Missionary Sabbath Day

We had a very special day for our last Sabbath in July. The Sacrament meeting talks were all focused on Family History, which of course we thought was great.  Talks were given by Sister Debra Andrews, who teaches the Family History Class for our ward, and several of the people we have helped to find family names to take to the temple.  They each did a great job.  We loved the spirit that was present in the room as they each bore strong testimony of the importance of family history work.

However, no matter how good the talks may have been, we have learned that the REAL focus of every Sacrament meeting is the Sacrament itself.  Over the course of this mission we really have learned to consider this a personal, sacred time to reflect on our individual lives and to renew our covenants with our Heavenly Father.

Next came Sunday School
 The way the "Family History Workshop" model works, every three weeks we begin helping a different group of people. Rather than having a long class to teach in depth knowledge, the goal of this way of doing it is simply to orient as many people as possible to the basics of FamilySearch is a small group where they can get individual attention and assistance to find a family name to take to the temple. This was day one with a brand new group. As usual, it is a bit hard to get the previous class to feel ready to move on as they all seem to have a good experience with us and want to keep coming. However, we lovingly direct them back to Gospel Doctrine class, explaining again as we do at the beginning of each session that their session is finished as we are trying to give everyone in the ward a turn to rotate through. Sister Andrews then introduced the new people to what we would be covering in their sessions and had each one share a brief family story. Then we all got online and began showing them the way FamilySearch works.  I was able to help the sister I was working with find a family name to take to the temple right away which felt really special.

For the third hour Larry and I taught the combined Relief Society and Priesthood class, giving an overview of  why we do family history and the steps to take a family name to the temple.  We answered all sorts of questions that people had.  It seemed to be very well received.

Then later that evening we headed out to the Missionary Training Center that is over by the Redoubt Stake Center. We had dinner with the young missionaries and then presented an hour long devotional on ways they can use family history in teaching the investigators they will work with and how to make it a priority to see all new converts get to take a family name to the temple within the first few months of their membership.

At dinner I especially enjoyed visiting with some of the young sisters from Tonga and Samoa. When we talked about some of our experiences in those countries they got big smiles on their faces, so happy to know of our love for their homelands.

We were both really happy with how our presentation went for the devotional. Last time we taught at the MTC we had some issues with our technology (Our PowerPoint was created in a different version from that on the computer they had set up for our presentation) so none of our videos would play properly.   We know our stuff so we were able to convey our message without the videos,  but it went so much smoother this time when we had our own lap top there to run it with and all our media running properly.

New Zealand Missionary Training Center (MTC)

When we got home we did our usual nightly reading together from the Book of Mormon.  We are in Alma now and are on track to finish the book for the 5th time just as we finish our mission.  Oh how I love this book!

Afterward I spent a couple hours working on some FamilySearch for various people that have asked for assistance in identifying family names.   One of our goals has been to help 100 people or more
 find a name to take to the temple before we go home.  We've done a lot for the folks here, both those who work in the PAO and those we meet at various trainings we take part in.  In addition to that, we've helped quite a few people we know back in the USA.   I truly love being part of this work!

These last weeks seem to be going by so very fast.  This soon will all be over.  I hope I will never forget these special times, these special people.  I am so very grateful for the chance to be a family history missionary.  The love we feel in doing this work is truly priceless.

Quotes from our MTC cohort

c

Elder & Sister McMurdie

From Green Bay, Wisconsin

Going to Zimbabwe, Harare

Welfare/Humanitarian

We just wanted to say that this week of Preach My Gospel was so much more than we anticipated. We met many of you and felt like we had known you for many years. Thank you to everyone for bringing the spirit to the training.


Elder &  Sister Peck
From Bountiful, Utah
Going to Philippines  Quezon City
Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) / Self Reliance

We loved every  minute  of our time  at the Missionary Training center. We met so many  wonderful  members, and now great  missionaries for the  Lord. Wishing  you  all  safe  speed and a successful  experience. Love you  all, your friends  Bill and Jan  Peck 

Elder and Sister Green
From:
Going to:Tallahassee, Florida
Church Office Support

MTC Highlight: "We saw Elder Bednar's talk on Christ and loved it.  He said, "Don't learn about Christ, learn OF Him."

MTC Memories

Just a few of the images I will carry in my heart from our week of training at the Provo, UT  MTC:

Elder Chinn

Elder Thomas

Sister Moore

Our district: Elder and Sister Cardall, Elder Floyd, me, Elder Bennett, Sister & Elder Green  (missing Elder and Sister Scott who left before we took pictures)

Elder Floyd

Elder and Sister Turpin, previously served a family history mission in Takapuna, NZ.
This time around they are headed to Denmark!

