meal cards (each person is given a small credit card-like card with their picture on it. You swipe it thru the reader each time you eat or do laundry (if you are staying for more than one week). At the end of your stay you turn in your card & pay for whatever charges you have incurred. Then we had to walk down to the MTC bookstore to pick up more supplies and order some nametags that were magnetic (rather than the pin-on kind they give you) On the way back we walked around & saw the beautiful flowers and statues. It's really a huge campus. 16 buildings full of classrooms plus 3 larger ones - the Administration bldg. where you enter, the multi-purpose bldg. where they hold all the firesides and devotionals, and another bldg. to house the exercise facilities. And, of course, we HAD to take our picture in front of the world map... It's a tradition...right? Then back to our starting place for our orientation. There were about 65 people in our session. There are so many senior missionaries that they had to house some of them in the Marriott that is close by. (although, they may be the lucky ones, since senior couples at the MTC only have full-sized beds compared with the king & queen beds at the Marriott!) Last week they had about 88 people in the opening session. It was absolutely amazing to listen as each couple stood to tell their names, where they were from, which mission they were going to and whether it was their first mission or not. We were amazed at how many different places and different types of missions were represented. They asked a really amazing couple to give the opening and closing prayers.... US ! ha! It's also amazing how many couples, even though they didn't know each other, found common connections and people they both knew. This is definitely the Lord's work. I should quit being so amazed! Next came lunch. Again I was amazed! It must be one of God's miracles that they can shuffle 2600 missionaries in and out of that cafeteria in an hour and a half! Three times each day!!! The food isn't bad... it reminds me a lot of dorm food... even after 40 years since I lived in the dorms! Breakfasts are $2.50, Lunch $3.75, and Dinner is $4.75. So, for $11.00 per day you can eat yourself into oblivion! (Don't worry, Lindsay - we tried to control ourselves.) Still, we're holding out for Wednesday which is ICE CREAM BAR day! Afterwards, it was back to more orientation meetings, then on to meetings for those learning languages, and then finally we were finished. We got out early today - 4:30pm - I can't even imagine what tomorrow will be like when we go from 8am to 8pm! The MTC Pres. - Pres.Brown spoke about the power we are set apart with as the Lord's missionaries and that people will be able to feel that power as we come into contact with them - even though they may not realize what it is. A great example of that is just walking around the MTC. You can feel the power of all these missionaries. It is almost tangible. What an absolutely amazing start to our mission.