Week 1-MTC

April 8–12                                             

Immersion

 While Senior Missionary Couples are not required to learn a foreign language, the opportunity to do so is available.  After receiving our mission call to the Tokyo Japan mission we immediately signed up for weekly on-line classes with a tutor from the MTC and to attend a one-week Japanese Language Immersion Course prior to entering the Missionary Training Center (MTC).  “Study Buddies” (former Japanese missionaries or native Japanese) former Mission President's wives and teachers from the MTC came to teach us.  Our course of instruction included the following:

• Orientation with Sister Cropper (and other couples, including Mission Presidents and their wives, plus Medical Doctors and wives; President and Sister Russell (called to Nicaragua – the first non-natives in 15 years), President and Sister Slaughter from Bakersfield (called to San Antonio) and President and Sister LaPierrre (called to Argentina)
• Former Elder and now Brother Kent Johnson's introduced us to the following:  how to say a prayer and bear a testimony in Japanese, the culture, customs, food, shopping, travel, tips for passing the drivers test-written and driving, how to place telephone calls, and much more.  It has been a fascinating week.  Brother Johnson is an exceptional teacher and trainer.  His wife is from Japan.  We have invited them to Yokosuka when they visit family in Japan this summer.