Elder and Sister Harvey - live in Auckland, NZ.  Will be serving a Family History Mission in SLC, Utah

Learning to walk with Christ

All packed up

The International Christmas Tree

MTC Day 5 - Last Day

Today was the final day of Preach My Gospel training at the MTC.  Some folks will be staying longer if they have other training to do.  We will be moving on to Salt Lake City where we will participate in some classes more specific to our Family History assignment.

My heart is full as I leave this very special place.  What I learned more than anything else from this experience is this: coming closer to Christ increases our capacity for love and visa versa. The more we love others, the more we know Christ. This past week has been a tremendous spiritual feast.

In the afternoon large group meeting we saw a video clip of a talk given by Elder Jeffry Holland.  In that address he quoted the poet  Christopher Logue who wrote "Come to the Edge" which appeared in his book "New Numbers" published in 1969

The training talked about being willing to get out of our comfort zone to fully magnify our callings as missionaries.  Elder Holland said the reason we generally don't see more miracles in our lives is because we don't go to where miracles happen.   He promised us that as we fully consecrate ourselves to bringing others to Christ we will indeed see miracles happen.

Over and over this past week I have had specific, personal impressions from the Holy Spirit that have made it very clear to me that this mission at this time is no accident.  I am convinced that I have been prepared for this for a long, long time.  Many of the experiences I have had up until now were teaching me lessons that would be exactly what was needed on this mission at this time.

I will be out of my comfort zone many times, I am sure.  But as my dear companion and I learn to trust, honor our convenants, and act on the spiritual promptings we will receive - I know that we will feel the hand of God in our lives, and spiritually we will fly.

MTC Day 4 - High Tech Grannies

One of the training sessions today was  how to use the LDS library app.  This nifty little tool allows us to carry the scriptures, church magazines, song books, artwork, videos, instruction manuals and so much more on whatever mobile devise we may be using.  We learned how to use tags and bookmarks as well as exploring where to find various resources within the Gospel Library.

Who says they can't teach an old dog new tricks?   They divided people in the training room up into groups according to what sort of device they were using.   Android folks were in one area,  Apple uses at another,  Nook users over at another corner, etc.   We had a whole room of folks in their 60's and 70's clicking away figuring out how to use their tools.   It was great!

The real take away from today's training for me, however, will be the practice teaching role plays we did in the TRC.  Up until now most of our role plays have been instructive, but they have felt like play acting.  Today's session felt completely authentic and we both felt a real bond with the gentleman we were teaching.  It was a very special experience.  

We taught an older gentleman named Mikael who was accompanied by a neighbor who is a member of the church.  Mikael's wife is also a member, but he has never had much interest in the religion.   However, his friend, Rod, had invited Mikael to come with him on Thursdays to help out the MTC by giving the newbie missionaries someone to practice on.  Being a good sport, Mikael agreed, so now the two of them have a standing appointment on Thursdays to come talk to missionaries in training.

Now, there is no way for us to know for sure whether Mikael really is a non member or if he may be a long-time member of the church who was role playing, as most of the folks are.   It doesn't really matter.   What matters is the way we connected during our teaching session with him. 

The whole focus of our conversation was on developing a relationship with Heavenly Father through prayer and how we can get confirmation of truth and guidance in the decisions we make through the influence of the Holy Ghost.  We taught principles that we have both had direct experiences with in our own lives and know to be true.  We taught them with conviction.   In doing so, we felt confirmation of those principles and had a connection with the two men we were speaking with that felt very special.

The other high point of this whole week at the MTC has been the bonds we have made with other senior missionaries.  We have visited with different couples at meal times and during our breaks.  Today we had breakfast with the Hammers who will be joining us in Salt Lake next week for the second part of our training, focusing specifically on the Family History aspect of our callings.  They are going to Malaysia. We look forward to getting to know them better during those classes.

And now it's time to wind things down as tomorrow is our last day here in Provo.  Today we got our passports, visas and e-tickets.   We knew that we were limited to two 50 lb suitcases each, but had not realized there was also a weight limit on our carry-on items.  Now we know that those carry on bags can weigh no more than 15 lbs.   Also, since I can take a carry on bag AND a purse, we figured Larry could take a carry on bag AND a small back pack.  Not so.  Apparently any back packs are considered carry on items.  So that means some of what we had planned to take with us will have to stay behind.   Fortunately, I do not have to make a final decision of what to cut and what to keep until next week.   Tonight I just need to get everything packed well enough to carry it away when we check out tomorrow.  In Salt Lake, we'll figure the rest out.

MTC has been an amazing experience.  We have learned a lot.  We have strengthened our own testimonies of the gospel and we are eager to share that with others.  I'm still in awe that we are really doing this.

