Argentina, here we come!

Loaded with luggage at the airport

We are on our way to Argentina! The past two weeks have been a great emotional roller coaster. We started out with great joy and anticipation as we were set apart two weeks ago. Our time in the MTC was wonderful and inspiring, with lots of learning and insight and occasional doses of reality about the challenges we will face.

But through this time, we have enjoyed being at home during the evenings and weekends. It's been especially fun to interact with our son and daughter-in-law's family as they moved into our home. We truly loved that part. During this time, we continued to gather our mission supplies and set aside all the clothing in preparation for eventual packing.

What is a humanitarian service missionary?

Bonnie and I are serving as Humanitarian Service Missionaries. The second week of our training in the MTC focused on the specific duties we'll have in this area. We basically function as the outreach agents of LDS Charities, the humanitarian service arm of the Church. The aims of our service focus on reaching out to those who struggle, to provide assistance regardless of their religion, race, or nationality. In fact, the efforts explicitly focus primarily on those who are not members of our Church.

The "Latter-Day Saints Charities" organization was created over 30 years ago to facilitate this mission. We have been thrilled to come to better understand their mission; it corresponds so much with our own desire to help those in need, since we recognize how richly blessed our lives are.

Teachings and gifts

Our first week in the MTC was described as "Preach My Gospel Training." As humanitarian service missionaries we will not be doing any direct proselyting, but all senior missionaries are asked to go through this review and training in order to take advantage of opportunities that might arise, and to be able to support the "junior missionaries" as appropriate. It was quite worthwhile, especially to be able to do together as a couple.

It's interesting to have all these "elderly" seasoned mature senior couples, with vast and varied Church experience, taught by fresh recently returned youth missionaries. The teachers do a fantastic job! The curriculum at the MTC has been developed over many years to be powerful and effective, and focuses on both critical doctrines as well as effective presentation.

Returning to the LTM/MTC

Elder Kenison, 1976

The old KMB, climbing the hillside
at the southeast side of BYU campus.

I began my first mission on July 8, 1976. I reported to the LTM (Language Training Mission) at the Knight-Mangum building on the southeast edge of BYU campus. We had classes there for about a month, and stayed in campus dorms not far away.  It was a good beginning, though always somewhat cramped and uncomfortable in the older buildings, especially in the heat of summer.

Early in August, we were told to completely pack our suitcases before we left our rooms in the morning. We went to class as normal, but then at the end of the day, proceeded to our new accommodations where our suitcases were waiting for us, at the "new LTM" northeast of campus, just downhill from the Provo Temple.

The hour of your mission is come!

It was a thrilling experience to report to the MTC this morning. I had flashbacks to a similar event 43 years ago, when my family "delivered" me, a young and nervous 19-year-old, to the LTM to begin my first mission. And then more recently, to the experience of dropping off our son when he went to Chile in 2009.

This time, "Sister Kenison" and I just drove ourselves down, parked our car, and checked ourselves in. No painful farewells or tearful hugs! We'll stay at home in the evenings for the next week and a half while we attend the daytime classes and evening devotionals.

Friends, Farewells, and becoming Set Apart

The past two days have been wonderful! On Saturday, we invited family and friends to join us for an "ice cream celebration." Family and friends showed up in force; we didn't count, but I'm sure we had 150 people drop by. It was so fun to chat with friends, old and new, and to hear their congratulations, encouragement, and advice. We shared this beautiful and delicious cake made by our "Brazilian daughter" Alessandra, along with alfajores cookies (an Argentina tradition) that I tried baking as an experiment. And of course, lots of ice cream!

On the home front

As we anticipated our period of missionary service, one of the conversations with our family was what to do with our home while we were gone. We have friends in the neighborhood who could check on it and help maintain the yard if needed; and it was nice to know our children were not far away.

At some point, the idea of having our son Matt and his wife Jenna move into the home came up. They have been fixing up an older home in Spanish Fork, and have done many wonderful things to increase its value. But they were also feeling it might be time the right for a transition. If they were able to sell that home and move into ours, they would have a year and a half to save more money (not paying a mortgage) for their next home; and we would have the benefit of our house being watched over and cared for. As we talked more about the idea, both they and we felt very positive about the arrangement. So they put their house on the market, and we began to anticipate having them move in with us.