Training

Sister Beesley & President Beesley called us on Sunday.  She asked if either of us had participated in a Trek experience.  Thankfully, I had that great experience while being in the bishopric of the Old Mission Ward in Sandy.  She asked if I could call the zone leaders who are working here in Juneau and meet with them.  We are having a mission zone conference next week.  She asked if I would tell them my experiences on Trek and what each activity represented and what could be learned from it. 

I texted Pat Harker, my Trek sister from Old Mission Ward.  I listed the things I remembered and asked if she could add to that.  She responded with some wonderful things that I had forgotten from the first day of our Trek. 

I had Elder Satini and Elder Martinez over to the apartment yesterday morning.  They had Elder Gardner with them.  He is waiting for a new companion to join him and then they will go to their new area.  As these elders sat on our couch I related to them the many experiences we had back in the 1980s as we pushed heavy handcarts around the Wasatch Mountains around Strawberry resevoir.  With each activity I would ask these elders why they thought we were given that experience, what did it represent in pioneer times, and how could it apply to our missionary work. 

I hope they are able to now plan zone conference and that I gave them what Sister and Pres. Beesley wanted. 

We have a handicapped seminary student.  In addition to those trials, he has a serious cancerous tumor.  We haven't met him yet, but we have been trying.  We want to visit with the parents and see how we can help provide him a meaningful seminary experience.  We'll keep trying.

I took my computer over to the church and hooked it up to the TV to see if I could turn on the right buttons to make it work.  Thankfully, the stake media person was in the building and helped me. 

Last evening we again met at the church with Mike and Heidi Malin.  They are our new Freshman seminary teachers.  They are newly married and very anxious to be involved this way.  It was fun to watch their enthusiasm, from cleaning their new desks to watching as we went over the S & I web site helps for teachers.

I also purchased two round trip tickets to Sitka on the Alaska Marine Highway system.  We will be going over one day and returning the next.  Our purpose will be to visit with that seminary teacher in the Sitka branch.  Sister Schlecter will be with us and we will watch her do some in-service with that teacher.

Training and YSA Home Evening

Sister Jenny Schlecter spent the afternoon with us.  She is the Juneau Stake Seminary & Institute coordinator.  There was lots of showing us how to enter new teachers on the C-STAR system along with classes and students.  Together we went over our seminary teacher's abilities and challenges.  There was even discussion about individual students.  Diane is going to be our records keeper.  It looks similar to what she was doing at SLCC. 

The YSA branch meets on Monday evenings for a Branch Home Evening.  We had no idea that we were the lesson.  It started out as 20 questions and ended up with us telling our story of how we met and raised our combined 7 children.  It moved into my experiences with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as a singer and then as the director of Bells on Temple Square.  We finished by going over the men's parts of Beebe's "Come Follow Me."  I am not sure when we are singing it.

There were only about 9 YSA members attending in addition to the Branch Presidency and Sister Waldron and Me.  The kids are hard pressed to get off of work prior to 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm during the tourist season.  They put in 10 and 12 hour days.  This will taper off through September when the cruise ships stop coming for the winter. 

Our First Sunday in Juneau

We found out that on Sundays we will be hitting the day in the fastest gear we have.  Sunday morning was our Young Single Adult Branch Council.  The entire council was there.  Bro. Welling and Bro. Francis are the councilors in the Branch Presidency.  The Stake Pres., Pres. Hamlin, was visiting.  A. J., the Elder's Quorum President was there as was the missionaries from the 3rd ward.  The lone sister was our Relief Society President, 

There is a great deal of love and concern for our YSA members.  I noticed a great amount of love in every aspect from our Branch Presiden, President Olsen.  We garnered some names that we are going to visit and encourage to join the institute. 