MTC Day 3 - The TRC

From the Church News - Full article HERE

On Wednesdays at the MTC missionaries get great opportunities to practice the teaching techniques they have been studying in Preach My Gospel.  Local people volunteer their time in the "Teaching Resource Center" (TRC) by role playing as if they were  "investigators", someone who is interested in learning more about the Church.  Most of these folks are actually active members, but some are not.  Either way, they are given assigned roles which may be atheist, a member of some other Christian denomination, or someone with no particular religious affiliation who does believe in God.   Each pair of missionaries is assigned to specific investigator(s)  (May be an individual, couple or family) and then proceeds to teach a lesson just as they might out in the mission field.  The teaching appointments go about 40 minutes.  Trainers are right outside listening in so they can give feedback, and those playing the part of investigator also record their evaluation of how the interaction went.  After it's all done, the missionary gets a one-on-one summary interview with the trainer who shares his/her thoughts on strengths and weaknesses of the presentation and also shares what the person posing as the investigator thought of the exchange.

Some people get really nervous about this.  I'm not sure why.  To me it seems like a great way to try out newly established skills in a low-risk environment with lots of caring support so we can get better insight into how it feels before we do it for real.

I really liked the lady that Elder Bennett and I taught.  "Sister Anderson" (so idea if that is her real name or not) was posing as a middle aged widow who had been raised Methodist but had some questions about the nature of god.  We discussed the difference between the concept of Trinity and the LDS doctrine of the Godhead.  We used the analogy of how in a loving united marriage it is said that a husband and wife become one.  They are absolutely still each individuals, but they are united in purpose.  Likewise, we believe that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are absolutely united in purpose and intent, but they each have their own specific identity, role and characteristics.

This did not feel at all awkward to me because I have several very dear friends of the Eastern Orthodox faith who I have had occasion to talk about the concept of Trinity with.  I so appreciate these sweet men and women of strong faith and have been grateful for the times they have been open enough to share with me their views about the nature of God and what our relationship is to Him.  My own views and faith have been strengthened by the opportunities I have had to openly discuss our common beliefs and our differences in a setting of mutual respect.

I was once told by a Protestant man that LDS missionary work was very arrogant because the whole activity is based on the assumption that what we believe is true and what everyone else has is in some way flawed or incomplete.  To some extent, I can understand that point of view.  However, I think about it in different terms.  I may have told this story on this blog somewhere before, but I think it bears repeating now that I am here, preparing to immerse myself in full time missionary service.

For me, it's like the first time I heard the album "Strange Days" by the Doors.   I loved that record!  After hearing it a few times I could not wait to play it for my best friends.  It made me feel good to listen to the record and I wanted to share that same feeling with those that I cared about.

Likewise, I have found so much that is good and true in my faith.   I absolutely respect other people's right to believe and worship differently.  I would never insist that someone who had no interest in learning more about my faith had to listen to what I believe.  But for those who are open to it, I am eager to share what I know can bring individuals and families more peace of mind and sense of purpose than anything else I've ever encountered.

I feel so honored to have this opportunity to serve as a representative of Jesus Christ as a full time missionary of my faith.  Even though our specific assignment is not a proselytizing one, I look forward to having chances to teach the things I've learned about how to convey our understanding of the Plan of Salvation and other concepts in simple, basic terms to give others the opportunity to learn what it is we have.

MTC Day 2 - Tuesday Devotional

Bio of Elder Evans HERE

Today was a very full day.   We had training throughout the day and then this evening there was a devotional where we were addressed by one of the General Authorities - Elder David F. Evans of the Seventy, and his wife, Mary.   This was the first time we were in a single room with all the missionaries together---about 1300 of us.  We had seen a lot of the young elders and sisters coming and going in the hallways and in the cafeteria, but never had a feel for just how many of them were here until today. Just feeling the energy of all those testimonies and the excitement of everyone getting ready to begin serving in their assigned destinations was powerful.

The meeting began with the full congregation singing several Christmas songs and I swear it sounded like angels were singing with us.  Then when we sang the famous missionary anthem "Called To Serve" I couldn't help but get goosebumps.

Elder Evans is is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Missionary Department, so he comes to the MTC several times each year.  He showed the video the Missionary Department has recently produced which has been making the rounds on Facebook and in other social media: "He is the Gift"



Elder Evans then described some events from his own life that led to him developing his own personal testimony,  discovering the gift of Jesus Christ.  After that he had several of the young elders and sisters stand and briefly relate how they came to this.  The spirit in the room as each one spoke was so tangible.  These 18 and 19 year old kids were preparing to go places like Russia, Cambodia, Peru, and other regions--some going away from home for the first time in their lives, all because of their belief in the importance of the teachings of the Savior and their desire to share that message.

One of the statements that Elder Evans made that really stuck with me was: "One of the ways we can embrace the gift is to do the things we are asked to do even when they are hard."   Later on in his talk he further elaborated on that by saying "There will be be times when the Lord asks you to do something hard.  As you embrace the gift rather than run from it, I predict those will be the time you and your family members will be the most blessed."

