Our MTC training is over!

Oh, what a happy and sad day.  Our time at the MTC is over and so is our office training!  Yikes!  I feel like I don't know enough to run a mission office!  The training covered so much material and so many areas.  Glen learned about housing missionaries, how to distribute money to the missionaries, how to set up and pay vendors, how to take care of the cars, how to set up new areas, etc. etc. I learned how to do missionary letters to parents and to the missionaries themselves and others, mission newsletters,  recording transfers, including entering and departing missionaries, convert records, and many other things.  Whew!  Will I remember all of this?  Our teachers told us several times that we were a group that caught on fast.  (They probably tell all the groups that!)  This is a picture of our district for the office training.  From left, the Jensens, us, the Smigelskys, and our teachers, Sis. Hunter and Bro. Bennett.  They taught us so much and were so patient and knowledgeable!

Some fabulous surprises---On Tuesday we got a wonderful letter from Glen's sister Carol.  How fun to get mail at the MTC!!  We just loved it.  On Wednesday we got a letter from Jade, Brigham, and Lily--it was so adorable and really brightened our day and meant so much to us because we had been working so hard and our brains were fried.  Thank you so much Carol, Jade, Brigham, and Lily! We felt so loved.  We also got a package from our dear friends, the Rigbys--a box full of chocolate chip cookies! Oh, talk about heaven. Thank you so much, Kim!   Now I understand  how great it is for missionaries to get mail and packages.  

I must express my feelings about the MTC.  The Spirit of the Lord is so strong here it's unbelievable. Glen and I sang in the choir for the Tuesday night devotionals (Vaughn J. Featherstone was our speaker this week) and it was an awesome experience.  The younger missionaries and the senior missionaries are so very inspiring!  At each meal we sat by many different senior missionaries and always left the table amazed and in awe of the sacrifices that they had made to be here and of their many talents.  They were all going to such diverse places with such diverse assignments:  military relations, leadership,support,and activation, medical, office, (like us) perpetual education fund, public relations, visitor's centers, temples, church history sites, and so many others.  It was incredible. It was very evident that senior couples really do add a great force to the missionary army!  What an indescribable blessing to be here for the last two weeks.  We will never forget it!