Missionary Training Center (Week of 1 Sep 2014 to 5 Sep 2014)

On our way to Provo, we were a bit early, so we took advantage of the extra time & stopped by the site of the Provo Temple, which is under construction following the fire that destroyed most of the original Provo Tabernacle.

We arrived at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Monday at 9:45, & received our badges & instructions. It was so exciting to think that this mission has really started for us, & we are anxious to begin learning & feeling the tremendous spirit here that our missionary sons, daughter-in-law & my parents have told us all about!

Had to take the traditional photo op next to my Great-Great Grandfather's picture!
Wilford Woodruff, the 4th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
was one of the most incredible missionaries in the days of the early church.

They directed us to our housing for the week, which was in a building just north of the Wilford Woodruff Administration Building. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the room was like a really nice hotel room! Queen-size bed (which is essential for a companion who is over 6 feet tall!), nice corner workspace, etc. And the best thing? Here is the view out our window...

Pretty sweet view, huh!!!

They told us not to worry about unpacking our things yet. We were supposed to report to the chapel north of our accommodations, which is where we will be holding all of our Senior Missionary Training. (The young 18 & 19-yr-old missionaries are trained on the main campus, but we get our own "special" place :)  So, Bob & I grabbed our Preach My Gospel manual & made our way over to the chapel. We had a short small-group orientation & then went over to the main building to the Bookstore to get our materials & check with the Travel office. Then, back over to the chapel for our first official training session. It was so amazing to see all of these wonderful seniors all sitting together, ready to give the next 12-24 months to the Lord's service. It was truly inspiring! We were told that our group totaled 160...wow!

Here are the pictures of our entire Senior MTC training group for the week. Bob & I are in the center of the top picture:

Following the meeting, they assigned us to Districts, which is the small group we will be training with throughout the week. Most districts had about 4 couples, but ours had 9! Eight married couples & two single sisters who will be serving as companions. Our trainers were amazing teachers, with incredible missionary spirit & enthusiasm. We really enjoyed being their students in the gospel.

Here is a picture of our district. From left to right:

The Lowe's from Seattle WA, going to Moscow Russia

The Rappleye's from Delta UT, going to Norway

The Nemeth's from Calgary Alberta Canada, going to London England

The Castle's from Las Vegas NV, going to Indianapolis IN 

The Latham's from Spanish Fork, going to Ghana West Africa

The Berg's from Pearland TX, going to Africa Southeast Area

The Wood's from Salem UT, going to Tallahassee FL

Sister Albaladeijo from Frisco TX & Sister Paskett from Ogden UT, going to Mesa AZ

Brother Teuscher, our instructor (back row)

The Fairbank's from Bluffdale, going to Atlanta GA

(I hope I got all of these names correct, whew! We had a BIG district, but we had a blast together!)

Most of these couples will be serving as Member Leadership Support (MLS) or as CES/YSA Specialists,
working with Seminary & Institute Young Adults. Sisters Albaladeijo & Paskett will be serving in Records Preservation.
We will be serving as Public Affairs Specialists. 

So, you want to know about the MTC cafeteria food all the young missionaries have told you about? Well, it was great! And LOTS of it!!! We had to be really careful to not take advantage of the quantities, or they'd have to roll us out on Friday! I have to tell you though...the dozens of Polynesian young Elders definitely made up for what we Seniors didn't eat. They mounded up their trays, & then went back for more...haha!!! 

We woke up each day about 6:00am, went to breakfast, & then over to the chapel. We had a short devotional each morning at 8:00am, followed by group instruction with all the missionaries. Then we'd go to our district training til about noon. Lunch from 12-1:15, followed by more district training, & end with group instruction. Dinner was served between 4:30-6:15, & the evenings were free to do what we wanted. 

Morning district training from Brother Teuscher. He served in Brazil & was an amazing instructor!
Our afternoon sessions were taught by Brother Cohans. He served in Johannesburg on his mission 4 years ago & shared some great pictures & stories with us throughout the week!

Always need to catch a picture in front of the big world map, located down the main hall of the Administration Building.
We're pointing to Johannesburg, South Africa, which is where we will be based. 

Let me share a little bit about the Teaching Appointments all missionaries always stress over. Yes, we were VERY nervous & anxious going into our first one on Wednesday, but our instructors had prepared us very well. Our first "investigator" was a non-member, & we taught her about The Restoration. It was incredible how the Spirit entered into our conversation & touched her heart. It was wonderful!

So, when Thursday's Teaching Appointment came, we were a little more at ease. Bob & I both realized quickly that no matter how diligently we prepared a lesson to teach (this one was on The Plan of Salvation), if you forget about yourself & LISTEN to the person you are teaching, the Spirit will enter in & inspire you what to say. We loved it!!!

Friday, we paired up with another couple & took turns as either the missionary couple or a less active member. It really helped me understand that you need to be sensitive to the person's concerns & needs and then teach them what THEY need to hear...which in many cases is not the lesson you've prepared.

