LAST NIGHT MTC

THIS IS THE GROUP OF SENIOR COUPLES AND MISSIONARIES
WHO WE HAVE SHARED TRAINING WITH FOR THE
PAST 2 WEEKS.

This is a bitter sweet time for us. We have been here two weeks and we have had just a wonderful time. We have had spiritual experiences every day and have grown to love the people we have been with in a very short time. This picture is the group we have been with. The Sister right in the middle in the grey suit is the mother of the famous wrestler from Wyoming that won the gold medal in the Olympics a few years ago. I think the name is Ruland.Gardner. She is a nurse and will serve a medical mission. The couple to the far left in front are going to the Philiphines as medical missionaries. Others are going to Russia, Napal, Texas, New Hamphsire, Ukraine, Africa, South Africa, and of course Maylasia. Usaully the group is twice this large each week.

We were trained this week by the people that head up the humanitarian arm of the church. We heard from those that actually orchestrate and manage the huge relief efforts of the church. Most of us have mostly forgotten the disasters that the church is still working on like sunami in Indonesia. We are still shipping supplies there and rebuilding schools and hospitals.

The church is still waiting to ship supplies to Italy 4 days after the quake. We were updated on that disaster by the very man that will push the buttons to make that relief effort start. He said that we were ready to ship within hours of the quake but we are waiting on the Italian government to allow us to ship and so is the US. Crazy?

We have been given very specific instructions on how to provide help. The main criterias that make us so different from all other charities are: sustainability, self reliance,opportunities for service and supporting the local economy and people. In other words we not only provide the cash or material goods and expertise but we look to train the trainers and receivers. This is so that they can help themselves the next time. We also found out today that lwe are not only the first in but usually the last out.

One of the initiatives is eye care. We send eye doctors in to the country to determine the needs. Once that has been done we bring the doctors back for a few weeks. Now like other charities we will have them provide some eye care. But that is not the major focus. We train the doctors to train the other doctors in their country. We will also provide all the medical equipment they need to do this and advance their level of their care.

I could go on and on. Just know that the reason most do not know all of this stuff is that the church doesn't make this info public. We are in the business of helping the Lord's work along and that is the only reason we are doing this. ALso the vast majority of the funds that are used for all of this come from the members in small donations each week. The law of the fast, foregoing two meals once per month and donating the equivalent cash once a month along with specific funds donated to the humanitarian fund is what sustains this world wide effort. You can be sure that 100% of those funds are used directly to benefit the poor and needy all around the globe. Thank you!!

We have been told to make solid connections with their emergency units so that if there is an emergency we will already be connected to the government and be ready to provide the assistance they need.

Tomorrow night Friday about 9pm we fly out to Tiawan and then down to SIngapore. We arrive in Singapore Sunday at noon. That will be about 10pm Saturday here. We will be spending a few days with the Mission President so he can get to know us. ALso we have learned that they have not found housing for us yet.

You probably will not hear from us now for awhile. Thanks for your prayers and concerns. We can feel your prayers in our behalf.

Bill & Ellen