MTC-The People

We were only there two weeks, but we met so many fun people that we wished we could have known longer and served with in the same missions rather than scattering to the four corners of the world.  How blessed we were to cross paths with these amazing people and hear about their preparation and sacrifices to serve missions.  They were amazing!

Our MTC group

This couple is on their way to Rome to do records preservation for family search.  I can't remember their long Italian name, but the elder served as a service missionary in the USLCH mission and had his farewell lunch the same day we did.  We took this picture in the cafeteria on our first day and sent it to the mission presidency and their wives in Salt Lake.  They loved it.

Monday evening, we met with the branch presidency for the senior missionaries during their time at the MTC.  As soon as I saw his face, I knew he had to be related to a friend from Amarillo--but then when he introduced himself with the same last name and I heard his voice--I know they must be brothers.  This is President Mike Hendricks, younger brother of Scott Hendricks.  How fun to take a picture which he sent to Scott.  Scott Hendricks and his wife and family were close friends of my parents.  He currently serves as the stake patriarch of the Amarillo Stake.

Monday afternoon, we met with our MTC district for classes for the first time.  It was a day or two later that we discovered that we shared a mutual friend--Judy Hutchinson Courreges.  Elder and Sister Christl had lived near them for many many years and at one time, Elder Christl had worked for Judy and her then husband's company.  We took this picture and sent it off to Judy over messenger.

Everywhere, there were young elders and sisters--always holding the doors for us, saying hi to Jena, smiling and laughing--it was fun to interact with them in brief moments.

Randomally, one of these sister is Sister Ferrell from Mountain Green.  She knows my niece, Melissa Manning.....and I actually worked closely with her dad at one point when he was a Bishop and I worked at Family Services.  I didn't share that with her, of course.

Our first district---the other three couples were all assigned to the Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission so it was awesome to answer their questions and share some of our experiences.

Floras, Christl, and Deweys

These are Jan and Rob DeGiulio.  They are from Salt Lake City--living in a condo just south of Temple Square as he worked for the Church in family search for the past 14 years.  More about them when I talk about the classes.  They are serving as historical sites missionaries in New York--living and serving in the Peter Whitmer Farm.  We can't wait to get together with them after our missions and play games.

These were some "two weekers" because they walked around knowing what they are doing.  It turned out that they have a niece in our mission so we took these picture of her aunt and uncle (who were leaving for Peru) and sent it off to her.  We hope to meet her niece someday.

During our second week, we found more "old" friends---

Elder and Sister Bigelow who are serving as senior service missionaries and provided some of the member leader support training our second week.  They live in South Jordan now, but lived at the end of our cul de sac in West Jordan in the mid-1980s.  It took me a free minutes to figure out how I knew them, but it was fun to catch up during the break.  Weirdly, I could first remember their daughter's name-Mikaela--before their first names.  They had one daughter and six sons.

And this is Jill Eyring...she was our backdoor neighbor in the same neighborhood as the Bigelows.  She and her husband give tours and welcome missionaries on Wednesday to the MTC.  We arranged to meet up for dinner on the second Wednesday we were at the MTC.

and finally, some new friends--Sister and Elder Stephenson.  They arrived to the MTC our second week and they are also serving in our same mission.  They are office missionaries over housing and other duties.  We sent this photo to the Collins.

You never know who you might meet when you come to the MTC!

It is a grand adventure!

MTC--The Buildings And Other Physical Things

The Provo Mission Training Center is located on 19 acres of land, just north of Brigham Young University and down the hill from the iconic Provo Temple.  I felt "sandwiched" in all of the best ways between two of the hugely significant locations of my own young adulthood.  I liked looking up and seeing the temple during the day as we walked between buildings.  As we were located mostly in the north part of the MTC, we only saw BYU as we drove to the store or for a meal away from the MTC.

