Prologue - The MTC

                    September  21 2017

                    Dearly Beloveds,

                    True Story.  (Google it.)  Back in the day (the 60’s) there was a Major League Baseball pitcher named Nick Willhite.  For a time he pitched for the LA Dodgers, in the lineup with the legendary Sandy Koufax.  When Nick and his wife Nancy had three small kids, they met the missionaries and joined the church.  Over time their family expanded to seven children.  Unfortunately, the glamor and lifestyle of professional baseball pulled Nick away from the church.  He drank, and partied, and eventually left Nancy for another woman.

                    Nick Willhite’s poor choices carried into his post-baseball life.  He was married and divorced three times.  He became an alcoholic and drug addict, and for a time was homeless on the streets of Salt Lake City.  With the help of friends, including former players, Nick went through rehabilitation and made a partial comeback.  He served as a pitching coach at BYU and as a drug rehab counselor.  He eventually suffered from a terrible cancer that ate portions of his mouth, jaw and throat – and he died at the home of one of his sons.

                    Things went better for his first wife Nancy.  She remained faithful in the Gospel, and became a great Matriarch to her posterity.  All of them (except one who died as a child) are strong and active in the church today.  As are the now-25 grandchildren.  Nancy (now Nancy Read) has served in many church callings, including a full-time mission.  She and most of her progeny live in the Provo area.  Now in her late seventies (I’d say), Nancy serves as a volunteer at the Provo MTC.  Once a week she meets with senior missionaries who practice teaching her lessons based upon the training they have been receiving.

                    Well, this past week, the senior couple assigned to teach Nancy were Mark and Darlene
Allred.  The experience was moving for all three of them.  There was a powerful Spirit – many tears, especially by Grandmothers Nancy and Darlene – as they discussed their love for their families, and the important role of grandparents as well as parents. Mark shared with Nancy a letter his son Adam wrote about the influence of his Grandpa Allred.  More tears.  And warm hugs between the three of them as the teaching ended.

                   I tell of our experience with Nancy Read, because it epitomizes in many ways how things went for us at the MTC.  Coming here, I imagined I was in for some long meetings and struggles to stay awake.  But if I was receptive and humbled myself, I'd glean things worth learning.  It turned out better than just that.  Much better.

There were 107 senior missionaries who entered the MTC with us.  Some really fine people. They – and all the MTC staff – tried dang hard to be loving and nice.  We made great friendships and connected on a human, and perhaps lasting, level in ways I didn’t expect.

The teaching and training were excellent.  One evening, they played for us a talk Elder Bednar gave here at the MTC on Christmas Day a few years back – on the character of Christ.  Another evening Elder Quentin Cook visited and spoke to us live.  Those two talks are on the shortlist of most powerful I have ever heard.  And this 10 days in the MTC turned out to be a profound growth experience.

Interestingly, when I entered this place for the first time, the LTM (as it was then called) was in its first year of operation.  (I arrived in Feb 77, and the sparkling new facility had just opened in 1976.)  Over the next 40 years, they added a few buildings, but the place changed very little.  Until now.  Just last month, a huge new addition came on line.  The new MTC facilities aren’t as dramatic as the Conference Center across from Temple Square in Salt Lake – but close.  Terraced gardens.  Fountains.  Six stories high, fifteen-foot ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows, and spectacular views of the skies, mountains, and valleys.  Much better for the soul than the old days, when we spent hour after hour, memorizing dialogues, with our faces pressed into a corner of cinder block walls.

Here is a photo of the new MTC complex:

          And, if you're interested in a video of the place:

I guess the only disturbing thing about our stay in the MTC was the realization that they are now letting deacons serve full-time missions.  That’s got to be what’s happening.  Because I swear a lot of these kids are no more than twelve or thirteen years old.  One of you may want to call President Monson and ask him what he’s thinking.

Here’s a photo of our MTC district.  Very nice people.

            Here we are pointing to London on the famous map in the main hall of the administration  building:

          Coca Cola machine at the MTC.  Proof of the sin and wickedness overtaking the church:

          I was praying the other night and I felt a strong impression or insight.  I realized that Doll and I do not have a perfect marriage, because we are not perfect people.  But we do in fact have quite an excellent marriage, because we are, on the whole, quite excellent people.

Here we are in the Salt Lake Airport just before flying to London:

                    I love y'all deeply -- even if I'll never admit it in public.

                    Love,

                    Markie, Daddy, Grampie Bum Stupid.