Week 2 May 24 - 30th

Janice & Dan at the Nauvoo Temple

Mitch, Dan & Janice at Carthage Jail

Sunday May 24th
We went to a Spanish Sacrament meeting at a Branch in Provo. It made us really aware that we have a long way to going in learning the Spanish language. We did pick out a few words and the people were friendly and the spirit was strong. Later that evening we went to my Aunt and Uncle Carl Hegerhorst home and enjoyed a delicious meal and I got to reacquaint myself with my cousins Brent, Karen, Carla, Wendy and Steven and some of their spouses and children. It was really great to see them and enjoy the company.

Monday May 25th & Tuesday May 26th
We begged and they agreed to give us our name tags so we would not have to wear "Visitor" badges each day. It is great to not have to explain the "visitor" badges to everyone we meet. The tutoring classes are going well and we are learning the language slowly. . . Tuesday evening we attended an awesome devotional by Elder Douglas Callister and his wife. He gave a very powerful testimony of Jesus Christ and let us know that we have the authority to testify of Jesus Christ.

Wedneday May 27th We took pictures of our Spanish tutors. They are Marisol Vargus; From San Paulo Brazil. Amy Ahlborn; Camilo Hernadez from Columbia; Rodrigo from Mexico;

Camilo Hernadez

Marisol Vargus

Amy Ahlborn

Thurday May 28th
We flew to visit with our son Mitch and his wife Cassie and their daughter Hallie Jo in Des Moines Iowa.

Friday May 29th & Saturday May 30th
We drove to Nauvoo & Carthage Illinois and got visit the church historical sites and attend the Temple. Note: see pictures above

Week 1 May 18 - 23

Monday, May 18th

We finished a great visit with my family in Bruneau and drove to N. Ogden and visited with Greg & Laura Spend love (Janice’s brother and sister in law and their son Josh and his family. It was great to see them and catch up with each others lives. Josh had served his mission in Uruguay and was very helpful with information that we needed. We then proceeded to Lindon Utah to Keith and Suzanne Leavitt’s home. Suzanne is Janice’s step sister. They have been most gracious and offered us a guest bedroom while we are studying at the Mission Training Center (MTC) prior to our formal report date of June 29^th. The accommodations are great and it has been great to get to know them better.

Tuesday May 19^th 2009

We arrived at the MTC at 10:30 and checked in at the front desk and found that we had already missed one of our tutoring sessions. We had not been informed of our schedule so we did not know that we had a 9:00 AM session. We met our Tudor Marisol Vargas and she gave a quick lesson that morning. We also arranged for parking and our meal cards. The place is huge and very well organized and efficient. It is an awesome experience to be able to be part of the mission experience. They have assigned us our own classroom and we have tutors twice a day or more. One morning session and an afternoon session. The rest of the time is spent doing homework from the tutoring sessions or at meals. We spend about 10-12 hours per day at the MTC. The tutors are great and very helpful.

Wednesday - Thursday

Morning and afternoon tutoring sessions and we meet several other senior couples that were preparing to go on missions. It is great to talk to them and here where they are going and their experiences. The spirit is very strong and everyone is very helpful. The language is coming slowly but our tutors keep encouraging us telling us we are doing great. There is a lot to learn and we have some good days and some not so good days. We met with Maria Johnson, she is in charge of the senior couples training program. She was very helpful and gave us a lot of helpful ideas and said some things that encouraged us to know we will be able to learn the language. We are on the LORDS errand and he will provide what we need if we work for it.

Friday May 22

Morning session was a bit of a blur for me (Dan). I had taken a muscle relaxer pill to try to get rid of a stiff shoulder and neck (new bed). I guess I had taken too big of a dose( 1 pill instead of 1/2) and it made me feel really groggy so I did not get as much out of the session as I could have. In the afternoon session we had a volunteer visitor that speaks Spanish come and we got to talk to him and ask questions and answer his questions. WOW we don’t know much of the language yet. We were a bit discouraged but our tutor said we did great with the short amount time we have been studying the language. Friday night we went to the Timpanogus temple with the Leavitt’s ward. They had 38 people from the ward at the session. They usually have about 70 at the session. It was Memorial Day weekend and many were out of town. They all meet at someone home after for a late potluck meal and visit with each other. They ward members welcomed us and we had a great time.

Saturday

No Tutoring sessions on the weekend. We are going into the MTC to clean our classroom and study.

Sunday

We are going to a Spanish branch in Provo at 11:00 AM and in the afternoon we have been invited to Carl & Mable Hegerhorst’s in Benjamin Utah for dinner. They have invited their family to attend. It will bee great to see them and my cousins and their families. I have not seen many of them for many years.

Path Leading to the MTC

Our Mission Call did not include time in the Mission Training Center (MTC) for language training. We are scheduled to formally report to the Provo Utah MTC on June 29, 2009. We will be flying to Uruguay on July 10, 2009 so we will only have about 10 days in the MTC. We have spoken with our Mission President, Fred Ashby and he strongly suggested that we learn the Spanish language so we could have a more enjoyable mission experience. We spoke with the people at the Mission department and asked if we could report earlier and learn the language. They indicated that we could report early but that they would not have housing for us until June 29th. We could utilize the language tudoring program that they offer but we would need to find our own housing. We have found housing and will be leaving for the Provo MTC on May 14th with stops along the way in Idaho and Utah to visit our families prior to our entering the training program. Christina will be flying to Utah to photograph a wedding and will drive our car back home to Renton.

The Path Leading to the Call to Serve

Just wanted to write and let you know what is going on in our lives. We have received a Mission Call to serve in the Montevideo, Uruguay Mission as Office Specialists or as the Mission President directs. We are scheduled to report to the Provo MTC on June 29th!!! You are probably say something like they can't go they are too young or their not retired how can they go or, what are they thinking!!?? It all started in late January, I awoke on a Saturday morning with a very strong feeling or thought that "if I loose my job (due to the economy) that Janice and I should serve a mission"! It was very strong and distinct feeling that I could not ignore. I told Janice about the thought and asked her opinion and whether we could do it financially (she handles the money). She was supportive and said we could do it depending on where we were called to go. We then spoke with our Stake President and Bishop and they were both very supportive of the idea. That next week I approached my boss and the owner of the company I worked for and asked them if there was a possibility that I would be laid off. They indicated that they were frantically bidding on projects but that I should start looking for a new job because the construction market was slowing way down. I told them the Janice and I were going to take the next 2 years and serve a mission for our church and asked them if they had a opening when we came back if they would hire me again. They indicated that they would. We proceeded with filling out and submitting our mission papers on March 6th. We received the call to go on April 4th. The wait to get the call was an emotional up and down as we would go to the mail box expecting it to be there and it wasn't. Then doing it again and again. I was laid off from work on March 20th and have been using the time to prepare to go to Uruguay for 23 months. We are trying to learn Spanish and hope to get into the MTC early (in May) to learn the language. Taylor Stoneback and Tim are going to move into our home while we are gone. We will be able to call and Skype our children while we are gone. Christina announced 2 days after we had submitted our papers that she is going to have another baby (due in October). She made sure that our papers were in so we would not back out. That has been hard on Janice to know that her baby is going to be having a baby and she will not be there to help. The Lord has opened the path and everything is aligning like we are meant to go on a mission. We are taking a HUGE step on faith and hope that all we be taken care of while we are gone and the I will be able to find a job when I return. We are excited about serving in Uruguay the more we learn about the country and the people. We will miss our friends and neighbors and family while we are gone!