We attended an evening session at the Provo Temple on Thursday.

This entire MTC experience has been one of the best weeks ever! We felt the Spirit so strongly & our testimonies grew more than any other time in our lives. We left with renewed energy & enthusiasm, & with a sincere desire to assist the work of the Lord in any way we can while we are His representatives to the people of South Africa. Bob & I know that this is the right time for us to serve, & we are going to the right place, where the Lord knows that we can do the most good. The main thing I learned, was that as long as we keep the Savior as our companion & guide, we will be happy, & those people we meet will feel of our love for each other, for them & for Jesus Christ.

Texas Open House

Saturday, August 23rd, we enjoyed a fun Open House at our home in Pearland Texas. My sweet Visiting Teacher, Beth Livesay, offered to enlist the help of the ladies in our ward (congregation) & the food was delicious! I made beef brisket sandwiches (y'all know we Texans LOVE us some good brisket, haha!). It was wonderful to see so many of our sweet church friends & family again, after being gone for the summer. Bob made some fun "mission trading cards", as I love to refer to them...with our picture & our blog address, so friends can follow us on this blog. I teased that in 18 months these cards will surely be worth some $$$, LOL!

Enjoy sharing this fun night through our pictures:

Serena & our darling granddaughters, Maggie & Chloe.
Miranda & Jaxon Brown 

We were so excited that Debbie Berg (Bob's sister-in-law) was able to
come up from Port Arthur to join us for the weekend!

My dear friend, Laurel Smith
(thanks for the yummy Texas Sheet Cake, Laurel!)

The Smith brothers...

Our wonderful next-door neighbor, Kay.
We couldn't ask for a sweeter, more loving friend & neighbor!

My amazingly talented friend & life-saver, Beth Livesay.
The evening went off perfectly, thanks to her help!

Our little granddaughter, Brooklynn, LOVED Aunt Serena's chocolate cake :)

Our Stake President, Daryl Scott, & his wife, Apryl

The cute Scott sisters...

Sunday, August 24th, we spoke in our Pearland Ward. We have missed our ward "family" & have truly felt their love, support & prayers. We had been asked to speak about how missions can influence past, present & future generations. I revised my talk from a few weeks ago a bit to fit this new topic, but still began with the background of how we came to the decision to serve a public affairs mission. I also shared some experiences of how we have already recognized the influence this decision is having on our family & friends. 

One special experience is that my sweet mother-in-law, Norma, has been so excited to share articles about our church from the Houston Chronicle. Although she attends the Lutheran Church (which Bob grew up in), she is so supportive of our decision & always sends her love & prayers as we embark on this journey. She & her friend, Ann, even scheduled a day to spend in Nauvoo Illinois this past week, as they were traveling to Iowa & Minnesota. She called us yesterday & said they absolutely loved their time there & thought the temple was beautiful. Her favorite was the Women's Gardens with all of the lovely statues & flowers. 

Bob gave a great talk, as he always does, & focused much of it on Family History, sharing stories of several of his ancestors. I know that the passion he has for this valuable work will definitely be used as we serve throughout South Africa. He will be an incredible asset to those who want to learn & research their ancestors, & in turn, move the work of the Lord forward in these latter-days.

After our meeting, we came back to our home & had a great visit & lunch with family & friends. Thanks to our sweet family for putting together such a yummy lunch. We enjoyed having all four of Bob's kids there, as well as most of their families. We truly missed Shelby, Zoey & new little baby Jackson; as well as Julie, Addie, Jack & Millie. We did feel your presence & support there, though :) It was also fun to have Debbie with us Sunday also, as well as the Brown family (formerly from our East Texas Ward). And we were glad Trevor Young was able to make it back down from Belton to share in the festivities! He has been living in our home since January, & will be taking care of things while we are on our mission - such a HUGE blessing! 

Dave & Serena, Anthony, Debbie, Brooklynn, Breana & Joe, James & Grayson
Chloe, Maggie, Sharon & Bob

I brought our African display from Utah, so we could enjoy
at our Texas home too. Here are the mission "trading cards"
Bob created to share our blog address. Cool, huh?!!

Our friends, Johnny & Shawna Brown, from our former ward in East Texas,
surprised us by coming to our farewell. It was wonderful to see them again!

Joe & Anthony were able to fly in from California, just in time to join with us for the weekend activities.

Our grandson Grayson is such a character!

We were "serenaded" by these cute cousins, Grayson & Chloe

We gave each of the grandkids' families a South African flag
& let the kids choose their favorite African animal toy to remember us while we're gone :)

As we count down the final days til we reach the top of this "roller coaster ride" & take off on our mission adventure, we are grateful for family & friends who have helped us so much through their love & support. We love & will miss all of you, and hope you will enjoy sharing our journey through this blog. We are also thankful to the Lord for this amazing opportunity to serve Him in South Africa. We can only imagine what remarkable times lie ahead, & are looking forward to enjoying every single minute of this exhilarating ride!!! 

