Elder Pack

June 29, 2020 A family in our ward brought Ethan a gift. They said that since he is missing out on the best part of the Provo MTC - the cereal bar - they brought him some. It was cute!  We have great people in our neighborhood and ward.

June 28,2020 Ethan was asked to give a talk on “Personal Revelation” in Sacrament Meeting. It was supposed to be 7 minutes long because we only go to church for 45 minutes right now. It was his farewell talk and he did a great job. Here is the audio of his talk. Because if Covid, authorization has been given to audio record the farewell talks. 

June 27, 2020 We spent Saturday morning getting Ethan’s room cleaned out so he could start MTC in his room. We finished with 2 bins of stuff and then 1 bin of Legos. His closet is filled with mission clothes. We need to put his desk up and move some furniture around but it’s getting close. He still has a pile of mission stuff and his suitcases. But it’s getting there. Every time a package comes we just pile it in the corner. He is going to need to go through it all soon. His empty walls where mountain bike stuff used to be. Shirts and pants all ready to be worn.

On June 19th, Ethan received some instructions and a letter from his mission president. There was a confidential questionnaire for us to fill out also so President Palmer could get to know Ethan a little more. It is starting to get real.

We have been waiting, not so patiently, to find out if Ethan would be reporting you the Provo MTC or whether he would be doing MTC at home.  The mission department of the Church communicates on Mondays so on June 15th Ethan received an email saying that he would be doing online MTC.  He was disappointed because he wanted the whole experience but he is such a chill guy that he adapted well. On June 22nd he received another email confirming that he would be attending online MTC and letting him know to expect emails from his teachers soon. On June 26th Ethan received introduction emails from his 2 MTC teachers. He still hadn’t received any information about how the online MTC would work of anything. But I’m June 29th (2 days before he was to begin the online MTC) he received an email with instructions. He has classes via Zoom that are set and then there are separate seminars he is required to attend but he had to schedule those separately. He spend a long time Tuesday morning get...

We are very excited for your missionary to begin their service in just a few weeks. All new missionaries will participate in an Online Missionary Training experience to prepare them for their upcoming missions. We know that your family and countless others will be greatly blessed as you support your missionary.  “The ultimate missionary training center is in our homes...our homes are the ultimate setting for learning, living, and becoming. (David A. Bednar, Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing, April 2019 General Conference).”  We hope that as a family you can prepare together for this experience. Your missionary will need encouragement and support throughout their training. It is anticipated that your missionary should follow the general missionary standards, including the approved schedule and the dress and grooming standards found in Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ. Please help your missionary understand the importance of this preparation period while t...

  Dear Missionary, As was announced, and under the direction of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, your missionary training experience will now take place online. This will be a unique experience for you and all who are affected by the precautionary measures taken to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. You will learn through video conferencing in your home or other suitable location rather than in person at the missionary training center. Be assured during this time that the Lord loves you, is aware of you and the challenges that this may present and will support you as you serve Him. Your training experience will begin on your missionary training start date and will count toward your time of missionary service.   Missionary training center staff will contact you by email approximately one week before your start date to provide additional information and to begin the process.      Prior to beginning your online MTC experience,...