Our Temple Training

We had a marvelous time in the Provo Utah Temple, where we and 20 other senior missionaries (9 other couples and two single sisters) received temple training. Our Temple Missionaries Coordinators were Elder F. Melvin Hammond and his wife Bonnie. Elder Hammond has been a member of the First Quorum of Seventy, General Young Men President of the Church, President of the Bolivia Cochabamba Mission, and President of the Washington DC Temple.


We heard messages from a member of the Provo Temple Presidency, the Temple Recorder, the Temple Engineer, and the Assistant Laundry Manager. On our first day, an area director of the Church Temple Committee spent a half day training us. We participated in most of the temple ordinances and received some training on the wording of the ordinances--in English and Spanish.

Here is a picture of our group in front of the Provo Temple:

The senior missionaries (left to right) and the temple in which they will serve include Elder and Sister Ward, Cebu City Philippines Temple; Elder and Sister Haskell, Palmyra Temple; Elder and Sister Smith, San Jose Costa Rica Temple; Elder and Sister Larsen, Atlanta Temple; Elder and Sister Hammond, our training coordinators; Sister Ennis, Washington DC Temple; Sister Dick, Guatemala City Temple; Sister and Elder Elwood, Kona Hawaii Temple; Sister and Elder Smith, Guadalajara Mexico Temple; Sister and Brother Brinton, Guatemala City Temple; Beverly and Scott, Madrid Spain Temple; Elder and Sister Broadbent, Panama City Temple.

We love these fellow missionaries and our temple training coordinators.

We Love the MTC!

This was our second time going through the MTC as a missionary couple. We also served here when Scott was an MTC branch president. It gets better and better.

MTC front entrance:

Young missionaries at the MTC, with beautiful Mt. Timpanogos in the background:

Our new friends, Elder and Sister Broadbent with Beverly and Scott in front of an MTC classroom building (the Broadbents are going to serve in the Panama Temple):

The main administration building, where we held most of our large group meetings and where we attended sacrament meeting:

It was a fabulous week at the MTC. We look forward to next week when we will get training on temple work.

Friends and Teachers at the MTC

We had a wonderful first week at the Provo MTC! The teachers, meetings, roll-playing, Spanish lessons, and group meetings were all excellent. Here are a few of the people we enjoyed being with at the MTC.

Our "Preach My Gospel" teachers:

Beverly, Brother Wozniak, and Scott

Scott, Brother Pike, and Beverly

Brother Pike is the son of Dr. Pike, a friend and fellow BYU professor.

Scott, Elder Barney, and Beverly

We loved the kind, loving spirits of these returned missionaries and their excellent teaching methods and information.

Scott's Spanish Tutor:

Scott and Brother Vasquez

At first Scott wasn't going to use a language tutor at the MTC, but then he realized he would benefit from some brushing up and practice as he prepared to go to Spain.

Our district:

Sisters Dick, Ennis and Evans; Elder and Sister Mickelson; Brother Wozniack; Sister and Elder Sanft; Beverly and Scott

At the MTC, the senior missionaries are divided into districts of six to ten missionaries. We got to know the other seven missionaries in our district as we shared experiences and testimonies.

Our friends and former neighbors:


Elder and Sister Haskell; Beverly and Scott

For several years, the Haskells were our friends and neighbors in north Orem. Elder Haskell was also one of Scott's counselors in an MTC branch presidency several years ago. We were surprised and pleased that the Haskells entered the MTC the same time we did. They are going to be temple missionaries in Palmyra, New York.

Our former next-door neighbors, Elder and Sister Miller were also at the MTC. They entered the MTC one week ahead of us. They are going to serve as medical missionaries in Nauvoo.

Us:

Scott and Beverly at MTC Map

We followed the tradition of having our picture taken at the big world map in the main building of the MTC, as we pointed to the location of our mission: Madrid, Spain.

We ended our first week by having a special testimony meeting in Spanish (and some French) with the senior missionaries who were studying a foreign language. What a wonderful week!