We were hitting the hallways pretty hard trying to find YSA kids and let them know that Institute begins on Wednesday evening.  We attended Priesthood Quorum and Relief Society first.  We then had Sunday School.  Carolyn Chenowith did a wonderful job teaching from Helaman.  She has a lot of talent in front of others.  Our Sacrament meeting was two speakers leaving for BYU Idaho in a week and our Stake President. 

I asked President Olsen to get us an Institute Class President.  Usually the teacher does that, but I don't know them well yet and I asked him to just do it.  He was very prompt and called Amanda Mosher.  Amanda joined the church less than three months ago.  She is eager in developing her testimony and her knowledge.  She told me, "Now remember I'm only nine in the gospel in dog years."  This is a wonderful calling for her and will help strengthen her testimony and confidence in the church.  We set her apart and spent 10 minutes giving her an overview of the position.

And then there was a meeting with some YSA who are planning a San Diego Temple excursion.  Following that we had ward choir.  Sister Olsen directed that.  She also taught Relief Society.  She is a ball of energy.  She and Pres. Olsen are now empty nesters and they feel like this is a mission for them of sorts.  We then came home for a quick lunch and then returned to the church for a meeting with the incoming seminary parents and students for an orientation.  Classes begin on Sept. 4th. 

We drove around the area just to see Juneau in the sun.  Yes!  It was sunny yesterday and this morning it is shinning as well. 

Whale Watching

Erik Schlecter called Friday night asking if we would like to go whale watching with him.  He works on a boat that holds about 40 people and they go out for two hour whale watching trips.  If he has empty seats on a trip he can give away a comp ticket.  So Saturday at 11:30 we were met by Erik for a wonderful adventure.

It was fantastic.  We met him at Auke Harbor.  It is a small harbor loaded with all types of sea going craft.  The rain was dripping at a pretty constant rate.  The camera we have is just to slow on the trigger and so we missed the good shots of the humpbacks.  There were three that stayed relatively close to the boat.  There were only about 10 of us on this trip and so we could run from our seats to the bow or turn and run to the stern to see them break the surface.  Each would surface 3-5 times expelling their breath noisily into the air.  The spray from their nostrils would shoot 25-30 feet into the air.  Often we heard them before we would see them.  On the last time they would surface they would hump up their back like a cat and plunge downward.  That would leave their tailfin the last the to disappear.  It was a wonderful experience.  I have got to get a better camera so next time I can get a shot of the fluke.

August 24, 2012

 We took a ride into Downtown Juneau yesterday afternoon.  We had spent the day in preparation for our first teaching assignments that are quickly approaching. 

I am trying to learn how to use Power Point on top of my lesson preparations.  I am struggling at learning how to copy and drop pictures and video clips into my PP slide.  Hopefully it will come soon. 

The Institute class is stretching me.  I know it will be alright in the end but the background material on the New Testament is extensive.  I know I won't be giving the students all that I am preparing for; but, I need to be prepared for any questions I may be asked.  The history of Jerusalem in the 600 yrs. prior to Christ's birth is the stretch for me. 

We did meet our landlady yesterday.  She is very sweet and quite the land baron. 

I removed the carryall from the top of the Subaru and stored it in a space the property manager has. 

I am constantly in aw at the beauty of Alaska.  Waterfalls drip from the mountain cliffs.  It is very damp.  We've seen the sun for just a few hours at a time. 

Last evening we went to help the YSA clean the church.  We didn't do much as there was plenty of young people there.  We also went to the Western Auto & Marine where we each purchased a pair of Bogs.  Those are rubber boots that go to your mid-calf.  I would have used them to milk cows in at home, or to pour cement,  I think I will enjoy them though as we are constantly slipping our shoes on and off to enter homes. 

August 23, 2012

We met Emily Lockie after Institute Wednesday evening.  She was so excited to have us meet her family and invite us to dinner.  We met them at their home quite north of ours in a place called Tee Harbour.  She and her husband Scott have a very rustic home heated with wood stoves and a bit of supplemental electricity heating.  She is a very cute mother of Alden who is 3, and twin girls, Lucy Ann and Iva.  They were born prematurely and are now 16 months old.  Scott is a software engineer in downtown Juneau.  He wasn't able to stay long as he is also a volunteer fireman in Tee Harbour and had some training.  He ate and ran..Literally.

