MTC at Home - ...

MTC at Home Binder and Presentation.

                                                                There was an assignment....Make your Home an MTC
teach them all the things they will need to know to be confident, effective Missionaries.....

Why? What is new, why the push for this MTC at home.  The only change I knew of was the age change.  The new lower age limits for young men and for young women to enter the mission field. But truthfully aren't we already preparing our kids for missions?...




  Ok...well to be perfectly honest.  Most of my friends are and have sent missionaries out with success.  I am not going to sit here and tell you about all of my successes because I truly have ZERO - a big goose egg.   I have 3 kids, I am a convert, my husband is essentially a convert (born in church - reactivated!) ... 2 boys and 1 girl...none,  zero, including my husband, went to go on a mission.  I am not complaining or asking for your forgiveness or excusing myself.  I am simply stating that fact.  Some would say, who are you to write a MTC manual - you have had no success.  I would say, I am the right person to write this.  Even more with the Lord's help, which I had much, I would say I am the perfect person to listen, to hear, and to collaborate with the Lord.  Nothing to cloud my judgement - the Lord wants to Hasten the Work, to do that  he wants better prepared missionaries! I only had to ask - where do we start? (start-over) what are we missing?

Truly, what I found was MTC can be many things...for me it was, Mothers Teach Children - maybe for you it is Missionary Training Manual or Mothers Training Manual- either way it can help you handle areas in your home that might need a tune up! 

Last year, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared this story as an introduction to the vital role that mothers play in preparing their sons and daughters to be missionaries: “I was in charge, chairman of the Priesthood Executive Council. We’re together and talking about how we can get more young men on missions. And Elaine Jack raised her hand. She was then Relief Society president. She said, ‘Elder Ballard, why don’t you ask the women? Perhaps we could help; after all, we are their mothers’ ” (A Conversation on Counseling Together in the Workplace, June 9, 2010).

My Relief Society President received this assignment from the Stake and came back to the ward with a heart of fire.  I was the Committee Leader so I was the receiver of her fire.  We/she didn't have a plan, just the feeling that this was significant.  Somehow we needed this to be significant. We started with the talk by Julie Beck, " Mothers Who Know" -

6 months, several failed attempts, 443 pages, 12 sections later...It is significant!

I can testify that I had Heavenly Help in creating this binder.   Here is why this is so needed!
MTC Binder, we went looking for the holes in the boat, we have identified them via, Prophet, Apostles, Former Mission Presidents, Former Missionaries, Family Health doctors, etc...they say identify the problem is half the battle....YOU are the other half needed to make this all come to pass.



The Announcement
“I am pleased to announce that effective immediately all
worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school
or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option
of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age
of 18, instead of age 19. I am not suggesting that all young men
will—or should—serve at this earlier age. Rather, based on individual
circumstances as well as upon a determination by priesthood leaders,
this option is now available.
“As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young
men may begin their missionary service, we have also given
consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today
I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who
have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary
service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.
(President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign,
November 2012, 4-5).

The Explanation - to the Future Missionaries
Elder Holland stated,
“Perspective missionaries will be asked to enhance and improve
and take more seriously their pre-mission preparation….
“Let me say something to the young missionary: “What does this
mean for you? First of all, it means that God is hastening His work. And he
needs more and more willing and worthy missionaries to spread the light and
the truth and the hope and the salvation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to an
often dark and fearful world.


The Explanation - to the Parents of Future Missionaries
“We ask parents to take a strong hand in this
preparation and not expect that it is somehow the
responsibility of local church leaders, or the missionary
department of the church or MTC’s to provide and direct all
of that” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, LDS News Release,

So like I said in the beginning.....
Before our young men and young women enter the MTC, they should be
able to:
1. Study the scriptures
2. Teach the gospel
3. Pray and receive answers
4. Get along with others
5. Being worthy
6. Be physically prepared
7. Be mentally prepared
8. Be financially prepared
9. Recognize the Holy Spirit in their lives
10. Talk with adults and have meaningful conversations
11. Have control over their emotions
12. Have a desire to be obedient
13. Be emotionally stable
Conference, 6 October 2012,

Become a mother who knew more than she thought she knew!

Truth be told...The Benefit of Having a Living Prophet is that he knows what the Lord wants and needs...He is Hastening his work and we are in important  part of the plan!