Brian Enters the MTC

So Brian Adam Noll entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on Wednesday, January 6th. Elder Noll will be spending a few weeks there until he goes to his mission area called Salt Lake City South. For those of you who aren't members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I'll try to explain our lingo so you can better understand what Brian's doing out there. I'll also include information from his emails and pictures if he sends any. The 'I' behind this blog is his oldest sister Beth. Since I have a blog of my own, I offered to do this one for friends and family that want to stay informed about Brian's mission.

First off, Elder is a title given to men who have a certain level of priesthood bestowed upon them. Usually it is given before a man goes on a mission, therefore male missionaries are known as Elder and their last name. They don't by their first name at all as to remind them that they are Elders of the Lord and should be focusing on His work. With this priesthood Brian can give blessings by the laying on of hands and baptise people, among other things. Also, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official name of the 'Mormon' church. This nickname comes from our book of scripture, The Book of Mormon, which we use as a companion to the King James Version of the Bible.

The MTC is the abbreviation of the Missionary Training Center. There are several of these centers around the world, however the largest one is in Provo, Utah. At the MTC, Brian will learn the daily routine of a missionary, study the scriptures and a book called Preach My Gospel, and be taught the kinds of discussions and conversations he will have while proselyting.

Brian and our parents, David and Lark, flew out to Salt Lake City on December 29th. Brian had never been out West so it was quite a new experience for him. My dad had only been once as a teenager on a very long family road trip. My mother lived in Orem (city next to Provo) in 10th grade and attended Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1970-74, which is located in Provo.

They stayed in a hotel near Temple Square, that is the block that has the Salt Lake City Temple and other church buildings on it. It is a beautiful piece of land with magnificient structures, that are at their best in the snow and at Christmas with the white lights. They did the tourist thing until Sunday, which included going into the SLC Temple and hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Sunday afternoon they went to Provo to stay with my mom's old college roommate, Cheryl. Her husband use to work at the MTC so he was able to tell them a lot about how things work there. Since no one in our immediate family has gone on a mission, it was nice to get some first hand information.

I talked to Brian once before he went into the MTC and he said that it wasn't as cold as he thought it would be, but that he didn't realize that the snow that falls on you turns to water once you get inside. You see, this was the first time my 19 year-old brother had ever seen snow! I talked to me mom on the phone the day after they dropped Brian off at the MTC. She was a little teary sounding, but okay. They said their goodbyes at Cheryl's house, because they only let you throw your kid and his luggage out of the car once you arrive at the MTC. Brian hopped out and a 'host' (another missionary who's been there for a week or two) helps them with their luggage and takes them where they're supposed to go. Mom said they had to wait a minute for a host to come to the car and the guy asked Brian where he was going. Brian looked at him kind of funny and said "Uh, to the MTC." The guy laughed and said, "No, I mean what mission are you in?" Brian told him SLC South and then Brian was gone.

So here starts Brian's journey. If you'd like write Brian in the MTC, his address is:

Elder Brian Noll
Missionary Training Center
212-0310
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604

His email is brianadam@windstream.net I'm not sure how much he'll be able to check it, probably not at all while in the MTC. But I'll keep you posted here on Brian's Mission blog.