The foliage around the Lockie's home was so colorful and fun.  They had a current bush where Diane is standing.  The bears loved the currents and their little cocker spaniel loved to chase them off.  They cut the current bush down so they would have less encounters with the bears.  They can look out over the bay and watch the whales from their porch.  Driving north of Tee Harbour we came upon this wonderful view. We also went back to Mendenhall Glacier to see a bear.  We lucked out and saw a sow and her two cubs.  We had her right under our feet and were so busy gawking we forgot to take a picture until she was a bit further away.  She stopped once and grabbed a salmon from the creek and bit out the stomach portion of the fish.  She discarded the rest and walked on her way.   I'll get a better picture of them another evening. 

 



August 22, 2012

We are now in Juneau and almost settled into our apartment.  Elder and Sister Schindler, the couple who preceeded us, left it well stocked and well furnished.  It is much more comfortable than we had expected it to be. 

Mike and Jenny Schlecter were on the dock to meet us at 6:00 a.m. yesterday.  They are very warm and were wonderful in welcoming us.  Sister Schlecter is the Juneau Stake Seminary & Institute coordinator.  We will be working closely with her.  They escorted us to our apartment and we got acquainted for a bit.  After they went home we hurried to McDonald's to get some breakfast.  We then returned and started organizing the apartment.  We took a short nap and went back to work.  The Schlecters invited us to dinner.  Prior to dinner we drove up to the Mendenhall Glacier to watch the bears feast on sockeye salmon.  We saw the pinks, but the bears will have to be observed another day.  It was very noisy from the many tourists and the bears were hesitant to come out of the woods.  The scenery is incredible in every direction.  It is cool...jacket cool.  It is raining every day so far. 

Our dinner at the Schlecter's home was barbecued salmon cooked in an herb rub and some were basted in a pesto sauce.  It was wonderful and she topped it off with peach pie ala-mode.  And then there was a visit from our YSA (Young Single Adult branch president, David Olsen and his wife Jeri Lynn.  He is from Montana and very dedicated to the YSA.  The 2nd councilor in the Stake, Don Huntsman and his wife Karen came.  And the high councilor over YSA, Harold Mikesell also came. 

Our discussions were, what, who, where and when.  Pres. Huntsman will be flying us up to Yakatat here in a month or so to visit that branch seminary.  He also expressed that he would like for us to visit each outlying branch twice a year.  That will mean some ferrying around the Inland Passage but he is going to help us arrange the trips.  Brother Mikesell is all for anything that helps seminary students and institute students. 

                                                                                                   

 We stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho to see the temple.

 

Once we got to Bellingham we wandered the streets.

It was a very wonderful town with lots of quaint shops

Diane enjoyed walking through. 

We had a sandwich in this old restaurant.

 More sight seeing on the streets of Bellingham, WA.

Bellingham, WA. 

 We waited in line for a couple of hours while

the crew decided where to put everyone.  They were

very organized on the parking lot.  It seemed they were quite

slow in getting the cars parked.



 We all drove our vehicles into the mouth of the Kennicott.

 Diane as we start the voyage through

the inland passage.

 Yes it was cool enough that we needed jackets.

 There were lots of tables in the lounges.  And there

were lots of puzzles.  You better guess this made Diane happy.

There were dozens of beautiful islands to pass

through.  I spent lots of time watching for whales.

We did see two orcas early on Sunday morning.

One was frisky and breached for us.  A pod of

over 50 brown colored dolphins played with the ship

for 2 minutes and then were gone.  I did see one humpback

as he displayed his fluke while going under.

We stopped once on the way to Juneau.  This is

Ketchikan harbour.

