Acronyms

This new world included a rigorous regimen. We woke up at 6:30, showered and dressed, exercised for an hour, and were in class again by 9. We had training in various forms until lunch, which was spent in the MTC cafeteria, then more learning, then dinner, then more classes, then bed. Some of the instruction came in the form of programs with various acronyms.

In the TRC -- Teaching Referral Center? Terrifying Referral Class? Totally Rigorous Calling? I really can’t remember -- missionaries man the phones to accept call from people responding to pass-along cards for free Church videos. The missionaries also make outbound calls to people who’ve been recommended by friends as possibly interested in being taught the gospel. There was one elder in my district, Elder Reichert, whom we called “Elder Love” for his easy way with people. While the rest of us were struggling to explain to disgruntled Southern Baptists why their names had ended up on our calling list, Elder Reichert was having deep, soul-searching quality time with some grandmotherly black woman who called him “honey” and apparently wanted to adopt him. We never figured out how he did it.

The TEC -- I’m pretty sure this was Teaching Evaluation Center -- we taught volunteers who posed as investigators the missionary lessons, then got our skills critiqued by teachers who observed our sessions from lofty video rooms on high. There were other acronyms floating around -- MDT, LGM -- with their own roles in our spiritual development.

I’d heard varying opinions on the quality of the food in the MTC cafeteria, but I’ve never eaten good food so consistently since. The menu was varied and usually quite tasty, with luxurious arrays of cereal in the morning, changing tableaus of fries, potatoes, and spaghetti and lunch, and pleasant surprises for dinner. I remember once they ordered endless amounts of Pizza Hut. (It was that night, my mouth stuffed with the ambrosial pepperoni and cheese, that I confirmed to myself that the Church was true.) There was also all the Sprite and Fanta you could safely digest.