When his wife spoke she talked about the importance of reaching out to our friends and family members back home to share the experiences we are having while on our missions.   She challenged us all to prayerful identify someone we know and love who needs to hear the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be willing to bear our testimony to them in a letter from the mission field.

As we walked back to our building from the place where the devotional was held, Elder Bennett and I talked about some ways we could more fully embrace the gift of Jesus Christ and then to share it with others.  We feel so humbled and honored to be having this experience.   

We have been active members of the LDS church for over 30 years.  We have long accepted the reality of the teachings of the gospel.  Still, being here now, having these experiences, is increasing our faith by leaps and bounds.  Our love for the Savior is growing so much, and in the process opening us up to feel more love for the people around us.  

This truly is an amazing experience.

MTC Day 1 - Orientation

Our day has finally arrived!  Last night we said our final goodbyes to our family.  I had some very sweet time with our three year old grandson, Jacob.  We made up a pretend story about a skeleton-creeper named Fred and his dog friend Rayson who lived in a red house with yellow curtains.  It was hilarious.  

We have sure had some precious times with that little boy over the past six weeks.  We will miss him and all the family we are leaving behind.  We are eager to get this mission started, and yet the reality of this long separation we are about to begin is really sinking in, bringing heavy hearts as well as excitement.

This morning we got up at 3:30 AM to head off to the Phoenix airport.  We got through security without a hitch and then I slept some on the plane, so it seemed we were were touching down in Salt Lake City in no time.  It was quite a bit chillier in Utah than what we were accustomed to during our time in Arizona.  At least there was no snow or rain, so we made out alright.  Navigating all our suitcases was a little tricky.  But my dear companion made sure we got to where we needed to be.

We took Shuttle Express to Provo, a trip of about 45 miles.  From the minute we stepped on the grounds here we were impressed by how well organized everything was.  There were missionaries stationed at every point to direct us of where we should go. Everyone was so kind and welcoming.

Of course there are missionaries here going to just about every place imaginable.  One of the traditions is for each missionary to go to the big world map and point out where they are going to serve.  So here is our map picture of us point out New Zealand! 

As we walk down the halls we hear smatterings of different accents and phrases of other languages since there are people who have come here from many other places as well as groups of young American elders and sisters practicing the language of the land for where ever they may serve.

We met other senior couples who were going to England, Germany, Ireland, Mozambique, Russia, the Philippines, New Guinea, and many more places – as well as states scattered all over the US.   Some will be working in the Perpetual education / Self Reliance area.   Some will work for Church Education System (CES) and some in Membership & Leadership support.  There were Humanitarian Aid missionaries and Records Preservation missionaries.  Yet no matter how different our assignments may be in terms of where we will be going or what we will be doing,  there was a strong sense of camaraderie built of our common bond of faith and willingness to put God’s plans ahead of our own.  We’ve all left behind dear ones, homes, other things we might have done, because we believe in this.  That’s powerful stuff

As we talk to some of the other missionaries - some first timers like us and others who are now going on their second or third missions - we have each shared experiences about leaving our families, our homes, interrupted careers and other considerations that might have convinced us to stay put.  Yet for every one of us, the WHY is what makes it all possible.  Committing to a full time mission brings with it an overwhelming sense of purpose.  So many people I know back in the regular world express feeling like they are stuck in a hamster wheel - going around and around, staying very busy all the time, moving until they are exhausted, but in the end feeling like all that effort made very little real difference.

This experience is the absolute opposite of that.  With mission work, we know that we are involved in something for the greater good that will make a very real difference.  That is significant for me.

Today we got to talk to a couple on their way to Denmark for their mission who served a previous mission exactly where we are going.  They had a family history assignment with the same manager we will work for.  They raved about their experiences, and about what working with Mike Higgins was like.  That gave us a lot to look forward to.

Elder & Sister Turpin - previous Family History Missionaries in New Zealand
This time they are on their way to Denmark for a different assignment

This first day mainly consisted of an orientation and getting settled in.   Our main orientation sessions were held in big groups with all of us together.  From there we were assigned into districts with eight to ten people per district.   Elder Bennett was assigned as district leader for our group which basically means he is in charge of making sure we are all where we need to be and deals with any questions that may come  up.

The only challenge we have had so far is that Elder Bennett is having a problem with one of his teeth.  Apparently the crown on one of his back molars is hurting him.   He had a clean report from our dentist back home before we left, and up to now has never had any serious dental problems.  But this toothache is pretty bad.  So he reported it to the coordinator for senior missionaries and they made an appointment for him to get in to see a dentist tomorrow.  We'll see then what needs to be done.  We certainly don't want to leave the problem go since we will be leaving the country very soon.

We are going to have a very memorable experience here, no doubt.  Some of that may include challenges.  For good or ill, we know this time will be special to us always.   It feels so right to finally really be here.