We walked around the industrial side of

Ketchikan and came upon this tribute to those

who had perished at sea.

A side view of the Kennicott as we approached

to board for the final leg of the journey.

Schlecter's suggested we go see the bears

feed on the salmon in front of Mendenhall

Glacier.  There were several tourist buses  there

and it was too noisey for the bears.  They were leary

to approach these spawning sockeyes.

We were awed by the size of this glacier.  And like

most glaciers in the world, it too is receeding.



 This is our home in Juneau.

Yesterday afternoon the zone leaders dropped by to welcome us.  They hinted very subtly the Schindlers always had candy for them.  In fact, there were 4 dishes of treats on the table left by the Schindlers.  Diane helped them get enough to get them through a day or two.

August 15, 2012

Today was our 3rd and final day being instructed by the CES trainers.  One of our trainers was John Jewkes.  John and I have a past history.  He was one of my choir students at Butler Middle School in the 70s.  He remembers that I would pass him at 7:00 in the morning as he would be walking toward school.  I would stop and give him a ride now and then.  I remember him well.  Now he works for CES in the Church Office Bldg.

Elder and Sister Bell were a highlight of our training today.  She and I sang in the Tabernacle Choir together.  I remembered her husband going with us on tours.  He had a tremendous sense of humor and she had a wonderful spirit as she told us of their mission in Greece. 

Diane and I ate our noon meal at the MTC and returned to the Marriott to pack.  By 1:30 p.m. we were on the road.  I heard Diane say, "Good-Bye Provo." 

As we drove down I-15 I began to think to myself, "Good-Bye Salt Lake.  Good-Bye Bear River Valley, for a while.  Good-Bye Valley View Cemetery where I pay respects to Judy." 

And as we crossed the border, "Good-Bye Utah.  See you again when we finish our business."

We had to stop one last time at Maddox for a good steak dinner.  Ha!  We have only eaten there twice in 20 years.  But I'll miss it. 

We drove to Burley today.  

CES Day 2

What a wonderful day this was as we learned how to go beyond identifying content when preparing a block of scripture for a lesson.  The next step was to identify the principles and the doctrines.  We then learned how to prioritize these individual principles and (guess) how much time to alot to each principle.  After identifying a doctrine or principle, we learned how to search them with activities, analyzeing, and asking appropriate questions that would lead to the student desiring to apply that doctrine in their lives.  All the time we had to keep in mind that the student needs to learn to search for themselves.  And most importantly, the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, when invited, does the actual teaching,  That same spirit can dictate where a lesson should go.  As teachers we need to be prepared for anything and any direction the students and spirit can send a lesson. 

We have enjoyed the meals at the MTC more than we expected to.  The desserts are really good.  They can make a tasty, soft and chewey cookie.  There is plenty of fruit and all the dry cereal any teen-ager could possibly dream about. 

I was asked to play the piano for our early morning devotional.  CES had quite large pictures of Institute students stacked and placed around the front of the room.  There were on pulpits, on steps, placed on chairs and leaning against walls.  There were three of these standing up-right on the piano.  I guess I was playing a bit vigorously.  All three picture cards came crashing down and hit my hymn book, displacing it into my lap.  I almost thought to holler, "EARTH QUAKE.  Duck and Cover."  In retrospect I am sure that would have been inappropriate.

CES Day 1

It has been a ton of fun to run into Elders Jake South (going to Torleone, Mexico) and Preston Ruff (going to Frankfurt, Germany) as we go from classes to meals while here in the MTC.  We all four lived in the Field Crescent Ward, in the Herriman Stake before leaving for our missions.  We have watched these two great young men grow physically and spiritually as they have prepared for, and now left home for their missions. 

