The young missionaries are a delight at the MTC.
The weeks we were there was the first time that young Sisters outnumbered the young Elders. This district just seemed to be getting along so I snapped a photo.
We had classes all week on how the Humanitarian program of the Church functions.
We can do projects that are 100% started and funded by us. However, the model most used currently is that the Church partners with other NGOs (non-government organizations for charitable purposes). Everything is tracked in an unbelievable software program. Every penny is accounted for and every supplier, contractor and partner is vetted to ensure success. Every project is tracked to learn from successes and those that might fall short of the original goals. This was our classroom for the second week.
I was surprised at the many different levels of global participation and tracking that takes place.
These were the missionary couples leaving this week. Each couple was going to a different country. I believe there is a group like this going out each month of the year.
Sometimes, you can tell the young missionaries are trying to be creative.
This was Valentine Day and some were passing out napkin roses to the senior missionaries.
Finally our second week was finished and we left an atmosphere that is truly unique.
I would recommend serving a mission just for the MTC experience.
Back to our hotel where we had stayed off campus for two weeks since the space for senior missionaries was full.
Our visas have not shown up yet. We are hopeful. One week into the MTC we were still signing new forms in the travel office. Most forms were in sets of seven for each of the ministries of North Macedonia. The last forms were only one each. We hope we haven't signed away our house as they are all in Macedonian.
Since no visas yet, we have been reassigned to the Salt Lake City, Headquarters Mission.
This is our new digs. I hope for not too long. Our predecessors waited ten months for their visas. We were aware of this and everyone involved on our end was confident it would not take so long. That is one of the reasons our call came last July.
From our new digs we can look out to temple square and watch the progress of the Salt Lake Temple.
We are borrowing our Ogden son's car. This week a Texas son and grandson were here snowboarding and dropped in to see us.
Saturday we got permission from our granddaughter's Mission President to take her and her companion out to lunch since she will be heading home in two weeks. She has been serving in the Layton, Utah Mission. After a quick lunch we had time to find our great, great, great, grandmother's grave. Patty Sessions was born in 1795, was in the first Relief Society in Nauvoo, got to SLC in September, 1847, and didn't die until 1892. Her life and example of faithfulness is an inspiration to her voluminous posterity.
The Headquarters mission used to go to church in the Joseph Smith building. That building is also being renovated. The decision was made to scatter the senior missionaries who are working at Headquarters to many different wards in the Salt Lake Valley. We have been assigned to attend the Sugarhouse Ward. The building is very striking inside with lots of fine woodwork and details.
It was was built in 1924 and I found out that LeGrand Richards had been one of the Bishops who had served there. I was always intrigued by his style of testimony.
Have I done any good this week? Not much, but I hope I am more focused, better prepared, and ready to do some good here while waiting for a visa.
