Days 6 and 7 at the MTC

Days six and seven have been and are about the young elders and sisters here. Saturday was our chance to get the laundry done, walk to the main campus book store, and get our passports scanned to email to Lima Peru.  A counselor in the presidency and others are securing our apartment for us and needed copies for the landlord.

On our way to the bookstore we passed through the "Wilk Center." It used to be called the Wilkinson Center. My how times have changed and what would President Wilkinson think about this slight to his full name.  We walked by RA's first apartment in Heritage Halls. (It was on the way.) Nice to have a tour guide who knows her way around even if it has been 42 years. I have to note we further taste tested Cougar ice cream in the Wilk Center and there is no question Aggie Ice Cream is better. Even Farr's next to the Ogden Temple exceeds the BYU Creamery in quality, taste, and smoothness. Maybe like the BYU football team the creamery is in a rebuilding year.

We had more than a couple opportunities of interacting with companionships and groups of young missionaries.  We took on the role of investigators and were committed by them to do better in our preparations for becoming better speakers of the language and of course listening to their messages.  One elder asked if I had heard of Joseph Smith before and I could not resist by answering that my great great grandmother married him when she was 23.  I did not go into other details however. Those are largely for the family.  I thought of Uncle John and Uncle Irvin.  Maybe they would have wanted me to disclose more but I resisted. One companionship tried out their wings for the first time with their 'Preach My Gospel' first lesson overview. One elder came to a roadblock mentally and asked his companion to proceed.  He was working very hard and so concentrating. We assured them they would be fine and wished them well on their missions. You just want to reach out and hug these young men as they are so intense and so eager to learn and do what they have been asked to. Mothers somewhere should know their years of efforts in teaching and love have not been in vain.

This morning we had a fast and testimony meeting with several districts. One fairly large group is going to Madagascar.  They spoke in their new language. It was impressive for young men to be so committed and willing give up the prime time of their youth, freedom, and friends to go to such a far away place with little more knowledge about it before they came here than a Pixar movie.

More meetings this afternoon and tonight then next week we are in the Provo Temple for more specific training.