We have begun our three days of Church Education in-service.  Our instructors are Elder Pope (an Aussie seminary teacher now working as a trainer of CES missionaries, and Elder Udy from Idaho, and an Elder Hart (Elder Hart lives in the Rose Canyon Stake).  The instruction today was teaching us how to prepare a meaningful lesson.  We are being taught to outline the scriptures being studied with a different approach than I have used up to this point in my life.  We take the information between the pi symbols on the verse numbers.  We capsulate that information, or; we summarise it in a column.  After that we identify the relevant principles and doctrines in that block. The summary is in an adjacent column.  Tomorrow we will learn where to go from there.  But in looking at the planning chart we have been given, and having seen the videos on effective teaching during the past month, I believe I know what is coming.  We will decide how far into depth we want to approach each block.  We will decide how much time we want to spend on that principle or doctrine and we will search further into the doctrine depending on the time we will spend.  Finally we will try to figure out how we can apply that principle in our lives. 

To you that may sound tedious or laborious.  I find it very exciting and I am anxious to use these things with the young single adults that we will be meeting.  Above all, we are constantly reminded that we aren't the teachers in this process.  We are the guides.  As we take our students on this scriptural journey, it is the Holy Ghost that will do the teaching.  I really like that principle.  It is taught in the 50th section of the Doctrine and Covenants.  It is a true.  

Sunday in the MTC

Sundays in the MTC are quite special.  There was no Primary and we could actually hear the prayers for the Sacrament. 

Now breakfast was a surprise!  After seeing those wonderful breakfasts with bacon, hash browns and eggs and lots of fruit choices, we saw that the menu today was....dry cereal......for everyone.  I asked a Sister missionary where they kept the sugar.  She said, "Didn't you get the kind with sugar already on it?"  So I squeezed some honey on my Raisin Bran.  They did have some rice milk I could pour on it.  I did find an apple too. 

Priesthood was fun.  I was assigned to attend a zone of missionaries going to Mexico.  There were about 30 Hispanics from everywhere.  There were three gringos.  And there was one missionary from Taiwan going to Mexico.  They were all so enthusiastic about their testimonies and their mission calls.  We senior missionaries sat on our hands so we weren't tempted to find ourselves dominating the meeting. 

We had the afternoon to study and take a nap.  This evening after supper (dinner for the couth) we attended the going away meeting.  We received some special instruction on our last Sunday before departing for our individual fields we have been assigned to.  There was a violin and piano duet played by two Elders and they were fantastic. The pianist played his part, and it was quite complicated, from memory.   (The missionaries audition to be able to perform at firesides.  The talent of these young people is phenomenal.)

Following that meeting we attended a fireside where 9 Elders performed "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief."  It was tremendous from all nine Elders. 

We then listened to Brother Richard I Heaton, the MTC director of administration.  He taught us very well on moving together with our investigators, and not getting ahead of them.  (That means being realistic with where they are and not getting overly excited and expecting baptism when they initially invite us into their homes.)

Sundays in the MTC are quite special.

Day 6

I walked into a guitar shop in Provo on Center Street.  I have decided to take a guitar with me to Juneau.  There on the workbench, among the tools used for making guitars, was a baby in a basket, unattended and sound asleep.  What a beautiful sight that was to me. 

In as much as the guitar was such an integral part of my first mission, I think I'll take another with me.  Since it has been 20 years since I have played, I'll have to brush up a bit.

Our first P-day was today.  We were up at 6:00 a.m. because I always awake before 6:00 a.m.  It has been years since I was a boy milking cows, but that has been the way since then.  We hustled to the MTC for breakfast and the first thing we noticed was the parking lot where the senior couples park. It was empty.  Most of our associates of the past week are now on their way to their assignments.  There are a handful of us to learn about the CES program and we will be away on Wednesday.

Diane had a hand full of family cards that needed sealing.  We attended the Mt. Timpanogos temple to do those sealings.  On the way out of the temple, we noticed a party taking wedding pictures.  The groom was a young white man.  His bride was a beautiful black woman from Ghana.  Her family, and his family were inter-mingling and becoming acquainted.  Those from Ghana were spectacular in their colorful dresses, ties and even a couple of suits in a tunic style.  They were all beautiful. 

