The Mission Begins

Q

      November 6,2023 - this is the day we reported to the Provo MTC, but our mission journey began long before this date.  It's been 2 years in the making when we started preparations to get our affairs in order to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but with delays in retirement, getting our house remodeled for renters, and family events it took us a lot longer than anticipated. But after all the delays, doctors appointments, and interviews completed we were finally able to submit our mission papers in early August 2023. Then the waiting began. 

     We were able to put preferences in kinds of mission we would like to serve (our top choice was humanitarian or welfare and self-reliance) and locations.  We had picked out 5 or 6 different places we thought would be interesting to go, but we mainly just wanted foreign English-speaking to a place we haven't been to before. 

     After 3 weeks of waiting, our mission call arrived on August 29, 2023. With some intrepidation and excitement we got all our family on a Google meet call and opened the email and started to read it.  When we read 

the words "Hawaii Laie Mission... to serve as a Polynesian Cultural Center specialist, we were quite surprised, shocked, and excited all at the same time. At the last minute and on a whim, we had included the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii on our list of preferences, thinking we didn't have much of a chance of getting called to serve there. It took several days for the news to sink in that we are really going to Hawaii on our mission. 

     This is a picture of the sunset the evening we found out that for the next 18 months we will be in Hawaii hopefully seeing lots of beautiful sunsets. God's love is real!

     We had only a little over 2 months to finish getting everything we needed to do  done. The list was long,  and it seemed like as we got one thing done,  two more things were added to the list. It was a bit stressful,  but with the Lord's help we were able to accomplish what needed to be done in time.

     We were released from our calling at the Fayette branch at the end of September.  It was a bittersweet day because we have been serving there for 4 years and we will miss so many people and friends that we have grown to love through serving with and for them.

     We spoke in our home ward on Sunday,  October 29th.  It was great to have all of our children and grandchildren there except for Scott and his girls, but we are thankful for technology that made it possible for them to listen in Florida.       

     The next Sunday,  November 5th, Cathy's birthday,  we were set apart as full-time missionaries by our stake president,  President James Stevens. Again we were thankful for technology that made it possible for Noelle's family, Derek's family, and Scott's family to participate even though they could not be there in person. We are extremely grateful for everyone else in the family that was there to support us and share their love with us. 

     Afterwards we all went to our house and had a breakfast meal to break our fast and celebrate Cathy's birthday. 

We drove down to the Provo MTC on a cool, but sunny Monday morning,  arriving at our assigned time of 10:10am.   Although it was a totally new experience for us to be in the MTC ourselves and not as parents dropping off a missionary,  it seemed so natural to be there going through the check-in process.  We found out that we were assigned to stay at the Residence Inn,  just down the street from the MTC, during our time at the MTC. We were grateful to be there, along with several other senior missionary couples,  instead of on the MTC campus.  We could use the fitness room there along with eating breakfast at the hotel before heading over to the MTC each morning. Our room was big and with a kitchen.  If we had known we would have that room,  we would have brought with us snacks that we had at home.

     During the check-in process,  we met another couple we knew already,  the Reeders. Our daughter,  Aimee was their daughter Molly's, doubles tennis partner  Aimee's senior year in high school.  They were headed out on their second mission. This time to South Korea on a military relations mission.  What a wonderful surprise to see them!

     Since receiving our call, whenever we were asked where we were going to serve, we have almost felt guilty responding "the Polynesian Cultural Center ". People's reactions have been anywhere from "lucky" to "how did you get that call?" to "I feel sorry for you" in a sarcastic tone.  But we learned

to respond, "someone has to do it, so we are glad to be able to serve. " At the MTC, we got asked a lot "where are you serving " and we got a lot of those kinds of responses. 

     After getting our picture taken in front of the world map, all the senior missionaries met in a room to start our training.  We found out that there were 117 senior missionaries in our group. We were the only couple going to the Hawaii Laie Mission,  but there were 3 single senior sisters going there assigned to the PCC as well. 

 

    After a lunch break, (which we both were not hungry so we walked around the MTC campus,) we were given our district assignments.  We were surprised that the single sisters going to the PCC was not in our district. We were put in a large district of 8 couples, most of them serving humanitarian missions or welfare and self reliance missions. There was one couple serving a CES seminaries and institute mission, and us. Several had been on missions before, but we were not the only ones serving a full-time mission for the first time. 

           This is all 117 senior missionaries in our group.  We are on the front right hand side standing by the sister in the yellow jacket. Take note of her and her husband,  unbeknownst to either of us at the time this picture was taken, they would be part of our MTC experience for most of the week.

 

     We started our classroom experience with our district in room 435 in the T1 building Monday afternoon. Our cute afternoon teachers were Sisters Barlow and Bensen.  After introductions all around again, we started learning about Preach My Gospel (PMG).

     Sister Bensen is the sister on the left in the picture and Sister Barlow is the sister on the right. Notice the very neat handwriting on the white board behind them, that is Sister Barlow's handwriting. 

     We had our first experience in the MTC cafeteria for dinner that night. Imagine about 2,000 hungry young Elders and Sisters pouring into the cafeteria excited and eager to get their meal. Luckily for the senior missionaries,  we are allowed to go to the front of any line and the young missionaries will  graciously allow us to get our meal ahead of them. A very nice perk that comes in handy every meal time, but especially on our last meal there. I will explain about that in a later post.

After dinner, we had a meeting with the branch presidency. But since we are only in the MTC for a week  and not staying for Sunday,  we will not be involved with the branch.

      The first day of missionary training and missionary life is in the books.