We missed out on a photo of the formal sign.
We took this one from the car as we were leaving.
Too cold to pose for a photo

This MTC was dedicated in 1978. For Gary, who served from 1974-1976, he went four days or so to a place north of Temple Square and then went to the LTM in Hawaii which provided language training for Asian countries.  Around BYU at the time, they had buildings and houses where missionaries going to Europe and I think South America received their language training.  The missionaries often attended events on campus even an occasional basketball game and did their laundry on campus.  So dedicated "girl friends" would scout out their missionary boy friends and meet up at the laundry or on campus somewhere.  Gathering all of the bits and pieces to one dedicated campus made many things easier for everyone (except maybe the girlfriends.)  Although they still have a reminder to NOT arrange for people to throw you packages over the fence...so dedicated girlfriends and mothers must still be trying to make deliveries around the system.  I am not sure why.  The mail room does brisk business all day and we saw a number of boxes of donuts and other food items being picked up by happy missionaries.

I read somewhere that it can house about 3700 missionaries although when we were there, I think they said there were about 1500 in total.

Senior missionaries live in the same building (and if there are too many in a given week they are put in local hotels.  Our group was small (about 40 people) and we were all in the senior housing building. 

The view out our room on the third floor

They have a few rooms with a little extra space for a rollaway bed.  This was Jena's corner for the two weeks.

Our corner and our bathroom/closet area.  We had a system of how to use the bath room and get ready each morning and managed to be to breakfast on time every day except for a Sunday morning.

First sunset from our room

We were in room 303--which was fun since our anniversary is 3/3....

This is the sign on the main floor at the elevator.  The main floor of senior housing is the mail room and the MTC store.....in case, we didn't know we were old already??!!! :)

They have one building that is dedicated for training senior missionaries.  This was in the entrance way of that building--our missionary purpose

The campus is beautiful and very well-designed.  There are art work and sculptures and motivational items everywhere.  You are constantly reminded that you are here as a servant of Jesus Christ to preach the fullness of the gospel to all of the world.

Samuel Smith
first missionary of the restoration
We brought a bit more stuff than he is carrying

Along the sidewalks throughout the complex, there are series of flags with missionary related scriptures or sayings.

The snow covered mountains made a pretty backdrop for walking between buildings.

If you have desires
to serve God

Ye are called
to the work

Serve Him
(with )

and ALL OF YOUR SOUL.  I am not going to lie.  I started to cry as I walked between these flags with these very familiar words.  To be a set-apart missionary and to be in this place setting out on our service to Arkansas was another dream come true.  This is the place where Jessica, Dad and Karla, Gary's parents, my brothers, cousins, friends, and so many other ward members have gone to prepare for their own mission service.  It was an honor to be in their footsteps.

Flags representing the languages taught here

These are flags with the Christlike attributes from Preach My Gospel--a visual reminder of who we are following and ways we need to improve ourselves.

The artwork is amazing and in one of the buildings (T4) there are a series of huge murals depicting Christ's life and also that of other prophets and followers of Christ.

It is hard to get the scale and magnitude of the art work but they were amazing.  Some times we discussed one together as a class and other times we got to visit them on our own.

Along with the art, there would be a related scripture and sometimes a question to ponder.  Pondering and listening to the spirit are the hallmarks of learning at the MTC.

Everywhere are the reminders of the work that we are training to do--the whys, the hows, the blessings!

This display is all of the current mission presidents serving throughout the world--around 400 couples!

Sister and President Collins
Arkansas Bentonville Mission

President and Sister Holmes,
Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission

Evening look of the Provo Temple

The parting of the Red Sea with Sister Gee

With Jena and part of the room to give some idea of the scale of things---

Views of the BYU campus

Some of the art work was restored or original photographs.  These are the first two sister missionaries sent to England in the late 1880s.

...and more modern missionaries serving in their areas.

Hard to see but a look to the west of the MTC and
the famous Lavell Edwards Stadium...

One last piece of the large murals--Joseph in the Liberty Jail.....

and the scripture and question with it.  So much to ponder about and so little time!

Even light fixtures were pieces of art with meaning.........

It is very striking in person.

I have so many more photos but these will have to represent this place--the famous Provo MTC!  I pinch myself that I got to be here 2 weeks.  I am guessing as we return home to our eternal home and engage in missionary work among those who have gone before us who haven't been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness---we will go to a heavenly MTC for our mission prep as well!  I bet the artwork there will be equally if not more spectacular.   I hope all of you have a chance to enter these walls sometime as a senior missionary--alone or with your spouse!  It is the best!