second day at the MTC Provo

Well we received our flight plans today.  They had us flying out on the 20 but changed that since we had already done our medical training.  We fly out on Saturday morning and arrive in Mexico on a nonstop flight arriving at about 3:00 pm.  OK I hope I am ready for that  I need to learn Spanish big time and I would love to be able to practice the piano just 20 minutes a day.

I have a goal to be useful everyday.  I would like to feel confident to be able to teach the gospel to investigators and I want to be able to help the young elders and sisters feel good about their missions.  From what I have seen at the MTC in Provo those young people are on fire and are ready and willing and capable of being disciples of Christ.  I am going to have to take a lesson from them about commitment and enthusiasm to spread the gospel. 



We had a wonderful devotional tonight by the general Relief Society President, Lind K. Burton and her husband. She and her husband have served as mission presidents in Korea.  Dennis sand in the choir and it sounded great.  She told us about listening to the spirit and doing as prompted.  She mentioned that she was to speak in the last general conference right after president Boyd K. Packer.  She was given the last two paragraphs of his talk and could see the teleprompter so she knew when to walk down and be ready to speak.  After his last two paragraphs he continued to speak and she pointed out that what he said was prompted by the spirit.  Then she read to us what he said that was not in the original talk it was impressive.  I have printed in bold that which impressed me the most and which was the point I think she wanted to emphasize. 



" I bear witness that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God. He stands at the head of the Church. Through His Atonement and the power of the priesthood, families which are begun in mortality can be together through the eternities. The Atonement, which can reclaim each one of us, bears no scars. That means that no matter what we have done or where we have been or how something happened, if we truly repent, He has promised that He would atone. And when He atoned, that settled that. There are so many of us who are thrashing around, as it were, with feelings of guilt, not knowing quite how to escape. You escape by accepting the Atonement of Christ, and all that was heartache can turn to beauty and love and eternity.

I am so grateful for the blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the power of procreation, for the power of redemption, for the Atonement—the Atonement which can wash clean every stain no matter how difficult or how long or how many times repeated. The Atonement can put you free again to move forward, cleanly and worthily, to pursue that path that you have chosen in life.

I bear witness that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the Atonement is not a general thing that is for the whole Church. The Atonement is individual, and if you have something that is bothering you—sometimes so long ago you can hardly remember it—put the Atonement to work. It will clean it up, and you, as does He, will remember your sins no more. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Brother Craig P. Burton was also very effective in speaking to the missionaries.  He spoke of growing as you domissionary work. 

First day at Provo MTC white water

Monday, June 8th, 2015 was our first day at the Provo MTC.  We had orientation, lunch in the cafeteria with the young Elders and Sisters and more orientation.  We broke into districts of 4 couples.  We will travel back to Cottonwood Heights and sleep at home when we are not at the MTC.  They had our departure day set as the 20 of June but we told them we had already done our medical training and so they are changing it so we will fly our earlier.  That would have been a week here at home doing nothing. 

Whitewater  Story of moving/rolling water to keep from stagnation.

One sister whose husband is a member of the mission presidency at the MTC told us about the counsel her father who was a chemist gave her when she was young girl who would go hiking and camping.  He said that if she ever had to drink from the stream that she should drink from the moving water that was bubbling over the rocks and rushing along the river or stream because it was more pure and clean.  The water that was calm and still that was close to the bank was stagnate and contained more bacteria. The moral of her story was that we should keep busy and active and not become stagnate.  Serving missions was a good way to do this. 

Sunday June 6 2015

June 7th, 2015 Dennis and I were set apart as full time missionaries tonight by stake president Kezerian and bishop James Larsen. Dennis and each of my sons in law, who hold the Melchezideck priesthood, Jared, Darren, Eric, and Ben also stood in the circle to set me apart. It was a definite a display of the use of priesthood authority. Chad and Seth left on Saturday after the baptism to drive back to Kentucky.  Chad has to work and Seth is going to pack up his belongings to bring them back here to Utah so he can live in our basement and work.  He turns 18 on June 20th.  I do hope he decides to go on a mission.  He bought our 4-Runner from us.  Dennis sold it to him for $500.  He has been working at a pizza shop in Kentucky and has saved some money. 
After the setting apart by the Stake President and the Bishop the children and their parents, (our children) all had rehearsed a medley of songs to sing to us including some verses of "called to serve" in Spanish. It was very touching to have the whole family there except Chad, Seth and Rob.  I really appreciated their efforts to made this a special occasion that we will remember. It was very nice.

