We have just finished our week at the MTC.  We were not sure what to expect as we ventured to Provo on Monday morning.  We studied and practiced the lessons in Preach My Gospel.   It was a very worthwhile week.  Even though most of the 76 missionaries in the Senior MTC were not going on a proselyting mission, we were told that we would have times that we would teach the gospel to others and that is why we all learned to understand and use the publication, Preach My Gospel.  The spirit was strong during the classes and practice sessions.  I learned to appreciate Paul even more as the gospel oriented spiritual giant in my life.
   We choose to return to our own home each night to spend time getting more ready for England and sleep in our own bed.  It turned out that Paul used the evenings to go through his genealogy to decide what he needed to take to England and what he could get by without.  I came home tired and relaxed a little and then went to bed early each night.  My use of the time home was not so well spent (unless resting is well use of my time).
     Today, Saturday, we are doing things that are still needed to be ready to travel to England and leave our home and family for 18 months.  I am trying to clean out the refrigerator and freezer and food pantry.  There is so much to do!
     Paul is trying to get us ready for tax preparation by going over our finances and making printouts of various expenditures.
     We will be training this next week at the Church Office Building in downtown Salt Lake City. We will let you know how that goes at the end of the week. 
     It is really different to wear our name tags everywhere we go, but  we are so very honored to be serving a mission for the Lord.
     I must end this by saying that we went into the MTC wondering about how the experience would be and whether it would be a worthwhile experience.  I can't begin to tell you what a marvelous experience it was.  I would recommend it to anyone that needs a lift in life and a glimpse of what really counts in this world.

Elder and Sister Smart.