Elders and Sisters leave the MTC

All the Elders and Sisters that we have learned to love over the last two weeks have gone.  They left in groups for the airport or loaded into mission vans if they were going to serve in Auckland.  When we saw them last they were excited, nervous and some a little sad at leaving the MTC.  By far the most prevalent emotion was excitement.  They were finally going into the mission field.  They could hardly wait.

We went to the MTC this afternoon and found it mostly empty.  President and Sister Howes were there of course and two senior couples had arrived for their stay. Elder and Sister Gurr are on their way to Samoa, and Elder and Sister Hansen are going to the Marshall Island Mission and will be stationed in Kiribati (That is pronounced Kiribus). There were also 4 elders from the next intake that had arrived early; Elder Lethezer from New Caldonia, (who has been a member of the church for less than two years), Elder Mamea from American Samoa, Elder Moses from Vanuatu, and Elder Malrory also from Vanuatu.  (If you grandchildren look all these places up on a map or globe you will get a pretty good geography lesson on the Pacific area).

President Howes took the whole group of us out to eat at a Denny's near by since the cook at the MTC wasn't there today thinking there would be no missionaries to feed.  It was an interesting meal.  Elder Malrory ordered Savoy Chicken.  When his plate came there was quite a lot of food on it and he barely ate a bit of it.  President Howes told us that it was probably more food than he had seen on one plate in his whole life.  He told us of another missionary from Kiribati who ate fish for dinner because his father fished.  They caught small fish.  If they caught one fish the whole family ate it for dinner.  If they caught two fish in a day they ate one and sold the other.  The Elders seemed to enjoy the meal very much.

Dinner at Denny's - the place doesn't sound exotic but the company was

The Bishop in our assigned ward, the Clover Park Ward, had planned a special missionary activity for last Saturday.  The ward invited non-members from anywhere to come to the church and be introduced to the Mormons.  He had invited the missionaries from several wards to be there so that they could meet the non-members and teach them if they happened to live in their area.  Bishop Utai is from Samoa where he served as Stake President or in a Stake Presidency for 22 years.  He is a fine man and his activity was just great.

There was a non member mother there with her 5 children and two others.  They were taught about families and the restoration of the church.  The Young Women's 1st Counselor and the Young Men's president both spoke. They even had dad say a few words and then the Bishop spoke.  These wonderful Polynesian people are so kind and welcoming.  The non-member woman seemed very interested.  She said she knew nothing about god but perhaps it was time for her to learn.

The Young Women's leader talks about families

Following the meeting we were all invited into the Primary room where there would be food.  Actually they called it 'a feed'.  And a feed it was!  A long table was loaded with all kinds of delicious foods.  There was pizza, and chicken, and more chicken and other kinds of chicken, and pork,  and baked banana's and all kinds of vegetables and fruits and rice and desserts.  These wonderful Samoan saints know how to feed a group.

Entry at the MTC Early Sunday Morning 

 Let me tell you about our second Sunday at the MTC.  President Thatcher and I had our first assignments.  President Thatcher taught the leadership council meeting and He and I both spoke in  Sacrament Meeting.  We were quite worried about it and I don't think President Thatcher slept a wink Saturday night.  I woke up about 4:00 am to finish my talk.  Dad did a good job in his lesson and the talks went fine.  We enjoyed the rest of the day after that.

Sundays are long days at the MTC.  We arrive before 7:00  am and leave about 9:30 pm.  Throughout the day we enjoy our association with these missionaries.  We just love them.  They want to soak up everything they can while at the MTC.  President and Sister Howes are great teachers and know what good missionaries should be.  They love and correct them and are constantly teaching them.  In weeks these young adults become dignified, capable, faith filled servants of the Lord.

We hear many of them speak each Sunday.  Four speak in Sacrament Meeting.  Several speak in Leadership Council, 5 more speak at the devotional Sunday evening and many of them share thoughts and testimony in other classes during the day.

And they sing.  There are 4 or 5 musical numbers in each meeting and they are my favorite.  They usually perform in Districts so you can hear them practicing their musical numbers as you walk down the hall.  How I wish you could hear them.

These missionaries leave Tuesday and Wednesday.  We will miss them.  It is something how you can come to love these great young people in 2 short weeks.  We give hugs at every meal as they enter the  cafeteria.  They are all so warm and have such beautiful smiles.  They do glow and they will be fine missionaries.

Elder Damuni from Kent's ward in Providence - a fine Elder 

We left the MTC too early on Sunday.   We were exhausted and left about 9:30 but Sister Briggs told us that after we left the Lehi District (our favorite singers) invited them back to their district room where they sang a farewell song to them and expressed their love and gratitude.  It makes me sick that we missed it.  

Following President and Sister Briggs into Auckland 

Monday was a treat.  In the evening we drove into Auckland.  We followed President Briggs all the way hoping not to get lost and driving in traffic much like LA.  Grandpa did fine but we were both pretty tense the whole way.  We left our car there for the young missionaries and rode back with President and Sister Briggs.  (We now have a new nice little blue car that had been used by the couple whose flat we now occupy) 

Our little blue Toyota Corolla 

We met as senior couples in the Pacific Area for a special family home evening in Auckland.   Rangi Parker, the Maori woman who has collected so much church history of the Pacific (the woman who told the Matthew Cowley story earlier in the blog), and her husband came to talk to us.  It was an amazing evening.  Their stories of faith and miracles among the early missionaries to the islands are marvelous.  She has been collecting this history for over 30 years and her collection was so great that the Church recently opened the Matthew Cowley Church History of the Pacific Center.  It is by the temple in Hamilton and is the first of its kind anywhere outside of Salt Lake City.  Its existence is due to this woman who has dedicated her life to preserving the stories of sacrifice of the early missionaries. 

Sister Rangi Parker

Kia Ngawari was Elder Cowley's favorite phrase-taken from Alma 7:23-24 -  It means be kind, be gentle, be loving, be humble be teachable.

No one wanted to leave when the evening was over

Auckland at night from a car window

I recorded the talks but think they are too long to put on the blog.  I will type up some of the stories.  The hearing of them would make a wonderful home evening for any of you.  

We spent the evening at the MTC on Tuesday.  More than half of the missionaries were gone but with the rest of them we met to be instructed for the last time by President and Sister Howes.  They could ask any questions they wanted to ask, doctrinal or practical.  The answers were spirit filled.  The MTC does remind me of the School of the Prophets.

The remaining Elders pretending to be studying because they knew I was taking a picture

 And tomorrow all the new missionaries arrive.  It will be a busy day and an exciting one.  We know all ready that we will love these new missionaries.  We will literally watch them grow from young raw missionaries into dignified, powerful ambassadors of the Lord in 3 or 6 weeks.  Miracles happen at the MTC and President Thatcher and I get a front row seat to watch it all take place.