On Sunday Dec. 27, Parden gave his mission talk in Sacrament meeting in Plain City. He spoke about how the Book Of Mormon can be used in our lives and how it can be used in missionary work. He bore testimony with confidence and conviction. I felt quite proud of him and I know he will be a great missionary in Indiana.
After Payden spoke, Terry, Chris and I drove to Provo to take a tour of the MTC as guests of President and Sister Madsen who are in the MTC mission presidency. The Madsens are Jalen and Tyson Gibbons grandparents. They invited Chris to come with them and since Chris had to have a ride, Terry and I got to come too. We really enjoyed seeing the MTC. Terry went to one week of training in Salt Lake City before his mission to Kentucky so he didn't get to visit the MTC before his mission. We all were excited to get the tour. First we ate lunch in the MTC cafeteria. Chicken cordon blu and ice cream from the BYU creamery. mmmm ...Then we attended a Spanish speaking Sacrament meeting. Everything except for one talk was given in Spanish. It really is a miracle that missionaries learn the language so quickly and so well. After church, we visited the gymnasium/ devotional gathering center, saw where the laundry room is (it was locked for the day) and stood by the big MTC map. Jalen, Tyson and Chris spun, closed their eyes and pointed to the place they might be sent. Chris pointed to Canada. They all pointed to Morocco for a photo together. We enjoyed the tour and lunch. The Madsens were very nice to include us with their family! Chris told me he will feel more confident and less nervous to leave for his mission after the visit.