Yes, that's us standing in front of the Samuel Smith statue at the Provo Missionary Training Center. No doubt some of you have similar photos of yourself in this same spot. Our experience here, of course is different from yours. For example, tonight after class we hopped in the Camry and drove over to 5 Guys for a hamburger. We are more impressed than ever with those of you stayed here day and night for weeks! And we are more impressed than ever with Ada who ran an entire family in a foreign language (let alone Chris who ran an entire branch in a foreign language)!
Even though we get out at night (and I will do a short run up Rock Canyon in the morning), during the day it is pretty intense for us. For me, it means essentially no English unless I can find Kathleen during a break. And for her it means wrestling with a new language one word at a time, trying to remember how to conjugate the third person preterite of a verb (not that I don't still struggle with those questions). We have certainly gained a new appreciation for the young missionaries that swarm like ants around this place. They are really quite incredible!
Today Kathleen's tutor walked around the sidewalks of the MTC with her as Kathleen learned to tell the Joseph Smith story. There were young missionaries huddled at tables studying, others running to and fro between classes. Another tutor held out a handful of flash cards with verbs written on each one and said, "Pick a verb, conjugate it in the preterit and use it in a sentence."
Today Kathleen's tutor walked around the sidewalks of the MTC with her as Kathleen learned to tell the Joseph Smith story. There were young missionaries huddled at tables studying, others running to and fro between classes. Another tutor held out a handful of flash cards with verbs written on each one and said, "Pick a verb, conjugate it in the preterit and use it in a sentence."
Sometimes the tutor will go out into the lobby, find someone sitting at the desk, and ask them to come in a be an invesitagor. Once Kathleen's tutor corralled someone wandering in the hallway and took them into a chapel room so Kathleen could bear her testimony from the podium to an audience (ablbeit of one).
Today my tutor took me over to a classroom of young missionaries, where I observed two missionaries teaching a first discussion to a third missionary. Then it was my turn to be the investigator as they taught me about the Book of Mormon. In between we studied such interesting things as the proper use of direct and indirect objects and the order in which the pronouns are placed in various types of sentences. I finished class with the 3rd discussion - tutor Mario taught it to me using Alma 7:10-16, then we switched roles and I taught it to him.
After class we took a quick spin through the MTC Bookstore - the closest you can get to not being in the MTC when you are still in the MTC. We bought a couple of hangars (hangars are not included in our closet and we keep forgetting to bring them), a new small Spanish hymnbook (we can never find Spanish hymnals around the classrooms), and a voltage converter (they are much cheaper here than at REI). While there we met two sisters going to New Caledonia. This was a tender mercy, as we could not remember the name of DeniseAnne Pentacost when we met the Mautz's two weeks ago (who are also going to New Caledonia). So these Sisters will look her up in few weeks in New Caledonia.
Tonight we are sitting in the "Couples Lounge" - unique in that we have wireless access here. Several other couples are in the room watching a video of Elder Holland's devotional address here at the MTC two weeks ago. One of the couples is headed to Cambodia where he will be the mission president (making Barcelona seem like an even better assignment). They come here every other weekend hoping to learn enough Cambodian to to get by. Another couple is going to Mongolia. And another is going to Charleston, South Carolina to work at the military nuclear power school.
Es una obra maravillosa y un prodigio!
