We are busy and happy at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. We have met some wonderful couples here. Our first day they asked if anyone could play the piano, only one sister raised her hand. I was not about to show how well I could play. Then they asked if anyone could lead the music. I was the only one that raised their hand, so guess who is now the permanent chorister? I can't believe that out of 60 couples only one person could play the Piano or lead the music. I thought these were Mormon women? I really enjoyed it. Everyone already knows I am crazy. I make them laugh all the time.
Dad says hes so emotional. All the talks, videos and music are so inspiring. He said he might even join the choir. He loved looking at all the beautiful paintings hanging in the foyer. They are all of different people being baptized in different parts of the world. One especially was awe inspiring. Cutting the ice to baptize someone in Russia. The Church is true we are sure of that.
They keep us so busy here we only had time to drop our bags off and go to class. We study all day long. We didn't get to put our clothes away until 10:00 PM. By then we were both ready to drop. But guess what the Lord gives you strength for another day of the same. The food here is endless. Dad finds the chocolate chip cookies irresistible. We are both going to have to be rolled on the plane to Germany.
By the way we are staying at the MTC for an additional week for computer training. Since we will be working in the Mission home we have to know the latest computer programs dealing with transfers of Missionaries, Finances and maintaining the missionary cars and apartments. I think we will both be busy. Some of the couples who have been on missions before and have worked in the Mission offices say we are going to be doing everything the Mission President does not have time to do. I guess there's no rest for the wicked.
Our second day was just as full. We gave our first discussion to a little old couple who dropped by our apartment pretending to be investigators. I gave part of the discussion and dad gave the rest on the apostacy and restoration. We were only suppose to spend 5 min. finding out about them personally, but it turned out to be a 25 min. discussion. I can't tell you what a delight it was, it went something like this.
First of all they were a married couple. She was 87 yrs old and he was 79. They met after she served a mission in her homeland of Leeds, England which is about 30 miles from Preston, England, which is the birth place of Peter Maughan who was converted to the gospel by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimbal in 1860. This is where an entire church of England congregation was converted to the gospel. She said that when Brigham Young wrote to Joseph Smith about feeling like he was walking on sacred ground when they arrived in Preston, Eng. to preach the gospel, Joseph Smith wrote back that indeed it was hallowed ground. that after the crucifiction of Christ some of his apostles actually walked that ground and dedicated it to the preaching of the gospel.
That was just the beginning of her life. Her name was Nancy Tenney and she lived in England during WWII. She said there was only 15 or so members. In her town of Leeds, there was a POW camp for captured German soldiers. In that group was a member of the church who wrote to the Mission President and asked if members of the church could visit him and preach the gospel to three other German soldiers. Permission was granted and after the War ended all three were baptized. During the time they were incarcerated. The ladies in the Relief Society would share their sugar, butter, mayonaise and flour with the Germans prisoners. It is true, the church is the same no matter where you go.
We enjoyed their visit and she said to me, I can tell you are English. You have that look about you. Funny, someone else told me today I looked like I was German. I like that. I will tell you another wonderful story tomorrow so stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment