Blessings Of A Home Mission Training Center~

We had a spectacular blessing. We were able to have our Grandson, Elder Ethan Williams, here for two one half weeks for his at-home MTC training for imparting on his mission to the California, Los Angeles Mission. He arrived at our home on September 23rd, 2020. We prepared for his MTC experience by setting up his study room in our Library. His Grandpa had fun making welcome signs and actually finding the photos of his district. The district is comprised of 14 Elders and Sisters. Out of the 14, he was assigned a companion. All of them  study together and do other training. Elder Williams and his companion had daily study time together and other times to just hang out. Of course, this is all done over Zoom.

Before, Elder Williams started his mission. He went to the Rexburg Idaho Temple on September 19th, to receive his endowment. We were blessed to be able to attend the temple with him and his family. It was such a special occasion. Those that attended were his brother Austin, who just returned from his two-year mission in Omaha, Nebraska; Amanda, his mom, his dad, Travis, Elder Williams and his brother in law Jaxson and sister, Justice are in the photo. We felt very blessed to be able to be there. We traveled up during a terrible storm, and when we arrived, it was raining hard and lightning. I was afraid to get out of the car. We barely made it there. I do think we were being watched over by angels. 

On September 23rd, Elder William's parents, Travis and Amanda, our son and daughter in law, brought him down to our home to start his MTC Training. We had a great visit with them. They then said their good-byes. It was hard for dear Amanda to leave this son. 

The first weekend here, we had our Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We were blessed to be able to watch two days of this inspiring and uplifting conference with Ethan. The messages were beautiful and gave us great hope in our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Elder Ethan's Preparation Day was on the following Saturday. This is a day when on their mission, they can do their shopping, chores, etc. It's also a day when they can have an activity with their district. In the evening, they go back to their missionary endeavors. 

Elder Williams didn't have any meetings until in the evening, so we took him down to Temple Square to enjoy the afternoon there. It was enjoyable. The Salt Lake Temple in the middle renovations. We were able to see the progress on the temple, plus many fun areas surrounding it. 

There were some Sister Missionaries on temple square, and several of them stopped to ask what Elder Williams was doing and where he was going on his mission. He is a handsome young man, so I wasn't surprised. 

It was fun to show him temple square with other surrounding buildings. Most of the buildings were closed due to COVID 19. The church office building is one of the taller buildings in Salt Lake. Normally, you can go to the top and see the Salt Lake Valley. It was fun for his Grandpa to talk with him about the history of the temple and area.

 The Last Saturday that Elder Williams was with us, his parents got permission from his Stake President in Rexburg to come down for his last P-day. They came down, and after his morning meeting, he could go with them for the day. They had a great time together. His Dad, Mom,  Elder Ethan, his little sister, Haven, and his other siblings Karli, Layton, and Justice. The are in the photo above. When they came back; it was time for good-bys. That is a difficult moment because they won't see this beloved son and brother for two years. However, he can talk with them weekly, or email. This has been a big blessing for missionaries in this era. 

Yes, it was one more moment of good-bys for everyone. A few tears were shed on this one, especially for the Mom. It brought back memories of sending 4 of my children off on missions. I was a bit teary too.  

October 11th, 2020, we spent a delightful Sabbath day with our Grandson. This experience having having him in our home was the best. He was busy in meetings on Zoom with his district and the teachers everyday, but we did have choice times when we could visit with him. Especially, meal times were extra sweet. His Grandpa had some great missionary conversations with Ethan. Both of us have served missions. My husband has served 6 missions and I have served 5. We have had a lot of experience in missionary work so it was fun to share missionary moments, both joyful ones and difficult ones too.

Monday, October 12th, Elder Ethan Williams was up early preparing for his afternoon flight to his mission area of Los Angeles, California. When the time was drawing nigh, I was starting to feel sad, he was leaving. It has been such a priveledge for us.  It gave as a unique opportunity to grow closer to this beloved grandson. As we took him to the airport, had our finally hugs; we were in tears as he rolled his suitcases to the entrance. We know this young man will be a powerful missionary. He has a solid testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His mission won't be an easy one. He will be quarantined and have all the Covid restrictions for California. We are very proud of his decision to serve our Heavenly Father for two years. I also love that this young man worked hard to save the money to pay for his own mission.  

The missionaries today are doing a lot of reaching out through the various media sources and do teaching by Zoom and Facetime. Our missionaries are finding great sucess and having baptisms too. 

       Here is a link to tell about our Mission Training Centers that are now closed because of COVID 19 If you would like to learn more about online Training and a Virtual MTC; you can read  about it here.  

Update: To all my wonderful blogging friends, a few thoughts. It has been a while since I have written a blog. I hope to be back a little more often. I know we all have struggles with the COVID 19 restrictions and with the other chaos that surrounds us. However, not long ago, Elder Rasband, one of our Apostles asked the question; what are we learning from this experience? I will say I have learned many lessons. It has opened up to me important questions about how I am doing with my own faith and hope in the future. I am focusing on our Savior, Jesus Christ and through Him, I am finding peace and hope in my day. I pray that a treatment will be found and a vaccine will come soon; so we may have a more normal life. I pray for our world, nation, and my dear friends; you included, that your families and you will find peace and happiness each day. I have deep gratitude to our loving Heavenly Father for countless blessing through this all. May you all feel and know the love our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ have for you. I know we are all God's children and He loves us all and wants us to come unto Him through our Savior, Jesus Christ.