Elder and Sister Croft in Taiwan

Zone Conference with Elder and Sister Martinez After two weeks in the MTC we went back home! Our visas didn't come through and we couldn't leave for Taiwan. We spent about a month living at home and serving as MLS missionaries in the Salt Lake City mission assigned to the Chinese ward. We just found out we'll be leaving early Friday morning for Taiwan.   At home it was a struggle to know what to do most of the time, but we had some great mission experiences and also got a chance to get some more personal things taken care of and did more Chinese study. We're grateful for these opportunities! Mission Experiences in the SLC Mission MLS training meeting District meeting Multi district council Stake conference Zone Conference with Elder Martinez (Utah Area Presidency) Dinner and a lesson with a wonderful sister who was baptized in China 5 months ago. She is preparing for temple blessings! Lesson with the young Elders and a young woman from China who is working nights to mak...

Lots of great people at the MTC. Some of them are only staying a week. All the Senior Missionaries that started at the MTC this week. Our wonderful MTC District with our great morning teacher Sister Gee. (From left to right: Elder & Sister Tanner, Crawford, and Hamblin) And with our great afternoon teacher Sister Price. All people we loved getting to know and learning with!  Our nephew Derek Croft who came to the MTC this week too. Jacob Schwartz who was an intern with my team this summer Our daughter Rachel's picture from her time as a missionary in Thailand. It is on a wall in one of the newer buildings on the MTC campus.

On Tuesday night we attended a wonderful devotional about the character of Jesus Christ. We were taught that Jesus always focused on what he could do to love, serve, and have compassion for others. He did not focus on himself. This was especially true in his most trying times. For example on the night he knew he was going to suffer in the garden of Gethsemane, be betrayed, be put on trial and scourged, he served the twelve apostles by washing their feet, including the feet of Judas who he knew would betray him (see John 13). When he was being arrested, he took time to heal the severed ear of one of the men taking him. When he was on the cross, his concern was for the men being crucified with him and for his mother. Ultimately, it is these characteristics that impelled him to atone for our sins, and die for us. As we strive to be better disciples of Christ, we can be less self-absorbed, less self-centered, and less selfish and learn to have be more loving, more compassionate, and to ser...

Today I dropped my lunch on the floor of the MTC cafeteria. This is not the actual photo, because I (Elder Croft) was too busy dealing with it to take a picture. But, immediately a young sister missionary and a senior missionary were helping me. They didn't just offer condolences, they were on the floor picking up food, getting napkins and really scrubbing to clean it up. Also, no one laughed. It is such an honor and pleasure to be among kind, loving people who are looking for ways to help and serve! Another highlight today was attending a devotional with Susan Porter, the church General Primary President. She taught us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of joy because it invites us to receive gifts from God. We sang the Hymn, More Holiness Give Me  and she asked us to choose one of the gifts that we would seek. She also taught that seeking gifts from God is not selfish. In fact, God asks us to do so (see D&C 46:8 and 1 Corithians 12:31 . We also had a disappoint...

We've been married for thirty-three years and have always looked forward to serving together as full time missionaries for  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . This year we felt like the time was right. Yes, it is hard to leave children and grandchildren, but thank goodness for video chat, texting, etc. so we can stay in contact. Today we entered the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, UT with about 120 other "senior" missionaries. There are  about 1500 young missionaries here too. It was amazing to hear all the different types of missions the seniors have been called to: health advisor, gardening, family history, farm, historical sites, member and leader support, mission office support, document preservation, and more. The trainers pointed out to us that even though we all have vastly different assignments, we are all going to be trained for the first week on the same material. All of it focusing on our common purpose as missionaries. For each one of...