When the stake president set me apart he told me some special things that were important to me.  For one he told me that I would have an increased capacity to do the things that I had considered hard or difficult in the past.  He blessed me to have courage to do hard things. I hope that is the case for learning the Spanish language, playing the piano and be able to sing the hymns.  

He also blessed me that I could learn the language and that I could influence the missionaries for good. He blessed me that I could love them as their parents do.

 I really appreciate that fact that he said our family would grow not only in size but spiritually also. This is important because Rachel would still like to have more children and we could always use more spirituality. 

He blessed me that I would be able to adventure out and do things I may not have considered but to be safe when I venture out physically.

Rachel and Ely came from Seattle last Friday and Jenny and Eric and family came on Saturday. Chad and Jeana and family also came last Saturday. We have had a whirlwind of family activities. Ely had a birthday party, Sophie was baptized, we took tours of temple square, the beehive house, we went to Tyler's  piano recital, we had our own piano recital at home, some went to Tyler's and Ella's soccer game and dance program at school, some went to the park, some to Wheeler farm and thanksgiving point, some went jet skiing, and some went to Jordan's end of year production. Dennis and Rachel went to the cabin and to visit his mother. Most went to get ice cream. We ate lunch at Candace's  and dinner one night at Amy's. We played games and the kids played in the small pool in the back yard. All in all it was a very busy week before going into the MTC tomorrow. 

All the family at Tyler's and Ella's succor game. I took Linda home after dinner at Amy's and Rob didn't make the trip this time but everyone else is there. It was a trip to Rita's  for custard afterward. 

Songs our children and grandchildren sang after we were set apart

Candace was instrumental in getting everyone to learn these songs to sing to us after the Stake President had set us apart in our home.

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Family pictures

Medical training in SLC by Elder and Sister Drake May 18-25 2015

Mission Call

We received the long awaited envelope in the mail on Thursday 22, 2015.  We had met with Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer at the church office building downtown back in October and told him we would like to serve a mission.  He asked us if we were in good health and if Dennis was really retiring.  When we replied yes to each of those questions he asked us where and when we would like to serve.  Since Dennis speaks Spanish we choose Mexico City out of the options he gave us.  It also worked out for the timing.  He said they would need us there the 8th of June and that we would serve for 18 months. 



When we met with Elder Schwitzer he said we would still have to submit our mission applications through the bishop and then we would receive a formal call from the prophet.  This is the formal call.  One is for Dennis and the other is for me.  Elder Schwitzer said Dennis would be an AMA (Area Medical Advisor) but as it is turning out he may very well be the doctor at the MTC who sees missionaries when they need attention.  I am not sure all that I will do. 

Candace and children and Renee and children were all here to watch us open our call.  It really wasn't a surprise.  We knew where we were going to serve but just the same it was nice to get the official call and know that the Lord really wanted us to serve. 


I had to reply back to the brethren stating I would or would not accept the call I had been offered to serve in Mexico.  This is my acceptance statement to them. 

Dear Brethren.  I humbly accept the call to serve a mission with my husband at the MTC in Mexico City.  I am honored to be a representative of Jesus Christ in building the kingdom of God and helping others to come unto him.  It is my desire to assist where I am able and where I am asked.  I acknowledge the trust and responsibility placed in me as a missionary.  I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that I belong to his true church restored to the earth in this dispensation by the Prophet Joseph Smith.  It would be my wish that all people would respond to the Spirit of Christ that is in them and thus be led to the fullness of the gospel. I am grateful to be living on the earth at this time when I have the ability to make covenants in the temple that will seal my family together for eternity.  I know that we have prophets on the earth today that are chosen and led by Jesus Christ.  I recognize Thomas S. Monson as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ today and accept this call from him to serve a mission at this time.  

I have been going to the Senior MTC in Provo to get help learning Spanish.  Brother Daniel Kenner and Brother Sterling Elliott have been my teachers.