Entering the MTC

Our grandson, Matthew, spoke in Church today, prior to leaving for his mission to Arizona.  It was such a blessing to hear him speak before we leave.  He's a great young man and he taught some important principles to us today. He enters the MTC in November.

So.....do you know who the first person was to enter the MTC?  Actually, it was Moses, who took the Children of Israel to the "empty sea....”

Tomorrow we will enter the MTC to begin our own week of training, prior to leaving for Anaheim.  It will be our third experience there, and we know it will be challenging. The MTC will not be "empty."  We will be surrounded by hundreds of faithful and enthusiastic missionaries, all preparing to go and serve throughout the world.

Missionary training just keeps getting better. A lot of things have changed since our last mission. After receiving this mission call to Anaheim, we put our packet away for a few weeks and got busy with all the tasks we thought we should complete before we leave.  When we re-examined our call packet about a week ago, we panicked.  Many things have been added to pre-MTC training and we almost missed it! We had overlooked important instructions regarding new on-line missionary training. This was new to us. First, we were encouraged to create our own personal Mormon Profile and put it on-line.  (Any member of the Church can create a personal profile, whether you are a missionary or not).

The pre-MTC training also included numerous videos about proper use of mobile devices in missionary work, including safeguards for the use of technology.   There are six pre-mission "District" training videos that are very helpful in learning how to work with your companion and teach with the Spirit. There are courses on family history work, learning a language, adjustments to missionary life, and several study and teacher practice lessons. All missionaries, including senior couples, are asked to complete this training prior to entering the MTC.  We worked hard to finish it.  It was well worth the effort.  We now feel better prepared, and won't go the MTC empty.   

       -Don-