We entered the MTC, Mission Training Center, with about 120 other senior couples on the morning of November 6, 2017. By the time we got checked in it was time for lunch.
We were assigned to a hotel room off from the campus as there were too many couples to be accommodated on campus. We are guessing it was because we had our own vehicle and some couples did not. Either way, at first we were disappointed because we felt like we were missing out on the campus experience. They viewpoint quickly changed. We had a much nicer room than those cramped campus quarters. We only went to our rooms at night but that turned out to be just fine.
This original copy of the Book of Mormon is encased in the lobby of the MTC guest entrance.
The second day we were there was probably the highlight of our experience there. We were told that there would be an evening fireside and that a general authority was coming to be our speaker. I was given the opportunity to sing in the huge MTC choir but I decided to sit with Steve instead. The choir was absolutely amazing with about 800 young people and a few old ones too. Below is a photo of the choir rehearsing.
We arrived early and chose an aisle seat as soon as we were allowed. Then we just waited. We were given proper instructions as to protocol and manners a few minutes before the prelude music began. When it was announced that our speaker would be Elder Russell M. Nelson, preceded by his wife, Wendy, there was an audible "ah" from the audience. We were thrilled to hear from the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We were not disappointed.
He said our assignment is to gather Israel, seal families in temples and prepare for Christ's 2nd coming. He mentioned more than once that he wants us to have the Doctrine of Christ, the new and everlasting covenant written on the flesh of our hearts. He said exact obedience creates miracles and will provide physical and spiritual protection. Real repentance will change the desires of our hearts.
Make the Savior the center of everything you teach and everything you do. "Let your mission change you!" The Spirit was so strong and we knew we were being counseled by a man of God.
Here is a photo of our district and our afternoon instructor. One sister was having some heart problems and had to make a trip to the specialist on Friday afternoon to determine if she would be allowed to serve on her mission. We united our prayers with theirs and found out later that she was cleared to serve. We were all very happy for her miracle.
The cafeteria was quite the experience. One day we lunched with the Clarks and it turned out that they were very dear friends of the couple we are replacing in Independence. We took this photo and sent it to them. The food is definitely designed for young hungry elders. There are lots of "fried" and sweet options. It is pretty hard to walk past those donuts for breakfast and not partake of the abundant flow of ice cream and toppings on Wednesdays. They did offer salads and I took advantage of those options. However, at the end of the week with three "solid" meals I didn't have to prepare a day, we found that we had gained a few pounds. We didn't have the opportunity to walk a mile a meal like we do on a cruise. Ugh! We assumed the weight would come off when we began doing our physical labor in the mission field.
This lovely couple were our teaching partners. Brother and Sister Chad Watt connected with us right away and they were truly sweet people. They live in Florida but she was from Cache Valley and he grew up in Snake River, ID. He and Steve had many high school friends and acquaintances in common. They are serving in Orem, UT directing 61 volunteers in a record preservation and family history project. It was nice for them that two of their children live in the area so they will be able to spend time on weekends and holidays with their grandchildren. That is a nice, tender mercy for them since they normally live far away.
The tech training was excellent. Here I am laughing as I, yes Kristen Price, assist a couple in our district with their tech issues on their phone. Ha Ha! It's a good thing we got our new phones and have been figuring out how to use them.
Here we are with our morning instructor. She was a fireball at only 4'9". She stood on a stool to write on the board.
The new campus buildings for the training center are extremely nice and functional. There are so many places for people to sit and read scriptures and ponder.
The murals in the newest building are absolutely gorgeous and fantastic! I have posted a couple of them below. The bottom one is Esther boldly standing up for her people and meeting with the king.
Wednesday evening there was not an event that required our attendance so we drove out to Mapleton to visit Great Grandma Ann. We had a lovely visit with her and wish her well and pray she has continued health. Thursday evening, we drove to my sister Cathy's new spacious townhouse just a few blocks from BYU campus and picked her up for dinner. It was delightful having dinner with her on our last evening at the MTC. She and Clay are submitting papers for a mission soon. They hope to go in 2018.
We packed up our bags Friday morning and checked out of the hotel prior to our classes that day. Then we just parked in the enclosed MTC parking lot. We finished up about 3 o'clock that afternoon.
We drove back to Murray picking up signs and key boxes from listings all the way. We are really winding down and passing off the responsibilities to my associate Wendy.
We finished packing up our suitcases, bags and boxes on Friday night and spent the night in our Murray place. About 8:30 on Saturday morning, Nov. 11th we climbed in the car with our snacks and our coats to start our two-day drive to Independence. Every stop we made was cold and windy and we thought of the pioneers who made this trip without the comforts of ample food and a warm car.
Saturday night we stopped in Ogallala, Nebraska and stayed at a relatively new Holiday Inn Express. We parked directly under a large light, took our valuable electronics and suitcases inside and hope and prayed for the best. The back seat of our car was loaded, but no one tried to steal anything. Other missionaries were not so fortunate as we found out once we arrived. We found a local eatery called Open Range Grill known for their grass fed beef in a town where beef is king. The mushroom burger was really tasty.
