Inside entrance area of Museum

Prairie Trails Museum

We are Constantly Learning

Learning it costs more than you think to be on a mission.

Learning how the people love to live in their small towns and have pride in their community.

Learning how to catch mice (4 so far) and not get upset when you see them run across the floor.

Learning that you can get very tired filming records and that it is easy to make mistakes.

Learning that you really need to pray and listen to the spirit for help so that even if you do make mistakes it is ok.

Learning how beautiful it is here in the Spring and that the birds sound wonderful in the morning and evening. They are so beautiful and there are so many varieties.

Learning that going to bed early feels great, although the early morning not so much.

Learning that you can get along without the internet at your home and that it is not so bad to sit in your car on a lonely road in the dark where you can get internet reception to Skype with your children.

Learning the importance of always thinking positively of your partner. This causes us to be happy with one another and enjoy being together. We need that!

Learning that you can get along without stores that you like - although that is a tough one. Corydon has a dollar general, a Pamida, grocery store, an older hardware store, and sort of fast food in the gas stations. If we want to drive (an hour away), there are small walmarts and a couple of fast food places. We have a couple of restaurants and a movie theater owned by the community. (There are other stores such as twice used things and cellular one.)

We had a visitor to our bed and breakfast which really surprised us. Someone would have to drive to see us. This lady was from Humeston about 5 miles away. (Our mailing address says we live in Humeston.) She came by to visit, and she knows the man who owns the MT Pisgah property. She gave us his name etc. so we can have a tour of his property. (Wasn't that nice) She also works at a quaint little cafe in Humeston. We said we would go eat there Saturday. We are glad we did because she was watching for us, and had a veterans present (a mug and hat) for Ron. (Saw our license plate) Every county has a veterans committee mandated by the state to help take care of them. She told us we could easily spend an afternoon in Humeston going to Synders and eating at her place. The food was great. It was a very quaint little place. It had art, pottery, and other things for sale. Their website is www.grassrootsgalleryandcafe.com. The downtown of Humeston is about one block. It has a couple of places to eat and a few stores. The people of southern Iowa really love and have pride in their towns.

Colene and I had our first zone conference yesterday in Des Moines. Lots of great Elders and 4 sister missionaries there. I felt that Iowa was in good hands. These conferences are intended to feed our spirits every quarter, and last from 0930 until 430. Pres. Jergensen presides but speaks only about 2 hours, while others have assignments to teach, including the assistants to the president, the fleet manager, and other missionaries. There was lots of interaction, practicing teaching and answering common questions about and objections to the Book of Mormon. Neither of us feel like we're able to answer a question by having a scripture come to our minds, but it will come as we study more and are worthy of the spirit to direct us.

Last nite I was able to set up a Saturday afternoon with a local history expert on the Mormon Trail our landlord told us about. He was very congenial and talks to about 10 buses of Mormon tourists visiting Wayne County and Garden Grove, specifically, where he is a landowner at this site where a number of cabins were made by the saints. He said the Mormon Trail and the exodus is their history and our(as latter-day saints) heritage. They enjoy the history of the exodus across Iowa as much as we do. We hope to have 3 senior missionary couples come with us as we visit trail sites with this man.

Our first roll of film passed muster, so things are going in the right direction. Our biggest challenge is feeling comfortable enough with light settings to move quickly and be productive. We have lots to film and need to get it done in a timely manner.

The people are very nice here. We were going to pay to go to the dinner for the museum, and they are letting us go free. The museum is not opened so the manager comes in and works extra hours just so we can get the filming done. I don't know if she gets paid extra or not. She has been very sweet and as helpful with everything.

I found a chiropractor, and I am so glad. After two days of standing filming records my back was killing me. (It was all the time since I left Great Falls) Thankfully the manager told me of a great person who is just on the next block - what a blessing and of course I felt I should ask her and I was blessed. I feel a million times better.

Today Ron was starting filming a new roll. I was in another room. When I walked in, I felt that Ron was filming the records backwards. I checked, and when he had put the records on the table they were upside-down. This is very easy mistake and could have cost us the film plus a couple of days in filming, but it only cost us a few minutes. We cut off the beginning of the film and started over. What a blessing. I was so grateful that I listened and obeyed the prompting. We pray before we start that we will be inspired in whatever way we need, and our prayers were answered. Thank you everyone for your prayers.

MTC Mission Map

Ron writes: This last Saturday we had the opportunity to meet members of the Centerville IA branch because most of them went to the Nauvoo temple to accompany a couple in their ward who got their endowments for the first time and were also sealed. The Nauvoo Temple is quite different in that we walk through the very front door and needed reservations for the session. Luckily, we were able to get in, meet the couple, and other members of the ward. After the couple's sealing, Colene and I were able to do temple work for my mother Rose. At the end of the day we drove 70 miles to a baptism for the branch, and got home to our house at 10 in the evening--a long day starting at 6 AM and with 7 hours of driving and meeting folks. Our branch president is an Iowa farmer. His family of grown up sons and daughters represent about 1/3 of the branch. Once the sons and daughters start having children, the White families should quickly outnumber everyone else. Our branch is located in what used to be a community dance hall located in a barn. Then it became a bar for awhile, and now has been completely rennovated and is a nice meeting place for our small branch. On Monday, 21 Feb, we went to the Corydon Museum, met our supervisor, and are now learning to do microfilming of probate records for Wayne County. It's going to be fun!

