Our Second MTC Experience

The Mission Training Center (MTC) is a wonderful place to learn how to be a good missionary. The spirit is so strong there.


Provo Mission Training Center (MTC)

After checking in we found out that we would be one of the many couples who had to be housed in the Marriot Hotel in downtown Provo because there were not enough rooms available for all the senior couples due to a large construction project and several new mission presidencies and temple presidencies being trained while we were there. However, staying at the Marriot was a very comfortable experience with king sized beds, all the bedding and bathroom necessities provided, etc. Having our own car to drive eliminated the problem of having to wait for the shuttles to carry us to and from the MTC.

We were only scheduled to stay and train at the MTC for five days. However,it was a marvelous experience to learn how to use the inspired missionary manual called “Preach My Gospel.” It basically instructs us on how to teach the three basic lessons of “The Restoration”, “The Plan of Salvation”, and “The Gospel of Jesus Christ”, plus “The Commandments” that can be mixed in with the lessons as appropriate or taught in separate lessons. Emphasis was given in our training to how to make effective plans with goals, commitments and follow ups. The most important point is to teach it with the Spirit of the Lord and gauge our teaching to the needs of the investigator, teaching those lessons or parts of lessons as the investigator needs them. After getting to know the contacts and assessing their needs, we are to tailor the lessons to the needs of the investigators using the Spirit to guide us. We felt that the important thing is to study and prepare our lessons with attending scriptures as well as we can, then go and teach as the spirit moves us to do so. Thoughts and scriptures will come into our minds as we need them. The other essential thing to do is to love the people and let that be felt by each of our contacts.



Here is a picture of our MTC district from left to right: Elder & Sister Chidester (great friends from our Draper Second Ward), Elder & Sister Howlett, DL Elder & Sister Curtis, Sister & Elder Kingley, and Sister & Elder Blatmann.

On Tuesday we got a chance to attend the weekly devotional where a General Authority comes to speak to the missionaries. This week we had Elder Jeffrey R. Holland come and give great counsel to us on being dedicated missionaries. Speaking in a bold manner we have come to expect from him, he told us that we need to preach with great power and urgency, but do so with love.


Elder Jeffrey R. Holland who came to speak at our Tuesday devotional in the MTC.

In closing he recounted the episode with Peter and the Apostles after Jesus had been resurrected. These men who had been with Jesus during His ministry were now in a new situation. They didn't know what to do. In frustrations, Peter said, I go a fishing." And the others joined him in this return to old times. They spent the whole night fishing, but were totally unsuccessful in their efforts. In the morning Jesus appeared to them on the shore, and he had fish which he had cooked on a fire. Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, and suddenly their nets were so full they began to break. Doing things the Lord's way is the only way to achieve success. In one of the most poignant lessons in the scriptures, Jesus called Peter to be faithful in his calling as President of the Quorum of Apostles and of the Church as he asked him three times “Lovest thou me more than these (fishes, boats, etc.)?” and Peter said “Yea Lord, thou knowest I love thee!” Then Jesus said, “FEED MY SHEEP!” It was essential that Peter forsake his boats and fishing career to become a fisher of men, full time. At that moment, as Elder Holland said, Peter committed to become the great leader that Jesus expected him to be. Elder Holland said that his own time of mission service changed his own life in the same way, and that every significant thing that has happened in his life since then has been influenced by that change. What a spiritual experience we had by attending that devotional that night.

On Friday night, 14th January, after completing our intensive training at the MTC, Jacob, Melanie and Ethen Howlett came down to our hotel and we walked to a place where we could have a Mexican dinner together. It was so wonderful to see them and talk with them about their honeymoon down and around Baja California, and share some of our experiences in the MTC. It was very special to visit with them for the last time before we left.

At right is a group picture at our last dinner together with some of our family before leaving for our assignment: L to R: Sister Pat Howlett, Elder Grant Howlett, our son Jacob Howlett, his bride Melanie Howlett and Jacob's son Ethen Howlett in front.