MONDAY, DEC 2ND-FRIDAY DEC 6TH, 2013
We arrived at 9:30 in the morning, so excited for this new experience that we've anticipated for ourselves. We were so happy to have our missionary tags given to us. We will wear them proudly for the next eighteen months! We are looking forward to serving together. We will be great companions! We were part of the largest group of Senior missionaries ever - normally about 70, and there were 153 of us this week. We were surprised that there were so many who would be leaving their families just before Christmas like we were.
There wasn't any snow on Monday, but it snowed a lot on Tuesday. It was beautiful!
These are the sweet people who were in our District. It's funny how much you can come to love someone you've only known for five days. I guess it's because we all have so much in common trying to learn about our new experiences ahead.
Our meetings were all held in the Chapel north of the MTC, so lunch was served in the gym.
This was taken from inside our car to show how much snow had fallen. The lights made the trees even more beautiful with snow on them.
Because there were so many senior missionaries at the MTC this week, some of us were given rooms at the Marriott Hotel. It was only about a five-ten minute drive away, once we learned where we were going.
Ray loaded all of our clothes into the car at home. When we got to the MTC, and it snowed, we realized that I hadn't brought a coat. It was cold here, and we had 18 months ahead of us, so I couldn't get along without a coat. Julie mailed mine to me, and it was a welcome item. In the meantime, they had a nice, long, brown coat that had been in the mail room since May, and no one had claimed it. They were nice enough to let me borrow it while waiting for my coat to come. They ended up telling me to just keep it; otherwise, it would be given to the Deseret Industries. A nice blessing.
The Provo Tabernacle in the process of becoming the new Temple.
The cafeteria at the MTC, full of missionaries, young and old. There were 400 new missionaries who came in today. How do they know how much food to prepare?
Jolyn and Val Atwood, Suzanne and Richard Stagg, Christine and Jeffery Tanner, Diana and Ray, and Elder , our trainer.
Elder and Sister Stagg, going to Togo, Africa. This is their second mission. She was taking her Bosch mixer as a carry-on!
Elder and Sister Tanner - going to England. They are very nice, soft-spoken people.
Elder and Sister Atwood - going to Independence, MO, where our granddaughter, Annika Rogers, is serving. Maybe they will get to serve with her. They'll love her!
We are loving every second of this experience in the MTC - except maybe the role playing that we've heard about. We are willing to do whatever we're expected to do, though, and we learned a lot by doing it. The nice thing was that we all felt the same apprehension about it.
Here we are with another trainer, Elder .
Elder Robert and Sister Joan Smith, serving in Africa.
This is what we came back home to after being at the MTC - lots of beautiful snow. Ray enjoying his last time with his truck and Tuff, who is devoted to his master. We're not sure how Tuff will get along without Ray for 18 months.
OUR LAST WEEKEND HOME - DECEMBER 7TH AND 8TH, 2013
Grampa enjoying one last time with the two youngest grandchildren - Rockwell Ray Hadley, 8 months, and Colby Ellis Slater, 9 months. They'll get their first teeth, learn to stand and walk, and be talking by the time we get home.
Handsome little Owen busy making an art project.
There's little Rockwell, watching his big brother, and wishing he could reach some of that fun-looking stuff. He will, soon enough.
Here is one happy little boy, who can let you know just exactly what he wants, even though he can't speak a word yet.
Our family put on a dinner for one last get-together before we leave for Albuquerque, NM, in the morning. These are some of the little people we will miss so much!
Here are more of the family we will miss. The men probably get tired of waiting for the women to dish up their food, but it's always nice to have gentlemen around.
Some of these little people will be too big for these tables and chairs when we get home. I told them they could only eat paper and drink water while we're gone, but they're not paying any attention to the instructions. I know, because I've seen pictures of them, and they're growing!!
Luke made sure that we celebrated our December birthdays before we left. They're all lookin' so good in their BD hats! Carl - 47, Ray - 69, Luke - 9, and Dixon - 18.
Fourteen of our twenty-two grandchildren. fifteen counting Alixanne in the back with her Ipad.
The kids were thoughtful to sing a couple of songs for us that they knew we would love. One of them was "Because We Have Been Given Much". We were very appreciative, and it was fun for us to watch them singing together.
We took up the whole room to kneel for prayer, but it was a good ending for the night, and a nice send-off memory for us, and them.
Then - time for a marshmallow fight. The men seem to enjoy it as much as, or maybe more than, the grandkids do. They'll be finding hard, dried-up marshmallows for at least the year to come.
Handsome Colby Ellis and my only sister, Tauna Briggs. Hmmm - I think our hair is the same color!
SOME OF OUR MOST FAVORITE PEOPLE!!
They sang two songs for us:
Colby and one of his big brothers, Luke Ray, who will be 9 on Dec 3rd. Luke made the flowered pen for me to take with us. I'll use it every day!
Karly Greenwell, Kennli Rogers, and Madi Ellis. They've been great friends since before they were born!
My little 'Matilda's' - Ashlyn Greenwell and Gracie Ellis, who turned 9 in November. Ashlyn will be 9 in January. Cute little bugs!
Lexi Greenwell and Brooklyn Ellis.
Some of our grandsons, and Tim Smith, our 'second son'. Tim, Dixon Ellis, Luke and Jaxon Slater, Korbin and Tanner Rogers. Parker Greenwell and Braxton Rogers are serving missions in Kennewick, WA, and Sierra Leone, Africa.
We're sure going to miss our family. This is one of them - Jaxon Slater, 11.
Brooklyn Ellis, who will turn 16 next March.
Madilyn Ellis, who will start Jr. High next year.
Our son, Gary, who became the Bishop of our Taylor 1st Ward in May, 2013, and his youngest, Gracie, who's 9. We moved into the ward on August 10th, after living in our home on 2550 So. for 37 years, and we were the first senior couple missionaries for him to send off.
We won't see Ray's Auto Body for a long time.
Here's The Four of Us - Shirley, Judy, me, and Rosemary. We have had Club for over 30 years. We lived in the same ward and went to the same school, and have been through a lot together through all those years.
