April 27, 2014 - Clark

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Shelley and I are home for the weekend before returning to the MTC for welfare training.  During our week at the MTC while studying Preach  My Gospel we met several wonderful couples and heard of their decisions to serve a mission and where they will be serving.  There were 30-35 couples who were split into districts of 4 couples.  The other three couples in our district were Rasmussens from West Valley city who will serve at home, the Lavulos who are from Tonga originally and now live in Woods Cross and are going to Papua New Guinea, and the Untches who will serve at the Martin Handcart visitor’s center.  

We did a lot of role playing to practice our newly learned lessons.  Our first role play was with Mike Taylor from Highland.  We taught the first lesson which is on Restoration and each lesson took 45 minutes; 15 minutes getting to know one another followed by a prayer and a 30-minute lesson.  We would practice the night before and prepare a lesson plan along with scriptures we felt would fit.  Preach My Gospel is a resource manual and we could not use them during our lesson role play.  The next day we had practiced the second lesson, the Plan of Salvation and met with Gleneen Genther.  She was about 65-70 and had a million questions which directed the lesson to wherever she wanted to go.  We quickly lost control and didn’t have nearly as good an experience.  What was remarkable to me was that the Spirit was in those meetings and helped us even though it was only a role play.

The final day’s role play was home teaching an inactive member.  We played both roles and in an effort to make it more realistic, we did the role play with two couples from other districts.  Our first session was to act as inactives and play a certain couple we were familiar with; the Ereksens from Albuquerque were our couple.  Secondly; we were the missionary couple trying to get to know the background of a different couple where we were to come up with suggestions on how to help; this couple was the Carrol’s from Santequin.

We had several inspiration moments during the week.  Elder Oaks and his wife came for the Tuesday fireside.  An elderly couple by the name of Hawkes came on Friday morning.  They talked about the seven missions they have served together.  They were a wealth of information and certainly inspirational.  They incorporated missionary work into every aspect of their lives and shared several examples of how everyday experiences can be viewed as missionary opportunities.  In the afternoon we had the Denton’s speak with us.  They had been to the Philippines and to Ghana on missions. They gave us improved insight into the African people.

The instruction was conducted by both young elders and young returned missionary sisters.  The sisters were consistently the best teachers.  The food was good with lots of variety, the accommodations were  clean and convenient and the overall experience was excellent.  

Shelley and I are going through our normal “after tax season” adjustment period.  I have been gone so much during tax season that it takes time to readjust to more time together.  We have to work together like never before.  Shelley is an excellent teacher and consistently has spiritual insight when I tend to be more rote and by the book.  I can see we will grow even closer together working as a missionary couple.