MTC Days 1 & 2

We are rebels to some extent.  While other senior couples were getting dropped off we drove our rented car into the parking lot and walked in with no luggage to manhandle.  We waited in line for a while.  First we met a nice lady who checked our names off her list.  Then she pointed to a table 10 feet away and said the next lady would help us.  We took photos as she pinned our tags on our clothes.  That lady had our name tags and an envelope with four copies of our travel documents for next Monday.  Four?  I don't know.    Then she pointed us to the desk nearby where two young elders asked us something we don't remember - maybe if we needed a ride to the airport next week.  (We don't.)  Then they pointed us down four stairs to another lady who pointed us down the hall to where two ladies directed us into a big conference room.  All these people helping us HAS to have a reason!  I figure some doddering old senior missionaries must have gotten lost some time in the past.
  In the conference room we were introduced to our MTC presidency and heard from each of them.  They had some administrivia for us, and then we were herded to the dorm building where everybody but us will be staying.  We had two young missionary guides for this trip from  the room to the exit, then another pair to the next building, then another pair in the door to take us to our training room for the morning.  We got class schedules and some good direction.  We were assigned to a "group" of four couples.  One elder was assigned as group leader and we're supposed to report any problems to him, although he's just as clueless as the rest of us.
  For lunch we entered the big cafeteria where hundreds of young missionaries were doing what 18 and 19 year olds do with food.  Mass quantities.  For this meal we sat with other senior missionaries, even though we were advised that it's more fun to sit with the young missionaries.  The food was edible, good quantity, and unlimited ice cream.

This is lunch time.  The couple next to us are going to Hawaii to the temple, PCC and BYU-H.  She is going to be a wood carver!

  In our afternoon class we were assigned to trainers.  These are return missionaries, mostly women, who are paid teachers working part-time while attending BYU.  We have a group for mornings, and another for afternoons.  We met with our group.  Then each couple was assigned an "other" couple.  Other is from a scriptures indicating that we teach others.  Our others were couples in the group in the next classroom, which makes it easier to get together.  The reason for having an other couple is that we get to practice our missionary teaching skills on them, and vice versa.  We were assigned to Bro. and Sister Ashton.  My first impression was not great.  She is an incessant talker, while he is a clam.  But we chatted away for a while.  They did do one awesome thing.  The had us open up Family Tree and showed us how to let our apple phones talk to each other and show us how closely we are related.   Turns out Bro. Ashton is my 9th cousin via Mom's line, and Sister Ashton is my 10th cousin via Dad's line.  That was fun.
  We thought we'd be free to go back to the hotel for some alone time after our last class of the day, but we learned that the FHE that evening would be a film of Elder Bednar discussing attributes of the Savior.  A film recorded on a Sunday, Christmas Day, a few years ago,  A film that is only shown at the MTC.  We decided to stay for it, so we had more missionary food and then watched the film.  I'm glad we stayed.  It was a  very, very good talk with some great missionary insights. 
In the end, we got home late, exhausted.

Tuesday
  We stopped at the famous map of the World to get our photo.  It's not official, but EVERYBODY does it.

Today we had lessons from the Preach My Gospel bookl and learned how to talk to people and challenge them to do things that will lead to repentence.  Not "you did bad things" repentence", but "here's how we can do better" repentence.  This will lead up to us challenging the Ashtons to do something in that line.  Meanwhile, we learned the Brother cousin Ashton is a doctor who has served a previous mission as the Mission Doctor.  At the same time he learned that Liz has been assigned to be the Mission Nurse and has NO training.  He was appalled.  Next thing we know we were off in an office talking to a Service Director who coordinates mission medical people.  He showed Liz the computer program and files for Mission nurses and explained some of the basics.  She'll be getting some fast training as a result of it.  We had no idea how much trouble she'd have been in if Dr. cousin Ashton hadn't stepped in and helped.  We're having lunch with them tommorrow.
  In the evening we lost another free evening for a fireside that was rumored to have an apostle speaking.  Turns out it was Sister Sharon Eubank, 1st council in the General Relief Society Presidency.  Not an apostle, but she is an amazing person and gave a great talk.   Afterwards we went to dinner at Red Lobster with the Ashtons.  We are starting to be great friends.  We've pretty much agreed to go out of program from here on out and we'll just talk while ignoring the teachers when we get to engage our "others".  Oh, we are evil devils!