Luke graduates from the MTC
Luke has had a busy couple of weeks. I received an email from him last week and also an email from the mission secretary this week letting me know he had arrived safely to his mission assignment. Here is what he had to say in his final week in the MTC:
It's good to hear from you again. I wish I had read those two last
chapters of the book with you before I had left but I'm glad I got
those bits that you sent me. [Luke and I were reading The Continuous
Atonement by Brad Wilcox together but we didn't quite make it through.
It's an excellent book which I highly recommend.] I'm leaving the MTC
in about five more days and going out into Ghana. I'm pretty excited for
it, looking forward to meeting new people and helping them to learn
about Christ's Gospel. We spend a lot of time practicing with the teachers,
a pair of companions leave the classroom into another room where an
"investigator" is waiting for them. For a long time we all thought we
were doing a really bad job because the investigators would always
look super bored, like they're about to fall asleep, but after a while
we realized that they were just tired of hearing the same lesson over
and over again for multiple hours a day. When I first got to the MTC
I was super overconfident. I thought "I'm going to walk in there and
blow everyone away. The other missionary will all be like "this guy is
amazing we can't keep up." And the teachers will be like "you are the
greatest missionary I've ever taught, you should just go start
teaching investigators right now." And all the investigators will be
like "wow! you are so amazing, I know you just walked in here like
five minutes ago but could you baptize me right now?" And it will be
great, and I'll be the best missionary ever." It didn't take long for
my expectations to change. Right off the bat I realized how much more
I needed to learn before I left the MTC and how unprepared I really
was. But now I feel much better about the whole thing. I've learned
so much here about the Gospel and about how to teach. I think that
when the time comes it probably won't be like how I imagined it would
but it will still be great. I am so grateful for everything that I've
learned, not just here but at home too. I'm so grateful for
everything that I learned from my seminary teachers, and from my
Sunday School teachers, and from you. I think I'm ready now, I think
I'll do well in the Lord's eyes, and I think I'll be able to help
people.
This week in a brief hand-written letter he mentioned that he finally feels prepared to enter the mission field and preach the gospel by serving the Lord. He is excited for all the people he is going to help because he is sure there are people the Lord has prepared for Luke to serve. Now that he is out in the field, his P-day will be Monday for the rest of his mission.
Here's some package and letter information for those interested:
Ghana Accra West Mission MAIL INFORMATION USA
PLEASE SHARE WITH ANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO MAY WRITE
SENDING MONEY
Friends and family SHOULD NOT send money through the mail. The best way is for missionaries to organize a personal debit card before entering the MTC. Families can then deposit small amounts in the account when it is needed. The money can be withdrawn at an ATM in Ghana. Large amounts of money should not be left in this account and families should monitor it carefully.
POUCH MAIL service from the USA
The Church provides a “pouch” mail service to countries where other mail services may not be reliable. Each country regulates this service differently and the Church must comply with certain regulations in order to avoid fines and cessation of the pouch service. Only the following items may be sent through the pouch: post cards and letters that are single sheet, folded into three panels, and taped at the top or placed in an envelope. Letters sent in any other manner will be returned to the sender.
To send pouch mail from the USA write the name of the sender and return address in the upper left corner, affix standard postage stamps in the upper right corner, and address the letters as follows:
Missionary’s Name
Ghana Accra West Mission
P.O. Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
LETTERS & CARDS: * For letters only. Do not use this address for packages.
These can be sent by the Postal Service using the following address:
Elder (Missionary’s Name)
Ghana Accra West Mission
PBM CT 209
Cantonments
Accra, Ghana, West Africa
PACKAGES: PTO
1/2
PACKAGES:
All packages must be sent using a Private Courier. DHL is recommended. To ensure that your package is not stopped for duty, please indicate on the shipping label “duties and taxes will be paid by the sender.” Address these packages as follows… * FOR PACKAGES ONLY. DO NOT USE THIS ADDRESS FOR LETTERS!
Elder/Sister (Missionaries Name)
Ghana Accra West Mission
Fourth Circular Road
Coco Palm #3
Cantonments
Accra, Ghana, West Africa
Another option: Try contacting Jill Hebdon for some further advice or information.
Global Mission Shipping
702-285-4674
I also received some pictures of Luke in the mission home before heading out to the field:
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