Taya's Provo MTC Experience

Taya spent 4 weeks at the Provo Missionary Training Center in August.
(She flew out September 1st for the Manila, Philippines MTC for the next 3 weeks.)

It's been such a great month for her.  She's learned so much.  Her Tagalog is really getting better each day & she's learned everything she'll be doing as a missionary.  She was put into a district of 14 Elders & 4 Sisters.  These 18 young adults have become the best of friends over the last 4 weeks.

She absolutely loves these girls.  They shared a bedroom with bunk beds & have done everything together.  She is going to be sad when they aren't together anymore.

They loved going to choir practice twice a week & loved singing at the Tuesday night devotionals.

Video: Bearing Testimony in Tagalog

Every week, they took the bus to the Mt. Timp temple to do some temple work.

I think Taya's favorite part of being at the Provo MTC was running into friends she hasn't seen in years because they are all serving missions right now.  This is her friend Rylee from Germany, she will be serving in Korea.

The day Utah got the crazy rainstorms, the missionaries went out & played in the rain.  They had so many fun moments like this in the MTC.

Video: Playing in the rain

The videos & fun things these missionaries do together make me laugh so hard. I have to remember, they really are still kids at heart.  I'm glad she's having so much fun there.

Videos: Sister Missionary Fun in the MTC

I sent her a package with some German treats, some mugs, & hot cocoa for the 4 sisters in her district.  They loved making hot cocoa at night.

Lorien, Elijah, & Cadence all walked to the MTC one Saturday afternoon & texted her to look out the window the day before she left.  It was their final "goodbye" moment.  It was cute.  She got a picture of them waving & they got a picture of her waving from inside.

This is a picture of all the missionaries learning Tagalog in the Provo MTC right now.  SO MANY.

Video: Opening a package from mom

Videos: Singing 2 songs in Tagalog

Cadence (since she works at the MTC) was able to meet up with Taya a few times while she was there & one very special time was when they arranged for all the Germany friends that are there to get together for a picture.  Two of these kids were piano students of mine & almost all of them were my seminary students at one point.  Their missions range from Korea, 2x Mongolia, Japan, Philippines, Germany, Cambodia, & Czech Republic.  SO many wonderful young adults going out to serve God's children all around the world.

And Taya got to meet up with one of her ballroom teammates from school last year.  It's been a great experience for her.

Now she is officially in the Philippines at the MTC there for the next 3 weeks.  I just got some pictures letting me know she is safe, happy, & enjoying her new surroundings.  (There was a Christmas tree up in one of the pictures.). She's having a blast already.