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by Bradly Baird (bio)
At present, I am developing a manuscript that I hope will someday become a book. I started writing the manuscript because of my recent experiences as a service missionary at the Provo Missionary Training Center, and because of wonderful associations with full-time missionaries, volunteers, teachers, supervisors and other service missionaries. Much of the manuscript concerns not only the spiritual opportunities available to those who live and serve there, but also the first-hand experiences from missionaries who have been through the center's refining fires. I am not seeking to know about deeply personal experiences, the ones that should not be shared with the world. Rather, I am interested in the day-to-day life of a missionary-in-training, and in MTC culture that arises within companionships and districts.
With this in mind, I am throwing open the doors and inviting anyone who wishes to share their MTC experiences with me. To help out, I have provided nine questions that I would like answered. Responses may be long (as long as one likes) or short and need not necessarily follow the questions below. When complete, please send any response to bradlybaird@gmail.com. I will keep all of the responses completely confidential and will not share them. If anything is sent and it winds up in the manuscript - and hopefully published - I will get permission before I make use of it and will give full credit (unless someone wishes to be quoted anonymously), so please send an email address (or some other means of contact) along with the response, in case I need to follow up.
1) Did you feel prepared to enter the MTC and how did you prepare?
2) What was your experience in a companionship?
3) What was your experience in an MTC district?
4) In what ways did you and the members of your district help strengthen one another?
5) How did the MTC experience prepare you to become a teacher of the Gospel?
6) Describe the greatest challenges you faced while in the MTC.
7) How did you change as a person because of the overall MTC experience?
8) What was unexpected about your MTC experience?
9) Has the MTC impacted your post-mission life? In what ways?