We have arrived!!!

What a fantastic week at the Mission Training Center.  We met incredible people who are going all over the world to volunteer their time to bring others to Jesus Christ.  I was in awe of those who were going to foreign countries and didn't speak the language.  I was inspired by those who have served before and want to go again.  I need to add that our missionaries pay their own way on their mission. For the young missionaries they all pay $400 a month.  For Senior missionaries we pay, at the most, $1400 for the housing.  The rest is additional.  The church does pay our way down and back.  There were 90 seniors with us this past week.  We met people going to: Thailand, Spain, Marshall Islands, Scotland, England, Italy, France, Nicaragua, Hawaii, the US, Namibia, Russia, and Singapore.

I can't begin to say all the things we learned this week.  We had lots of fun role playing different scenarios and they were so enlightening.  We enjoyed the other couples we would visit with over lunch or in class.  One of my dear friends, Alison, had a connection to a couple we met.  Alison's husband Pete, had a friend from the Military that baptized him.  He was there with his wife and they are going to Italy.  My daughter Megan has a roomate who is engaged to a teacher at the MTC.  We saw him during the week.

This was our district for the week.  They are going to Italy, Atlanta, and England.

We were able to see the kids a bit during the week in the evening.  We had a wonderful stay with the Ogdens.  Hated to say goodbye.

 We had a great evening the night before we left with Cheryl and Rick Duerden.  As I said in an earlier post, I had spent the night before my mission to Colombia with them over 35 years ago.

Left Saturday morning for Panama.  Arrived tonight.  Tomorrow the adventure begins....