Day #7

I don't believe I have mentioned the food!  I should, since most all of the senior missionaries are bemoaning the fact that we have all gained a little weight since arriving.  The cafeteria serves 3 meals a day, and is open for each meal at least a couple of hours.  There are four main lines that each serve something different, plus a leftover table, where food from the previous meals is put out for people who didn't get enough before!  There is one area that always serves a special salad, like sweet pork salad, or taco salad. At that same place is offered yogurt, bagels and fruit.
In another area, favorite American fast food is usually the offering...such as hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries or onion rings.  There are several posts where cold cereal, almonds, walnuts, and pecans are dispensed - as much as your heart desires.  You can also put together a sandwich if you choose, visit a salad bar, or cruise all of the stations for a dessert of your liking, which fairly often is cake or cookies.  The other two main stations serve comfort foods like spaghetti, linguini, lasagna, pork slab and potatoes and gravy or roast beef with potatoes and gravy.  There are numerous places where you can find a selection of fresh fruit and a variety of side salads.  AND on Wednesdays, it is ice cream day.....build your own Sundae, and their hot fudge is mouth-wateringly delicious!

As you might guess, every meal is a great social occasion where more conversations are carried on beginning with "Where are you going?" and "What will you be doing?"  We (and the other 6 seniors going to Denmark) have achieved some sort of celebrity status since everyone knows that we have to take an oral language test 5 months into the mission....and a failure is equivalent to an invitation from the government to leave....the country.  So the pressure is on.  But if I am invited to leave, my companion will have to leave with me, and he is determined NOT to let that happen.

The senior missionaries here that we spend our days with are remarkable and inspiring people with backgrounds of every sort, and a real track record in Church service.  We have met with about 50 other seniors this week, all of us being trained by CES instructors.  The depth of testimonies borne, the understanding shown of the gospel in comments, the experienced gained through years of service in the Church, and the passion for the message of the Restoration are inspiring indeed.  The wisdom from years lived plus a gentle kindness shines through and it is simply a privilege to be here with them.

We will leave for Denmark Thursday October 10 (our wonderful son-in-law Derek Taylor's birthday) and as excited as I am about it, I am wishing I could stay in the comfort, beauty and security of the MTC awhile longer.  I realize that having just regaled you with the joys of the cafeteria, I am not quite believable about the beauty etc. of the place.  But this is a wonderful place that I will long remember with great fondness and probably longing.  There is a great sense of belonging here, and it is with some sadness that I will leave.