FOUR DAYS & COUNTING til we enter the Provo MTC September 1st...wow!!!

Sandy Utah Open House

On Saturday August 9, 2014 we had our Missionary Farewell Open House at our home in Sandy, Utah. We were delighted to have so many family and friends over for some great food and laughs. I decorated the house with lots of African-themed centerpieces (thanks to Hobby Lobby & Zurcher's!) including a gorgeous African elephant & calf statue & a hand-carved ostrich egg that my parents brought home from Capetown. And yep, I had to dress the part in a leopard-print blouse my mom loaned me, haha! It was such a fun evening! 

Some of our fellow BYU Boosters...Lyndel, Lynne, Lola, Kaye & her granddaughter.

Our former bishop, Randy Harris & his wife, Karen

Such a sweet picture of my nephew, Aaron,
with his Grandma Carolyn

My darling daughter-in-law, Loren
with her sweet Daddy.
Love this picture :)
BTW, Loren is carrying our next
little granddaughter (due in Oct)
Grandchild #18!!!
Thank goodness for Skype so we
can see this little dolly!

I can only imagine what Randy was saying to Aaron...haha!

It was wonderful to see our former neighbors, Stan & Jill.
They had just driven in from Albuquerque!

Jeremy helped keep the boys entertained with an
intense game of football. Go Team Back & Orullian!

My cute parents, Gordon & Carolyn Owen, with their
life-long friends, Lawry & Marilyn Hunsaker

Getting all these wound-up grandkids to hold still for a picture
was quite a trick! We love them SO much!!!
Mason, Zoe, Kylie
Kingston, Aidan, Easton, Malosi & Addie

My handsome boys & beautiful daughters:
Shane, Matt, Heather, Mike
Lindsey & Dan

Sunday, August 10th, Bob & I spoke in our Willow Canyon 8th Ward. I spoke about how we came to the decision to serve a mission, & also explained what our assignment will consist of as Public Affairs missionaries. I shared the analogy Brother Otterson used in our training last week about comparing this experience to a roller coaster ride: When we received our call, it was like climbing into the car & getting buckled in. Then... climbing up & up the track in anticipation, as we got all of our preparations made & training done. As you reach the top of the coaster & get ready to descend is like where we are RIGHT NOW! Whoa...what are we doing? Do I want to jump off, or enjoy the rest of the ride? Well, we are about to start flying down the track, & with butterflies in our stomachs...we are going to love EVERY MINUTE! 

I did finally get to addressing our topic, which was "Receiving Guidance & Direction from the Holy Ghost". We have definitely had to rely on the Spirit throughout this entire process. We have felt the Lord's influence & know that this will be one of the most wonderful blessings of our lives.

Sister Andrus & Sister Kristani sang a gorgeous arrangement of "Faith in Every Footstep". This has always been one of my favorite missionary songs, & added such a strong spirit to the meeting. It gave me chills! I was sure glad I spoke BEFORE they sang, because I would have been too emotional after!

Bob gave an amazing talk, he is such a great speaker! He shared many of his experiences working with Family History, where the Spirit has guided him to find ancestors in remarkable ways. He is so dedicated & diligent in his research, & I know there will be a blessed reunion on the other side of the veil as he meets so many of these family members.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week (July 30, 31, and Aug 1) we attended training for our upcoming roles in Public Affairs.

Three couples and two sister missionaries attended this training held at the Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake City, UT.

Elder and Sister Smith will be going to Bangkok and report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT next Monday.

Sister Russell and Sister Banner will be companions in the UK (London) in about a month or so.

Elder and Sister Evensen will be going to New Delhi, India in October.

Elder and Sister Larsen did a wonderful job of organizing the training with lots of good information and great speakers.



Elder and Sister Larsen are the missionaries in charge of the selection of Public Affairs missionaries.  They served a Public Affairs Mission in New Zealand a couple of years ago.















Brother and Sister Murdock did a wonderful powerpoint on their mission to Africa Southeast.

Brother Hwa Lee was our tech guy and Brother Dave Watson presented several different classes including "Country Newsroom" and "Government and Community Relations."

Sister Larsen did an excellent presentation on how to use photography in Public Affairs and then took portraits of each of the sets of missionaries for their wall in the office.  Here she is taking a portrait of Brother and Sister Evensen.


                                                     





Here is our official class photo.
(back: David Smith, Bob Berg, Paul Evensen)
(front:  Irene Smith, Sharon Berg, Bonnie Evensen, Nyla Banner and Susan Russell)

                             















This is my favorite picture of the group.

       

















We added Sister Larsen on the left and Brother Larsen on the right to complete the group.
(Thanks to Hwa Lee for taking this pic)