Entering the MTC

Well its been a while getting here but we are finally on our mission.  The short version of the long story is that if the visas haven't arrived by the time we finish the 2 weeks of training, we will begin serving in the Manhattan New York Temple while we wait for the visas.  This seems great to us.  One more place we would not have been able to serve if we hadn't sent in our papers for a mission.  The first day has been wonderful.  We will be training in the Provo Temple this week and next week will be the Preach My Gospel training.

In Las Vegas instead of MTC

Hello everyone.

Monday the 23rd of Aug we were to go to the MTC.  But the Visas still aren't here.  We may go in next week.  So instead we went to Las Vegas to help our daughter-in-law move. Our son has been working there for a few months.  We went to the water show at the Bellagio and it was worth the trouble to go to the strip.

Water Show from the Bellagio

Eiffel Tower from Bellagio

So I hope you don't get the wrong idea.  It was 106 that day.

Visa Delayed

In the afternoon of the 13th of July we received a call from the Missionary Department of the the Church and were notified that the day for us to enter the MTC had been changed from the 26th of April to the 23rd of of August because of delays in receiving our visas for Brazil.  We were asked to go to the Brazilian Consulate website and fill in a form and print it in triplicate for each of us.  We also needed to get 2 more photos the same as the passport photos for each of us and mail in with the forms.  We did this the very next day. Verae was relieved to have more time to prepare.  I had mixed feelings because I am anxious to begin our mission but I also have some projects to do before going into the MTC.

 On the 18th of July many of our friends came to our sacrament meeting where Verae and I were speaking.  It was gratifying to see so many there and to visit with you at the lunch afterward.  As always Verae was worried about giving her talk and prepared for days.  I on the other hand,  worried more about the song that we sang for the special musical number.  Clive Romney did his normal magnificent job of getting a version of "My Testimony" that we could sing.  There were nine of us in all that sang.   I received many compliments on the song after the meeting.  Most of those under 35 hadn't heard it and those of our age wanted to sing along with us.  Some asked after the meeting if that was 'the' Clive Romney.  Yes it was and he is my brother-in-law.  My brother Ralph Hansen told us at the dinner that he and Yvonne Burgess were going to be married on  July 28th in the Jordan River Temple.   Yvonne has been a friend of the family for many years.  My oldest daughter remembers when Yvonne took her and some other cousins out for Ice cream when they were about 10.  We were able to attend the sealing because of the delay in our visas.

The Portuguese is coming along as well as can be expected.  I was able to bear my testimony in Portuguese in my talk and I was able to say the things I wanted without hesitation to form the sentences.  I even surprised myself.