New Missionary Training

I was looking forward to my schedule today as I was needed at the mission home to help Sister Argyle with the luncheon to be served at the training meeting for the new missionaries and their companions. This is held about three weeks after they arrive in the mission field.

Most of the training deals with the English program that the Latinos become involved in when they enter the mission field. They are to learn English while on their mission just as the English speaking missionaries learn Spanish. Every day during their morning schedule and preparation time, one hour is devoted to language study. So when this training session comes around, the President gives them a test on what they should have learned thus far in their studies. Then one part of todays activities required each Spanish speaker to tell a spiritual experience in English, and the English speakers had to do the same in Spanish. It was remarkable how well they did.

As I speak with missionaries weekly on the telephone for one reason or another, I am impressed how well most of our Latin missionaries speak English. I think it is a great program to require that they learn it. If they do, they have a much better chance of landing a good job down the road.

The missionaries listen to the President after lunch is over.
There were twenty people to lunch -- ten new missionaries and companions. I made Elder Steed look at the camera.

While the Argyles were conducting the training, I was in the kitchen preparing the food. We had barbecued beef on buns, vegetables and dip, fresh fruit, chips, and Texas sheet cake. I shredded the beef and put the sauce on it-- then filled the buns, cut up and arranged the vegetable trays, filled the fruit bowls, and cut the cake and put the servings on a napkin. She allowed for three buns per person, so I prepared 60 buns with the beef. I am sure some elders could have eaten four. It was all yummy, and healthy.

Then I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Sister Argyle's housekeeper usually helps her with the meals like this, but she was ill today. She definitely needed help in the kitchen today. I was glad I was available.

Sister Argyle called a remise to take me back to the office. That was the first time I had done it solo, and I made it just fine. I told him where I wanted to go in Spanish, and paid him the right amount of money. That's a first for me. But the ride was very quiet. He couldn't speak English (I asked him) and I couldn't speak Spanish.

Rich's dinner was food from the mission home, and mine was left overs from yesterday. No outside activities tonight, so a 1934 movie, The Thin Man, entertained us. Movies have surely come a long way since 1934.