Sept. 3, 2024
The day has finally arrived and we are official missionaries at the Missionary Training Center. You know how when you’re young you can’t sleep on Christmas Eve? Well, I couldn’t sleep last night even though I was very tired. That made for a long day today, but not a bad one!
After some harried packing and re-packing and searching through three suitcases for the few things I would need to put in one small bag for four days at the MTC, I finally gave up and Rachel drove us up to campus. (And now I remember all the things I was trying to find in those suitcases and now wish I had.) Rachel said she had to drive us up so she could experience what we had experienced when we drove her to the MTC all those years ago. She predicted that I’d be crying all day so I did my best to prove her wrong, and I partially succeeded (it wasn’t all day—just a select few minutes here and there). I think she enjoyed turning the tables on us.
MTC has done an amazing job of making us feel special and welcome and appreciated and loved. It has been a fun day of meeting other senior missionaries (some on their 2nd or 3rd or 4th missions) and the young missionaries who call this place home. I still get lost the minute I walk out of one building and look for the next place we’re supposed to be, but as long as I can find the cafeteria I’ll be fine. I’ve also done my best to embarrass Allen by walking down the hall past young missionaries and calling out “xin chào!!” in an effort to find those youngsters who are also bound for Vietnam. No luck yet, but I won’t give up!
At lunch, another senior sister remarked on the amazing truth that THIS was the real Hogwarts! And all these amazing young people are training to work their magic on the world! They are the Miracle Missionaries. And that is exactly how it felt to see those hundreds of young people eating and laughing and talking and learning. What a privilege to be counted among them!
I got to sing with the missionary choir tonight at the devotional, and our surprise guest was Elder Gerritt W. Gong, one the 12 Apostles and a leader in our Church. It was pretty sweet.
And now the day has drawn to a close and I get to finally get a good night’s sleep—I hope. It’s been a great first day and we’re both very happy to be here, learning how to be missionaries.
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