TheSecondTimeAroundEngland

Our day started out with Sacrament Meeting and then Relief Society/Priesthood.  Both meetings were inspiring, and well worth the effort to be there.  Immediately following those meetings all of the senior missionaries met together for a district council, which was simply another inspiring meeting.  Three of our own senior missionaries taught us out of "Preach My Gospel." They gave us the schedule for the rest of the day: So far we've been to Sacrament Meeting, Relief Society, The Combined District Council, the Match His Message meeting, and we still have the Departure Devotional and the Evening Devotional!  But it has been a beautiful day and I anticipate it will be that way until we fall into bed. Today is also my father's birthday.  He would have been 100 years old today.  He was - and is a source of strength, comfort and wisdom to me for all of my days.  I will be eternally grateful for his presence in my life.  My siblings and...

An early morning walk up the hill to the Temple was invigorating.  It was 52 degrees when we left.  The temple was beautiful, peaceful and inspiring. We put 4 miles on our watches today....good training! I don't know if these were missionaries or BYU students we saw playing volleyball as we walked to the temple, but I think SK was pretty close to going over to see if he could play. Later, we walked down the hill to meet Lauren, our granddaughter.  We sat outside with her, eating BYU Creamery ice cream.  She has been in school here two weeks.  She is all grown up, and has a mission call to Paraguay.  With the magnificent mountains as a backdrop, it was fun to catch up with her.  I think it would be wonderful to be a student here, but all of my experiences at BYU have been sheer joy, like women's conference, and BYU Education week - vacations one and all.  I'm sure being a serious student here does have some drawbacks. We may ...

"This too shall pass" is a time-honored quote and one near and dear to my heart.  My father said it to me a few times, and when he did, it was always a welcome bit of wisdom.  It generally applies for us when we are going though rough times.  It helps to know that at some future point we will be looking back through more experienced eyes with the trial safely behind us. Unfortunately it also applies to wonderful, inspiring and uplifting times.  They will fade away as the stars in the morning.  This week of training is done. Over. Finished.  I loved everything about it. This morning, after a morning devotional and then a period of evaluating and a bit of instruction, we walked back over to the 6-story training center.  Sister Anderson sat us down in front of the large wall mural of Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail.  Our chairs were in a circle, but we all had a good view of the picture.  Then together we read D&C 122 and portions of 121...

Day 4 at the MTC.  Have I mentioned how much I love this experience?  It is the second time around for us, yet it is fresh and lively and wonderful.  It is also different than the first time in a few ways.  For one thing, the fact that we are divided up into districts, for another, we meet in small groups throughout the days, and for another, we are learning the same lessons as the young missionaries. We spend a good deal of time in the "Preach My Gospel" manual.  I've read it before, but every page seems to have such brilliant applications that I wonder where I've been since it came out.  It is a wonderful tool for teaching the gospel.  I love it. We also spend a great deal of time in the Book of Mormon.  Elder Oaks said that reading the scriptures opens us to receive revelation, and I know that is true.  As we read, our hearts are tuned to the beautiful messages there, and we are ready to receive. I sit in our classes and marvel at th...

It was 49 degrees when we awakened this morning!  It is wonderful!  Thunder and lightning - the works. SK in the morning.  He is using this handy little steamer...a first.  What a sport! We got up early and got ourselves to class on time.  Sister Anderson taught this morning about the Apostle Peter.  With only 7 of us in that little classroom, we all chimed in about the scriptures we were reading and the feelings that moved us about this great disciple of Christ.  One of his most meaningful statements to me was (when Jesus asked him if he - Peter would also go away with others who could no longer follow Christ) "Lord, to whom shall we go?  Thou hast the words of eternal life."   After being in the Lord's presence, Peter couldn't even imagine seeking truth anywhere else. I feel like that as well, even though I am nothing compared to Peter.  I can't imagine finding the peace and joy anywhere else besides Jesus Christ. After...

View from our room, morning, noon and evening.  The rain has been glorious! I have a feeling that the cafeteria does up breakfast in fine fashion.  I don't know for sure, because on this our second day, we didn't darken the door there because (1) we chose to sleep rather than eat, and (2) if I am going to miss a meal here and there, breakfast is by far and away the easiest to do without.  Nevertheless, every meal we have had there leaves me in open-mouthed wonder.  The food is passably good.  The delivery is an amazing spectacle.  With a capacity of 3700 missionaries (I'm uncertain how many there are this week.) the cafeteria provides a seemingly unending supply of tasty dishes for the hungry youth, as well as the 74 of us seniors (we are hungry too, but a bit more sedate in our selections and consumption. There are several different stations which offer a variety of foods.  There are hot meals, lite meals, salad bars, banks of drink...

SK and I are a little bit dumbfounded to realize that we are finally here.  We are in the MTC!   We are wearing our newly-minted name badges, and we have been hobnobbing with missionaries from all over the world, both young and old - but not in between.  We have been welcomed and we have been taught and we have been inspired.  We have had a couple of tasty meals in the cafeteria which is swarming with young elders and sisters with voracious appetites.  Ah, it's good to be back. Despite my best intentions, SK, Lia and I spent hours yesterday organizing and packing and all fell in bed exhausted.  We were up early this morning so that SK could go purchase a large bin to abandon to Lia's garage with various and sundry items that we can't take to England, and we can't quite bear to throw away or give to DI.  Otherwise, there were just a few items to toss in any of the large suitcases, get ourselves dressed and then head down to Provo. Lia's heavi...