MTC alias Missionary Torture Center!

MTC - June 4 through June 8, 2012

Well, we made it.  One more thing crossed off our list before we can leave for Mongolia.

We actually had a great week at the MTC.  It is so amazing the energy and enthusiasm of our young MTC teachers.  I think they have Preach My Gospel memorized and could almost quote it page by page! There is so much great stuff in that book!

We had a great district with the Malms going to Hawaii to the temple (sounds more like a vacation), the Wildings going to Oklahoma City, and the Pardos going to the Chile temple.  They were great people and we learned so much from them.

We learned how to teach investigators, work with less actives and also work with ward mission leaders.  We had such an amazing experience with one of the role playing investigators.  The Steeds were so cute and we really had a great time teaching them.  Later that day at lunch, Sister Steed came to find us and said there was a couple going to Mongolia who were looking for us and because we had taught her that morning, she knew who we were.  It turned out that she had sat at lunch next to Elder and Sister Farmer, who are leaving for Mongolia later in the month, who we wanted to talk to.  We found them and as we visited Sister Farmer told  us of weight limit restrictions on our luggage that could have cost us lots of money had we not found out.  What are the chances that on the only day the Farmers would be at the MTC we "just happened" to teach the sister who "just happened" to sit next to the Farmers and "just happened" to know who we were and could find us in the massive MTC cafeteria packed with 100s of missionaries!  Definitely a tender mercy.

This is Balormaa Jenkins--our Mongolian tutor.  She is so amazing and has been helping us learn the language for about 5 months now!  We never could have made it as far as we are (which isn't really very far) without her!  We love her and are so thankful for her many kindnesses to us! 

Her family lives in Ulaanbaatar and we hope to be able to meet them.

Our last meeting tonight was a testimony meeting where the missionaries learning languages bore their testimony in their new language.  It was amazing.  We had testimonies in Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Mongolian, Cantanese, and English (one couple was called from Brazil to go to Nauvoo and she was learning English!)  Even though we could not understand what the others were saying, the spirit was strong!  And Alan and I can definitely bear testimony and pray in Mongolian, thanks to Sister Jenkins.  We won't be chit chatting comfortably for a long time yet, but we have made so much progress, we are both a little surprised!  We know it will get better as we immerse ourselves in the country.  That starts next week!!

Yup!  That's where we are going.  Ulaanbaatar..here we come!