THE MTC

Here we are here at the MTC with  a record group of 118 of our closest senior missionary friends and 2,750 energetic junior missionaries.  After the first day, it feels like a great big combined HP/Relief Society meeting with the most faithful people in the world. Some of these folks are going on their 5th mission and for many many it is their 2nd or 3rd. We meet in the room where we said goodbye to Bryce and Spencer, then we break out into our 4-couple districts and learn how to teach out of Preach My Gospel. Today we taught the first lesson to a fake investigator who believed everything about the restoration but was worried Joseph was a fallen prophet and we could be back in a state of apostasy and needed a new beginning. Lots of food and a bazillion people in the cafeteria but hard to find something on the celestial diet plan, so we do the best we can and they do have fat-free dream bars. We and the other missionaries drank 900 gallons of chocolate milk over the weekend. The junior missionaries all look so young and are bright-eyed and on fire. The future of the church is in good hands. We try to sit by them at lunch and get the inside scoop on their experience. Everything is great!

By the way, I like the mission rules for seniors way better than for juniors.  The weekend after the MTC, before we flew out on Monday, we took the boat out one last time with Bryce, the Jacksons and the Busaths.  This is my first time "surfing" - needs lots of work.  Also we got to be with our little red-hair precious bundle of grandson one last time - this is the thing that is killing me and we are better off not looking at pictures  of our grandchildren too often.