Some Things Learned the First Week at MCT

Ron writes, Oh how I wish I knew 35 years ago what we learned last week on how to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I would be a far better home teacher and missionary. The key is to help others read and study the Book of Mormon and then help them ask God through prayer if it is true. Our purpose is to open the lines of communication between the one reading the Book of Mormon and his/her Heavenly Father. Praying to find out the answer is foreign to many. Yet that is how one can become converted to the Gospel. It is not through giving wonderfully prepared lessons. We must do all we can to encourage study of the Book and prayer about it's truthfulness, and then let the Holy Ghost confirm it's truthfulness. We do our best to answer their questions and concerns, but it all comes down to them following up on commitments to read the Book. As they gain a confirmation of its truthfulness, all of their other questions will be answered.

We are both excited to work with the less actives of our new branch or ward for two weeks when we get to Iowa about 13 February. After we do that, we will be taught how to microfilm by our supervisor. This week we are learning to capture record images with a digital camera, something we may or may not use in Iowa. Interesting tidbit we learned today to the question of how the Church safely preserves all it's digital images and other documents. Answer: First, they keep it on two hard drives on servers located in different locations. The servers will automatically backup the hard drives before they start to go bad. Additionally, the data is stored on three separate tapes. I guess the expression would have to be for Church images, five times and you're out. That is a lot of backups!

The MTC is really wonderful. We went to the Mt. Timpanogas Temple and did initiatories today, and I realized that the feeling that is in the Temple is in the MTC. You feel like you are in a world apart. No TV no radio etc. just a lot of young elders and sisters and seniors who are all very nice and helpful. (You do have Internet and you can do what you want in your room)

The housing is great. We are in a building that has a bookstore, mailroom, dry cleaning, exercise rooms etc. On our floor you can get to it only by swiping your id card in the elevator, so no young elders can go there. There are couches on your floor a room with refrigerator microwave, tables, couches etc, so if you want to leave your room you can. There is an ice machine, a couple of food machines and exercise equipment room. (In another building there is lots of free washing machines. Bring your own soap or buy it in the bookstore. Friday night is a great time to wash laundry – no elders.) The room is just like a motel room. The bed is quite comfortable. You soon get used to being in the same room with your husband although Ron has gone downstairs to exercise in the big exercise area alone and as adults you are not glued together although it feels natural to be together. Some senior missionaries are staying at the Marriot Hotel. You eat with everyone. Around 2000 missionaries eating in 1 to 1 ½ hour time period. You have a lot of choices and the food is good. You meet an awful lot of people during meal times. One elder who was adopted from a Russian orphanage is going to the Ukraine. The next day he walked by and said hi my new friends. They are all just really sweet.

The first day you arrive in your Sunday clothes. (You will be wearing them the rest of the time except when in your room or exercising.) You will be issued nametags, keys, and a room. You set up your room, eat and then go to orientation, You have inspirational talks and are divided up into groups of 8. Our large group has around 70 seniors who arrived when we did. They are going all over the world - The East Indies, Philippines, Hong Kong, etc. Your lessons begin at 8 AM. You go to large group meetings to be inspired or hear senior missionaries tell how it really is. Those meetings are great. We did study preach my gospel, but in a different way than I thought. You actually teach the gospel using the lessons. You practice on volunteers who pretend to be nonmembers. (that can be a spiritual experience and very intimating at least to me) You are on camera so your teacher can watch and critique you. You are given wonderful ideas about how to teach. I found those teaching sessions scary at first. I learned a lot of teaching techniques that work. They do show you things in the Preach My Gospel book so you can effectively use the book. You are to study in your free time, but we rarely had time to read all the assignments because when you are back in your room you want to go to bed. (You might want to study the first two lessons and find scriptures to support the lessons that you like. That would have helped me to be not so stressed) Your day classes end around 4:30. Tuesday nights, you have devotionals (We had Elder Holland and Elder Nelson to celebrate 50 years of MTC and rededicate some buildings. It was great,) Wednesday and Thursday night, we learned word and excel. Others had tutors to help them with their language. Saturday was great. P Day! You can go where you want after you check out and tell them where you are going. Sunday is full of devotionals and meetings.

Next week we start to study camera work. Others stay and learn whatever they are doing unless they are member support, and they left after a week.

Honestly this week has been hard at times for me because I get stressed out by teaching in front of a camera etc, and I was still tired from packing. I think it made me better prepared for a real missionary experience though, and I made some great friends. If I didn’t get so nervous about stuff, I would have really enjoyed the whole experience. (They ask for volunteers for playing hymns, and I did some but you know me, I got nervous - so silly) Also Ron and I have had to really grow in our relationship. When you have to prepare a lesson together in 20 minutes and then present it, things can be a little hard. You have two different ideas and two different ways of teaching. We have had to really talk and express how we feel. We are learning to work together and appreciate our differences. When you are tired, it is easy to get grouchy, but we have also found inspiration that has helped us deal with our differences, and I think our relationship has already grown. Maybe that is part of the MTC also.