First Experiences As A Missionary! — Leslie Hancock Real Estate

The Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT

Dear family and friends,

This is our first letter home from the mission field! So much has happened and there is so much to share.

First of all, The MTC (Missionary Training Center) was awesome! I loved every minute of the 9 days we were there. The rooms had just been remodeled and most had a view of the mountains! Our schedule consisted of breakfast at 7:30, class from 8am to 4:30pm, dinner at 5pm and then sometimes a meeting in the evening. Sunday was the fullest day for sure. The 300 senior missionaries that were in training that week comprised a “district” with a Bishop who made everyone feel like they were the most important person there. Everything flowed seamlessly.

Our teachers were fantastic! Most of them were college students just recently back from their missions. They were motivating, fun and filled with goodness. WE got the opportunity to practice sharing what we believe.

A swarm of eager young missionaries at the MTC in Provo, Utah

I just have to tell you about our meals! They were in a giant all-you-could-eat cafeteria. How 300 senior missionaries and 2,200 young elders and sisters cycled through for 3 meals a day is still a phenomena I can hardly comprehend. It was crazy but amazingly organized. There were the staples like hamburgers and fries, homemade soup, a salad bar and fresh fruit and veggies and at least 2 dozen different drinks. The entrees and desserts changed each night and there were several to choose from. Denny and I had so much fun, and yes, we ate WAY too much! It was hilarious to watch the missionaries pile up their trays. A typical young missionary elder would have at least 2 entrées (always fries), soup, at least 3 giant cookies and their famous chocolate milk(It was from the BYU creamery and was super creamy and good).

We had the sweet privilege of seeing family and friends before, during and after the MTC. The weekend before we entered, Steve and Melissa Comrie hosted an amazing dinner w/ dear friends, Tom and Sandra Woods and Chris and Kristin White. During the week we spent two evenings with Denny’s brother Ralph who is a professor at BYU and his wife, Julie, we had dinner with Marilyn Victor and on the night before we left for St. George and had the sweet privilege of spending time with Mackenzie Rands and her family. Another tender mercy was that our stay in Provo was just long enough that we could share that with our lifelong friends, Jon and Becky. Tonight we had a wonderful visit from President Mackay and his wife, Sheila……our first guests to our humble little apartment in St. George!

I’m happy to report is that even though Denny and I are spending every waking moment together, we are still very much in love! We celebrated our 39th anniversary with a movie night and too much popcorn and hiked to Stewart Falls at Sundance the next morning to work it off.

We are now here in St. George and had a full day of training today for the visitor’s center and historical sites. Tomorrow we begin!

Take care of yourselves and please come visit if you can!