On This Day in my Personal History

Over the weekend I was thinking about special 4th of Julys and of course the day after the 4th one year was very special to me. So I also reflected on that over that day over the weekend.

On July 5th of 1979 I entered the MTC or the Missionary Training Center in Provo Utah. I had joined the LDS church on June 17, 1977 at the age of 29. A mission was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to get married but the Lord had other things in store for me. I was raised Catholic and telling my Dad I had joined the LDS church was hard enough but to tell him I was going on a mission are even harder. My Dad didn’t understand anything about any religion except being Catholic. It was also shortly after Jonestown, that I decided to go on a mission. 

So my Dad was worried I was going to go to South America and would drink poison. And where did I go, Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission. He knew he couldn’t stop me and he never understood about my conversion or the desire to serve a mission. But he did promise to write and he kept his promise.



Cover of my Mission Scrapbook

Actually I think he got off easy because when I was ten I wanted to be a Nun Nurse in Africa after seeing the movie the “The Nun Story” at least I would be home in eighteen months.

Above is the cover I made for my mission scrapbook.  The little card in the center is what we wore on our name tags while in the MTC.  While in the MTC you were to speak only Spanish to anyone  going on a Spanish speaking mission.  The Bolivian Flag is red, yellow and green and the national flower is the Kantuta.  After eight weeks of being submersed in Spanish, I thought I could really speak it until I landed in Santa Cruz.  What a rude awaking.



Mission Name Tag

I bet every missionary who ever stayed at the MTC has a picture of themselves in front of the world map pointing to their little spot in the world and I am no exception.

Me in front of the MTC World Map

I loved my mission and I loved the people I severed in Bolivia.  It was a great growing experience and I have many cherished memories of my mission.  The memory of entering the MTC and officially starting my mission is indeed a very found memory.