Mother wasn't feeling well enough to go with us to the temple.  We did stop by to visit with a bit of fruit we picked up at a fruit stand.  She asked for a son's Priesthood Blessing before I left.  What an honor to bless my Mother with the wonderful gift of a Priesthood blessing using the Priesthood I have been trusted with. 

After a lunch at Kneaders, we returned to our apartment for a nap.  Next up...the laundry.  We decided to do it here in the hotel as the laundry at the MTC is so big, so noisy, and so humid. 

Meals at the MTC are exciting.  I am so impressed with the army of beautiful, dedicated and righteous young people coming, forming lines, piling on the food, pausing to give thanks, and then excitedly visiting as they eat.  We were waiting in a long line to place our used trays and utensils on the dirty dishes belt.  A couple of sisters approached us and asked if they could take our trays for us and wait in line in our place so we could go.  I believe the world is in for a treat with this generation of our Father-In-Heaven's Children.

Day 5

Our District

Next to Sister Waldron and I are the Corbetts.  They are going to Fort Bragg to work with military personnel.  Next to them are the Hendricksons.  They are from Sandy and are off to New Jersey to work as Member and Leader Support Missionaries.  On the far right are Elder Wayne Shipley and Sister Pam Shipley.  They are on their second mission and again will be operating and supervising the scanning of genealogical records in Wayne, Indiana.  They did the same thing in Houstong several years ago.

Sister Thurston



 Sister Thurston was our guide through "Preaching My Gospel" during our afternoons. She was enthusiastic and committed to helping us understand how to prepare for teaching experiences.

Today was a very rewarding day and a very challenging day.  We do a lot of roll playing while learning how to use "Preach My Gospel."  Our assignment was to take on the character of someone we know who was at one time active and is now inactive.  Another couple came into our room and spent 15 minutes getting to know us (in character).  They then had 30 minutes to prepare a lesson for us based on what they had learned.  Likewise, we spent 15 minutes getting to know another couple who have decided to not participate with the church any longer.  We too had 30 minutes to prepare a lesson customized for their particular problems.  Of course we assumed the idendities of one of our children.  It made it very real for us and our hearts were close to bursting throughout the role.  It was very worth while.

In the afternoon we learned how to work with members in our assigned branches.  We again had a visit from a couple who completed their mission 10 years ago.  They were very good together.  The afternoon ended and most of the couples left immediately for their various destinations throughout the world.  The rest of us will be meeting with the CES department of the church in preparations for leaving on Wednesday.    

Day 4

Today we met with an investigator.  His wife has passed away, he has lost two grand children and he loves to rodeo.  He spends his Sundays returning home from his rodeo experiences.  But he is getting older and starting to think about spiritual things.  He had questions about where his wife might possibly be at this time.  We got a committment from him to attend church on Sunday.  Diane even got a committment from him to read the introduction in the Book of Mormon and several chapters in the Book of Mormon.  He loved to talk.  He always would get back to his rodeo experiences which made it hard to stay on task with an impromptu lesson that would meet his needs.  The discussion lasted 45 minutes.  We have an appointment to meet with him at the same time next week.

(Of course all of this was with a member of the church who volunteers each week to play role with the missionaries.)

We were addressed by Elder and Sister Tree.  They completed their 4th mission three years ago.  Their trials in Tahiti and New Zealand and with the Indians in the SW Indian Mission were wonderful to hear.  They are the grandparents of our neighbor in Herriman, Holly Jones.

MTC Day 3

Brother Wozniak is a returned missionary of 3 years. He is one of our instructors in how to use the manual "Preach My Gospel." He is getting married next week and after a year of working in the MTC will move on to be an intern in SLC.