Spanish Visas!

After hearing horror stories about young missionaries and couples who had to spend up to four months in the MTC because of delayed visas to Spain, we feel blessed that today we got ours!

In an informal ceremony, the honorary consul of Spain in Utah, Baldomero Lago, a professor of foreign language at Utah Valley University, presented us our passports with attached visas.

Scott and Beverly with Dr. Lago in his UVU office, with the American and Spanish flags behind us:

 

Dr. Lago was an instructor of Spanish at BYU for five years before he took a job as professor of Spanish at UVU. He is a charming man and a member of the LDS Church.

Our residence visas (names blurred out for security reasons):

It was a happy day, knowing that we would be able to leave for Spain on our scheduled date of May 11, 2012.

Our Setting Apart

We were set apart by President Brent Roberts of the Orem Utah Lakeview Stake on Sunday, April 29, 2012, the night before we entered the Provo MTC.

Scott and Beverly with President Roberts at the setting apart:

Members of our family who attended the setting apart:

We are thrilled to be full-time missionaries again.

Timeline for a Mission Call

Executive Summary: From our first interview with the bishop until we received our call, it was four months. From receiving our call until we entered the MTC, it was almost five months.

Scott with mission call letter, Beverly with granddaughter

Detailed Timeline

Here is a timeline for our missionary call to Spain.

Week 1.     Talked to bishop (first interview) about a mission (Aug 7, 2011)

Week 2.     Started filling out online recommendation forms.

Week 3.     Got dental checkups

Week 5.     Got medical checkups

Week 10.   Finished all online forms and submitted them for review by bishop

Week 11.   Had official missionary interview with bishop

Week 12.   Bishop received all medical and dental letters

Week 14.   Had official missionary interview with stake president

Week 14.   Stake President submitted recommendation forms to Church (Nov 6, 2011)

Week 15.   Received online questionnaire from Missionary Department asking about our comfort level with various assignments and climates

Week 18.   Received mission call (Dec 7, 2011)

Week 19.   Submitted acceptance letter to bishop for his endorsement and submission to Church

Week 19.   Received packet from Church with information about Spanish visa

Week 22.   Submitted our visa application materials, including FBI clearance, apostille from the state Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and passports to Church

Week 37.   Received word that our Spanish visas had been approved

Week 38.   Spoke in sacrament meeting

Week 39.   Entered MTC (Apr 30, 2012)

Week 40.   Flew to Spain (May 11, 2012 after 2 weeks at MTC)

Other Activities Before Submitting our Missionary Papers

• We received a call from the temple president about our interest in serving in the Madrid Temple.
• We communicated with our bishop and our stake president about our desire to serve in the Madrid Temple. (The Church actually encourages senior couples “to indicate their interests and preferences with respect to where and how they would like to serve.” Quoted from lds.org.)
• We talked to the person in charge of Spain visas at the Church Missionary Travel department.
• We communicated with the Temple Missionary Department about the possibility of serving in the Madrid Temple.
• We obtained our FBI clearance required at the time for a Spain visa, which shortened the time from receiving our call until we received our visa approval.

If you have other questions about missionary calls to Spain, let us know via email to spain.missionaries@hotmail.com.

Beverly's MTC Spanish Classes

For the past three months, Beverly has been taking Spanish lessons at the Provo Missionary Training Center or, when we were in St. George, through Skype, the online video-telephone system.

Beverly will continue taking Spanish lessons when we enter the MTC next week. Her personal tutor has been Sister Leah Anderson, shown here with Beverly in one of the MTC classrooms:

Beverly and Leah Anderson

Sister Anderson is a returned missionary from Ashton, Idaho, who served a mission to Washington, D. C. (Spanish speaking). She is currently a BYU student majoring in English education. She is a marvelous teacher, with great spiritual depth, excellent knowledge of Spanish, and amazing patience. Beverly looks forward to continuing her lessons with Sister Anderson until we leave for Spain on May 11, 2012.