The MTC and First Week in Africa

Overlooking Johannesburg from temple grounds

Five PEF couples at MTC (3 going to South Africa, 1 to Brazil, 1 to Cambodia)

November 17-23, 2008
Our MTC experience has brought back fond memories of three years ago. The format has been almost identical with some minor adjustments. Still the same great spirit not found anywhere else. It is an amazing experience to be around 2600 enthusiastic young missionaries. We have 69 senior missionaries in our group. Since they are rehabbing one of the buildings, they have used part of the senior housing for sister missionaries and we ended up staying in the Super 8 about a mile away by Cougar stadium, since we have access to a car. Note the traditional picture by the large MTC map. The picture of the five couples are the PEF (Perpetual Education Fund) missionaries in our group. There are a number of different “additional assignments” in our senior missionary group, but the largest number are CES (Church Education System) missionaries which we are part.

Thanksgiving Dinner – November 27, 2008
The only way this day could have been made better, would be to have had Nathan and Jonathan's family here with us. 36 people, composed of Andrew and Jenn and family, Christina and Joel and family, Stephanie and Bill and family, David, Janet, Bonnie, Laura, Greg, Michael and Lindsay, Brice, Mary and Prince, Rachel and Eric and family, plus Eric's mother, Grandma Rothe, Jared, and Susan and Paul Oddou. Used Stephanie's basement like a banquet room and served the food upstairs. It worked out so nice for us, since everyone brought parts of dinner and a tremendous feast was had by all, including the traditional See's chocolate turkeys. There was quite a herd of them sitting on the fireplace hearth waiting to be passed out to grandchildren and great grandchildren! After some remembering, it was calculated that chocolate turkeys have been a part of Thanksgiving for 32 years. The day was a wonderful way to visit with our various family members before leaving the United States.

December 1, 2008
7:15 am marked our arrival in Johannesburg, after a very long set of airplane rides, long but not a problem did we have. British Airways took good care of us and the upgrade was muchly appreciated. All the legs of the trip were basically on time, except for the trip from London to Johannesburg, which left 45 minutes late due to mechanical problems on the jetway. Now we are at a Courtyard Hotel near the temple and area office buildings. Tea and cookies were waiting on the table when we checked in. Thabo Lebatho, our PEF boss, met us at the airport and gave us a windshield tour of Johannesburg. The freeway system looks like any that we are familiar with, except they are driving on the wrong side of the road! Arlo sat in the front seat and was taking in all the road situations. We are told that for a while, learning to drive here will be a combined effort for both of us. The landscape is very green, but as they are entering the summer season, some of the green will turn to brown. Might not be the same for Durban, because it is more tropical. Most of the larger homes, and even some of the more modest are surrounded by a variety of fences-many having barbed wire coiled along the tops, nails cemented in point up or metal spikes. In our travels today we saw lots of apartment (flats) buildings, but are told that these are small in number, compared to the squatter's villages.
While waiting for our hotel room to be ready, we went across the street to a very nice shopping area and adjacent mall. The mall was very modern and large – felt like we were in Westwood – very trendy. We found a bank and converted our dollars to rands and also a store much like Walgreen's (called Click's) where we bought an adapter plug so we can plug in the computer.
Tonight we attended a family home evening/good away party for one of the couples serving in the temple, with all the couples here in Johannesburg and the other two PEF couples that came with us. Also included in the group were the area presidency along with their wives, Elder Parmley, Elder Koelliker and Elder Watson (used to be the Executive Secretary to the First Presidency. This week, it will be a one on one follow around, with two different PEF couples from this area and see how they are doing the PEF work.

December 2, 2008
Jet lag is very much upon us. During our training today, one on one with a current PEF couple, Elder and Sister Prusee, here in Johannesburg, we kept nodding off-how embarrassing! Even worse happened in the evening, as we were attending a PEF Council Meeting with the Johannesburg Stake. Again, we could feel ourselves just go out and then quickly be pulled back to consciousness by the jerking of the neck!

December 3, 2008
Sleep came easily as we laid down to sleep, but about 4 hours later, the eyes were wide awake. So we anticipated another head jerking day and it was! Not having much dinner last night, we decided to go to the dining room here at the hotel and have real breakfast. The array of food was quite something and included items we would not see in the U.S. Hotels-cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, cold cuts and crusty brown bread ready to slice. It seems that disposable dishes, glasses, etc. are just not a part of life here. Always china ware and glass glasses, not even plastic! More training with the Prusee's, including an actual visit with a young sister, Pamela, finishing up her PEF paperwork. Her face, with the dancing eyes and huge smile, told the whole story of her gratefulness for the PEF program. She will go into a nursing program which will more than double her current salary when she finishes. Pamela's husband is also completing the papers to come into PEF. As we drove out to the area where Pamela lived, it gave us a clearer picture of the poverty abounding here. The squatter homes were very plentiful and as it was raining, we wondered how the occupants could keep dry. The meeting took place at a church, as you never go to the homes, which was a converted Dutch Reformed Church building.

December 4, 2008
Spent the morning and early afternoon with Elder and Sister Barnes, the other PEF couple here in Johannesburg. They gave us another orientation for PEF and it was interesting to see the slight differences in their approach to the process of getting a PEF loan from the Prusee's. Now we will take from these two and add our own touches. The loan process is lengthy and takes approximately 30-60 days to complete and has definite steps. There are presentations to be made in the different church units and this is where we can put some of us into the picture. Finished up early and came back to the hotel to rest. Arlo is battling a cold and very glad to have some down time. While working on the journal, the door to the room started shaking violently and at first we thought someone was trying to break in. Then, it occurred to us that this was what we had been advised might happen. There is a underground rail system being installed in anticipation of the World Cup (2010) and a lot of blasting is going on. The hotel included an apology letter in the room, so the occupants wouldn't be alarmed when the shaking occurred!

December 5, 2008
Spent the morning watching the PEF video, “Planning for Success” -what a fantastic program. The Von Stetten's (Area PEF Coordinators – in the MTC with us) took pity on us at lunch time and invited us to their flat to make a sandwich, since we don't have a car until Durban. At 2, we attended a security briefing by a missionary couple, who travel all over Africa presenting these. Not our favorite thing to think about, but a necessity we are told. At 4:30, attended the Johannesburg Temple-5 PEF couples, Thabo, and two young men receiving their endowments made up the session. The temple is set in beautiful gardens and overlooks the city. For dinner, our group continued over to a fun restaurant, Mike's Kitchen, where we sat outside under some canopies. Restaurant prices are very, very reasonable, about 900 rand for 10 people, converting to US dollars, about 90.00-not bad for all that we had. The steaks were great, some enjoyed calamari, and others had chicken and pork chops. The side vegetable dish was not our normal-creamed spinach and steamed pumpkin, both of which we enjoyed. It was a fun group and we shared lots of laughs together.

It has been a major learning experience for us, and our feet are not even wet yet! This program (Perpetual Education Fund) is a great blessing to the young people and results are being seen already in the few short years it has been in existence. We're anxious for Monday and flying on to Durban, to actually begin the work.

We love you all and appreciate the support and prayers in our behalf.
Elder (Dad, Papa, Arlo) and Sister (Mom, Grandma, Sandy) Mickelsen