September 12, 2012

We left the MTC today.  I guess we graduated.  We spent the first three days of this week learning about CES, or S and I, or Seminaries and Institutes.  We feel like we have been filled with insights, a new way to teach institute (that the Church just brought out in April of this year), hit over the head with a new, golden club.  It was a beautiful club, but our head hurts, filled with new ideas, counsel from the brethren, etc.   

The food there is great, too much of it.  One missionary gained 43 pounds there in eleven weeks.  No, we didn't, but we sure ate a lot.  It seemed that every time we went to class, the instructor would say, it is time for lunch, or dinner.  Today, our last day there, I sort of felt like I didn't ever want to eat again.  Lots of great food to choose from, but I was sick of it.  I wanted Bonnie's home cooking. 

Elder Bell  (the brother over the Senior Missionaries) told us of the process of us getting our call.  He said that they receive between 35 and 50 applications per week for seniors.  (This number has gone up about 30% over the last year.)  (Probably because of the limit of housing for the senior missionaries.)  (Also because of the "call" from the brethren.) He said that for the first week, these applications are reviewed by the medical staff and rated one to four.  The "fours" could need great medical attention in their fields of labor.  They also need a great deal of medicine to keep going.  The "ones" are very healthy and may not need much medical attention and limited drugs to keep going.

Then they are all sent to seventeen (17) different categories of mission or departments.  For example:  Accounting, Proselyting, Farming, Motor Pool, CES, PEF, Office Help,Temple, Counseling, etc.  Each of these departments checks with the applications of the Senior Applicants and selects those who they desire in their area.  They match them with the openings they have across the world in their areas of expertise. 

Then they send them to the missionary committee.  The Missionary Committee makes their recommendations  according to the requests of these seventeen departments.  Their recommendations go to a brother Zwick.  He prays, ponders and makes his own suggestions and tries to prioritize which senior missionary couple should go where.  Then he sends his suggestions to a committee of three from the quorum of seventy.  These three brothers again evaluate according to their inspiration, making suggestions again, where they think each couple should go, which opening to fill, or whatever.

Then he passes their ideas on to one of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  He ponders, prays, and considers where each couple should go.  (This was explained in Priesthood meeting a few years ago.)  He makes his decision and then passes his feelings on to the Prophet.  After President Monson approves this or makes his own changes, then these decisions are sent back to the specific department (one of the 17).  In our case CES.  Brother Bell said it is like Christmas to see if through all the committees, they agree with the suggestions of the departments.  Then we are sent our call, on July 28th.  

For those interested, no the seniors are not given "Dork Dots," which the new young missionaries get.  That is an orange dot placed on their missionary tag showing everyone that they just entered the MTC, and they are allowed to be dorks, or I mean unsure of everything.  (Bonnie would get mad at that statement.)

Tomorrow, we go to SLC, Church Headquarters to learn all about the Perpetual Education Fund.  We will be involved in that in the DR I am sure.  Would love to share many more events and lessons we learned, but should not let you get too tired reading.  

Strange, but today I had a thought (inspiration) come into my mind and I started to lament the time when we leave the Dr.  It is going to be very, very difficult, because of those we will grow to love and have lived with for so long.