2 - Missionary Training Center

2 - Missionary Training Center

Life is going well here in the MTC, the days go short and long, some days SUPER LONG. Sitting for hours on end in desks with the worlds finest and coldest air conditioning. The elders like it to feel like a freezer! Our district is 42B, first day we only had dinner so by the time dinner came were just so happy to have food we didn't care too much what it tasted like. Right off the bat they have us teaching, most days three people, our teacher who roleplays as an investigator, TRC investigator (someone they pay to be visit taught, sometimes a member or teacher, but they do have real investigators coming as well) and TRC member where we teach them a lesson and commit them to something after the lesson. I FINALLY Got my P day today (Thursday) and I am so happy to do laundry and I was able to go through the provo temple which was a great experience. The gym here is neat and have been working out on the bikes and once o the track. Mostly I helped out Sister Foster with her physical therapy exercises. Sister Jones is my Companion and she is so nice and super fit, always running and stretching, and then running. I can never get that good, but that is ok. She also lives in Provo so she practically knows everyone and we get stopped all the time so people can say HI to her. I know no one, but that is also OK. There is almost no time to spend here, almost every second you are either teaching, walking from place to place, or studying. On top of that there is homework..... so usually we just barely get it done. Whatever personal time we get we have to share with shower and writing in journal time. 30 minutes for both and whatever else is not enough.....

Waking up at 6:30 is no problem for me, waiting for a half hour to an hour before that alarm clock sounds because I am already awake is. Get lots of scripture reading though from that.

 Our teacher Sister Jenkins Roleplays an investigator named Davia who was referred from a friend and didn't want to pray at all, so once we got past prayer, it has been going REALLY well, already she agreed to read scriptures daily and even committed her to baptism on the third day! Now to help her with all the other lessons and help her with her insecurity with friends and her boyfriend who lives with her coming back today. Even though this is just for practice, it has been both hard and rewarding. Our TRC investigator Lianna is real nice, HARD to get through to, yesterday we finally got her to read her scriptures daily and not be hesitant because its not the bible. she is non-denominational Christian and believed in almost everything we believe (we were helping her with a few questions that didn't add up since she is at BYU and already knows quite a bit about our church), but didn't believe she needed baptism or any other ordinances to live with god and her family after this life...... but now once we were able to utilize a rarely used or taught about tool while doing missionary work, the Foot notes, were we able to help her see that the bible and Book of Mormon complete each other. She even said she would go to church, which is really nice. Our Member lessons are quite intimidating though, but going well, it just is so different from regular missionary work yet so much the same. I have had some really hard days where I feel like I am just not getting it, then suddenly I do a little latter or the next day, it can be just so frustrating sometimes.

I was called by the district president to be the Sister Training Leader, which was really cool and I was able to go with the zone leaders and help teach the new missionaries that came yesterday. Got to take them on a tour as well, in the dark just as we did our first day, only a tad bit more light out since it wasn't raining real hard like last week. Weather has been real bad and rainy, SUPER COLD, good grief is it ever cold at night when it rains down here. I had a neat service activity on Wednesday, cleaning all the metal knobs and haldes throughout a building, wasn't so bad till I noticed all the door handles that get skipped because there are so many. They get cleaned, but not polished, so I polished them, they looked like that hasn't been done in ages for most of them.... quite sad. I only got one floor though, but something is better than nothing.

Food here is sometimes really good looking and tasting, other times super good looking and tastes so bad/bland/or overpowering sauce placed on top which makes it not enjoyable to eat. I think its so that when we get out in the field, we don't complain about the food there. All in all though, the food is good.

Hoping everyone is doing well, I will be leaving the MTC on the 19th, at 3:30 AM..... that will be one short night’s sleep. I am also placed in charge of our entire district of 8 people for travel. I have never ridden a plane before and in charge of people..... this should be interesting.

Sister Rachael Clark