We Can Do This

Missionary Training Center Aug 6 - 11, 2012

Hello family and friends . .

We are on our way!!  Thursday, Aug 2nd we locked the door to our home to leave for this mission to the Dominican Republic as Caribbean Area Auditors.  Jason and Angela took us to the airport to go to Salt Lake City.  We had a day of training at the Church Office Building on Friday.  That was an eye opening experience of how the church works all over the world to monitor and account for all of the funds donated through tithing and fast offering.  We were taught one on one by the Director of the Auditing Department and also two of his assistants.  They were wonderful to work with and very approachable.  At the end of the day we left feeling . . . WE CAN DO THIS . . . maybe!

We spent the weekend with Jenna and Lane's family and they all dropped us off at the Missionary Training Center Monday morning - Aug 6th.  It is such an organized and efficient process now that they hardly give you time to say goodbye!  They unloaded our luggage - gave us hugs and were off!   There are about 50 senior couples here this week in our group - literally going all over the world with a great variety of assignments.  They told us the number of couples going on missions has doubled in the last year - amazing and terrific!  We are often in a class with the whole senior group - but mostly in a smaller group of the same four couples that we have enjoyed getting to know.  We are mostly taught by young returned missionaries - they are fun and don't let us get away with much even though we could be their grandparents!   The fireside of the whole MTC was an awesome experience - it is worth it just to listen to the singing of "Called to Serve" with over two thousand young missionaries singing behind our group.

It is a good thing we are only here a week as the three solid meals in the cafeteria would quickly do us in!  We had a meeting with a doctor and another couple that is going to the Dominican Republic of the Congo in Africa.  The doctor was informing us about malaria - we will only have to take pills if we go into Hati.   The other couple however know they will have to deal with all that is involved with daily pills for malaria and the issues of hygine - they even have to wash the cans of food.  If they think there is a mosquito in the room they have to sleep with a net.  It was pretty scary and sobering to listen to the doctor and his warnings for them.  We did have to get a typhoid shot.

We leave here at 5:30 Saturday morning on a shuttle for the airport and will land in Santo Domingo about 9:20 that evening after a couple of layovers.  Arizona home is certainly missed already - but we are anxious to get going in our assignment.   It is a wonderful opportunity to serve a mission.  We hope you know how much you mean to us and how loved you are  . . . more than you can know! 

Loads of love Mom and Dad, Chuck and Vickie, Grandma and Grandpa     XOXOXOXOXO

Chuck waiting on a skype call early morning the day we left home - notice bare feet and pj's

traditional map photo

This is only one aisle of washers/dryers!