We have now completed our first week at the MTC! It has been a rewarding experience, demanding, busy, but wonderful!! We arrived on Monday, Oct. 31st and were met by sister missionaries with smiles and hugs and Elders ready to take all our luggage to our room!
We are delighted with the brand new senior accommodations... our room is very nice and we are very comfortable!
We were lucky to get this gorgeous view from our window of the temple and mountains!
The first day was spent in orientation. We had stations for travel arrangements, vaccinations, pictures for our MTC card, schedules for the week, etc. In our first group meeting we had all 66 senior missionaries introduce themselves. It was so interesting to find out that these faithful missionaries were going ALL over the world and doing many kinds of things. Some are going to Mongolia, Micronesia, Africa, France, Russia, England, Germany, Botswana, Chile and some in the states. We were also put in districts which would become our small classes.
THEN WE WENT TO WORK! Tuesday we met in large groups and small groups with lots of role playing and lessons. By Wed. we had to be ready to teach the first discussion to "investigators" ( actually volunteers who are members of the church) are were then evaluated by our teachers. Thursday we taught the 2nd discussion to another "investigator". It was a little stressful and took much preparation! Our nights were filled with homework! Friday we met with a "less active member" for 15 minutes to assess their situation. We had 30 minutes to create a lesson that would help them and then proceeded to teach it to them for 30 minutes. We learned so much about listening and forming good questions--and being BOLD! In our final large group meeting it was great to hear comments from very experienced church members about how much they'd learned and grown this week. Many are leaving for the mission field so their were many goodbyes. We will be staying for another week!
This is a picture of our district pointing to where we will be going. (St. Petersburg, Russia; Bostwana, Africa; New Jersey, and of course, Helsinki, Finland.
This was my first blog so I hope to get much better at it. Love to all!!!
Vanhin & Sisar Roberts
We loved looking at your first blog post!! It sounds so exciting and spiritual to get the chance to be in the MTC! How fun to see all of your pictures and Grammy and Papa dressed as real missionaries. You two look great! We love and miss you so much already. You are going to be amazing and successful missionaries! We cannot wait for all of the blog updates so keep em' coming! Love, Mark and Miranda and Kiddos
ReplyDeleteCute Blog! I need to do one too! Miss you.
ReplyDeleteJoan
OH, those lucky, lucky Finnish young adults. They won't even know what hit them! Power from Portland. You both look like naturals with your tags and glow.
ReplyDeletePaul, it was nice to speak with you last evening. Showed your pictures to Connie & Ryan - really fun to see you again. My great nephew Elder Higginson will be arriving home from Finland middle of December, so hope you will be able to meet him before he leaves. We miss being with you and your family and it was good to hear about all of your children & how they are doing. We think of you often. We lived in special times together in Tigard. We wish you the best on your mission - keep us updated. Let us know when you leave. Take care. Paul, now I will have to erase your office number from my memory! Jay, Connie & Ryan Moody
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