Sunday as we ate breakfast in the hotel, we were informed by the food server and several other patrons that the nearest branch of the church was 45 minutes away in a bit different direction. We opted to listen to Sabbath music, Book of Mormon scriptures and continued driving east. This bridge was one of the few focal points we saw in Nebraska.
We went through a small corner of Iowa and then we realized that there was "green" grass on the sides of the road. The grass was still somewhat green in Missouri. We were totally surprised by that fact. In the poor photo below, you can barely see the spires of the Kansas City Temple to the left in the trees. That was a welcome sight for us. We were almost there.
We met our apartment directors at this little house about 4 p.m. Elder and Sister Larsen from Orem have one of the most challenging assignments in the mission. They both work in the office and he is in charge of the apartments for all of the missionaries. It is a huge job.
We were quite pleased and feel very blessed to have one of the few free standing houses as a place to call home this next year. Of course, we did some rearranging of furniture and decor items, etc. but within a few days, it started to feel like home.
This dining room, study, reading corner is the place we spend most of our time. We have two bedrooms, but they are very cold this time of year so we load the quilts on our bed at night time.
We went to a restaurant to eat since we had just eaten our snacks throughout the day as we traveled. We chose an Italian place called V's that had a lot of cars. We are still baffled every time we drive by at all the cars since it was a pricey, spicy meal that we didn't care for at all. We didn't even eat the leftovers I took home.
Monday morning, we drove over to the mission office and saw our first view of the Independence Visitors' Center and the Community of Christ temple across the street, on our way. We met with President Love and Sister Love at 11 a.m. and visited for about 30-40 minutes. We had a photo taken and ordered some additional badges. After that, we went to the Facilities Maintenance office and shop. We were greeted there by Kevin Smith, the North Area Manager and Cheri Battrick, the secretary. Both are relatively new having been there a few months. We were given the rest of the day off to get our bearings, find stores to purchase groceries and other necessities, etc. Thank goodness for GPS. "Matilda" has been our constant companion. We were told we could take all the time we needed but we told them we would report to work the next morning. We were immediately told to meet before 7 a.m. as the entire group was going to Far West to pulls pumps from the watering ponds and attach a new deck. We jumped right into the project the next morning.
Monday evening was the bi-monthly senior missionary couples FHE dinner and gathering so our first day out, we got to meet quite a few of the other missionary couples serving in this mission. Because of the unique nature of this mission with its historical sites, etc., there are more seniors and young single sisters than almost anything other mission. I think that the Temple Square Mission has more young single sisters. Anyway the senior couples get together a couple of times a month for potluck dinner and FHE. It is held at the stake center next to the mission office and is a very nice event. The sisters are excellent cooks so the food is always very good. Everyone has made sacrifices to serve their missions. They are all so inspirational, cheerful and willing to serve. Thy are great role models for us.
We loved getting right to work the next morning at Far West. We were included immediately and Steve was able to use his expertise and experience to assist the very first day.
We wore shirts borrowed off the racks in the FM office and wore our jackets. My brown vest, courtesy of McKay for projects, was worn that first day and has become my staple wardrobe item.
Above and below are photos of the Far West Temple site. It is usually very cold there with the wind blowing 95% of the time.
Below Cheri and Sister Vickie Briggs, our work partners sit on the bench surrounding the monument. There is a monthly meeting with the staff and missionaries of the FM group and our first day was the day of that meeting. After the pumps were pulled and the new dock attached, we drove to Hamiltion, MO for a meeting at J's Burger. Everyone likes it when we have meetings surrounding food. We ate another mushroom burger and fries. I ate a salad and had a bite of Steve's delicious burger.
There is a store just down the road from the Far West Temple site that sells LDS books, and a few other items. This statue of Joseph Smith is in the front of the store. We didn't stop that first time, but we later able to coordinate our trip so we could stop. They don't open until 11 and we are often there earlier. They are also closed from after Christmas until about April. We found some fabulous books there that give excellent information about the area and church history. We purchased multiple copies of a wonderful book on Adam-Ondi-Ahman, with research on that sacred site compiled by a high school friend of ours, Randall C. (Randy or Charlie) Bird.
This mural is painted on the wall next to J's Burgers in Hamilton. This town has a very interesting history and has now been turned into the "Quilting Capitol" of the world.
The next day we went on the regular rounds checking the Visitors Center in Independence, Liberty Jail, the Far West Temple Site, Hauns Mill and the Richmond Cemetery. The Briggs have been here about 5 weeks so they are the expert instructors. We like them a lot and are happy to be working with them regularly. For a couple of weeks, we did the rounds together. Now we usually separate and one couple does the rounds while the other couple does other projects. We do the rounds on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We meet at the shop/office before 7 a.m. and receive instructions from our bosses but usually Mark and have a prayer together. We then load our trucks with supplies and begin our work. Most days, we eat our lunch as we are driving in the truck and return back to the shop somewhere between 3-5 p.m. It often makes for a long day.
Here we are at the Hauns Mill historic site.