We were surprised to see our friends, Wayne and Pam Shipley.  They lived in our Sandy ward until the ward was divided.  This is their second mission.  The first mission they served as scanners in a Houston, TX library for the church history department.  They will be doing the same thing for the church in Indiana.  We were thrilled when they announced we would be together for the week in the same district.  They are truly wonderful people.

 Our Grandson, Ike Johnson, seems to have an idea of what we should expect while in Alaska.  Thanks Ike!

Today was a very full day.  Once again our trainers, who are returned missionaries themselves, spent the time preparing us for our first opportunity to teach from "Preach My Gospel."  We met with a volunteer "Investigator" who was concerned about her parents visiting with Mormons.  She wanted to make sure they were OK and not associating with a cult.  Diane and I presented the first discussion.  I actually tried to put too much into the 45 minutes.  It was my fault that we spent 40 minutes on the first half of the material, which only left 5 minutes to present the second half of the material.  I'll be much more careful not to cram too much into the time we have tomorrow. 

We viewed actual investigators being given challenges and lessons from real missionaries.  There was time reading body language and discussing ways that we might improve the presentations had we given them.  It seems, in watching the videos, the Sister missionaries are more sensitive to the needs of their investigators.



MTC Day 2

Today was a very long day and I feel so good.  We spent the day learning how to be direct in getting those we are loving, and teaching, to make committments that will better their lives.  We watched several New York Times videos of people describing their lives, including their likes, and their burdens.  From these personal hints we tried to decipher where to begin teaching them.  We then practiced with our companions these lessons from "Preach My Gospel" and then practiced on other couples in our disdrict by taking turns roll playing the investigator and the missionaries. 

The day began with a Brother Peterson teaching us about our purpose: that being to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.  He was so dynamic and impressed on our minds vividly these verbs listed in our purpose. 

We ended the day with a devotional.  General Authority Emeritus Elder Robert K. Dallenbach and his wife spoke to us about some facts concerning the translation of the Book of Mormon.  He compared the translation of the B. of M. into Bulgarian.  A good translator, after being approved, can translate a page a day in a language he understands well, from an English Text.  Joseph Smith translated at the rate of seven pages a day into English from a language that no one could recognize. 

Diane and I sang in the missionary choir one number for this devotional.  The choir consisted of about 400 missionaries.  There were only 6 of we senior missionaries in the choir.  It was powerful.  The director was Cory Mendenhall.  He interviewed with me for the Jordan High School Choir Director position when I retired.  I remembered him well and we visited during a break.  He is now teaching at the Maple High School in Utah County. 

Our assignment for tonight is to prepare to teach a volunteer investigator tomorrow and determine what that investigator needs from "Preach My Gospel," which we can't have with us.

Eating in the MTC cafeteria is quite like eating at Chuck-O-Rama three times a day.  We must be judicious.

MTC World Map

Today was our first day in the MTC.  Our son-in-law, Mike, gave us two nights in the Marriott hotel in Provo.  When we checked in Saturday, the clerk said, "Elder Waldron, you're two days early."  I was surprised he called me ELDER as I sure wasn't dressed like one yet.  He didn't know that I had another reservation from Mike, and I didn't know the MTC had assigned us to stay in the Marriott along with several other couples.   The MTC has so many seniors going lately they have to contract with the Marriott.

It was so fun to be in the same room where years ago we dropped off Mark, Travis, Erik and Tiffany as they began their missions.  And sure enough, we too sang CALLED TO SERVE.

We mostly participated in orientation and were assigned to a district.  We have four couples in our district.  We have had two meals in the MTC cafeteria.  The food was very good.  We have an assignment for tonight as we are going to be teaching a mock investigator from PREACH MY GOSPEL tomorrow.

We saw this wonderful map of the world and lots of missionaries pointing to the destination of their individual calls.  We just had to point at Juneau while a Sister going to Hawaii to our picture. 

It seems that friends can be made quickly here.