First day in MTC

Missionary Journal

September 18, 2006

From the moment I discovered that we would be going to the reservation on our mission, I had a sneaking suspicion that the whole point of this adventure might have to do with humbling me, but the humbling started a little quicker than I expected. Being extremely nervous about the MTC and wanting to fit in as much as an outsider like me possibly could, I took great care shopping and selecting the clothes I wanted to wear here. I even hung them in the closet rather than packing them in my suitcase so they wouldn’t wrinkle. I pointed this out to Robert and told him I would leave my good (meaning new) clothes there in the closet so be sure to remember when he packed the car. His suit was also hanging there with them.

As the packing proceeded, Robert came and asked if I had everything packed that I needed. It was a he said/she heard moment. What that meant to me was did I have everything packed that I had planned to pack in the suitcase. So I answered yes. What the yes meant to Robert was that I had packed everything I wanted in the suitcase. This part I understand. The part I struggle with is that he took his suit out from among the clothes hanging in the closet and packed it while leaving all my dresses behind. Fortunately, I had two old skirts I packed in the suitcase just in case I needed something extra. The obvious end of this story is that I arrived at the MTC for two weeks with two skirts, the suit I was wearing, and whatever I could scrounge to match the two skirts.

Rebecca drove up from California this weekend, ostensibly to visit friends, but Dad and I knew the truth. She simply did not believe we could check in to the MTC without direct supervision. She was probably right. Regardless, we were thrilled to have her support and love.

After saying a very teary goodbye to her, we stood in line to receive our instructions, room assignment, etc. I looked at Robert and said, “I hope you realize that right at this moment I hate you from the very depths of my being.” That particular statement could be attributed to the fact that our being at that spot at that moment was due far more to his missionary zeal than to mine, mine actually being basically nonexistent. A few hours later, however, my hostility waned and I discovered that I was honestly enjoying myself. The MTC is an amazing place. The spirit here is undeniable and the young missionaries are vastly amusing. What more could I ask?

The first day was quite easy, really, as we only had meetings from 1:00 – 4:00 and had the rest of the time to “settle in” as they called it. We did have a reading assignment, but learned that we can call the kids any time we want…BONUS!...and that we can leave campus and go downtown or pretty much wherever we want as long as we sign in and out. Oh, there is one rule for the cell phones…we’re not to use them where the young missionaries can see us…it makes them cry!