Here we are getting our pictures taken at the Missionary Training Center, smile pretty!
Well we made it, finally arrived at the MTC for our two weeks of training and preparation for our Mission call to Ft. Sill Army Post in Lawton, OK.
Church headquarters, 20th floor. Briefing for Military Relations.
We were very surprised to get our call to an Army Post as Elder Woodbury is retired from the Air Force, but the powers that be explained, "it is as it should be". Most military relations couples were sent to assignments at a military base or post unrelated to their branch of service.
We were also surprised and somewhat deflated when we received our call to Oklahoma instead of to Japan, which was uppermost in our thoughts. We will have to practice the Japanese language on some unsuspecting Oklahoman's instead. We will need to think for ways to incorporate the linguistics of both venaculars at the proper moment in order to pull it off.
While in the MTC we met a lot of wonderful Elders and Sisters just like us, senior missionaries with time to serve the Lord in whatever capacity required. Here is a picture of us and the Otteson's from Wisconsin, just before we went into the temple for a live session. We were in Salt Lake City for a half-day training in Military Relations after we left the MTC
Here is our group at the MTC, all senior missionaries going to various places throughout the world.
We have not been very good at communication and we will try to do better!!!!After all the trouble with the Dentist in getting my crowns done we finally got to the MTC in Provo and had a marvelous time there meeting new friends from all over the states and going to places all over the world-2 couples went toMongolia..
We were there 10 days and then had a half day on the 20th floor of the church office building in SLC on Friday meeting with the Military Relations people. This helped us to come to grips with the fact that we were not going to Japan like we expected. That afternoon went to the Salt Lake temple for a live session and then to the Manti temple for a live session- the only temples that have live sessions.
We then went back to finish up the crowns in Sacramento and headed to Oklahoma by way of temples at Monticello, Ut and Albuquerque, NM arriving in Oklahoma City on Saturday Aug 9th late and stayed at a seedy hotel on I-40 went to church and met Pres. Gee of the Ok City Mission and stayed the night with them in the Mission Home. Pres Gee was shocked that we brought Ginger with us as is everybody that sees her.
On Monday we drove the 70 miles SW to Lawton and started looking for a home. Thought we might buy a home but decided we would not.The Real Estate lady that was helping us look had a house that a woman said we could live in while looking. This was a 3800 SF home with 2 1/2 acres and a swimming pool-water was drained. The house had a Jacuzzi, sauna and all the conveniences including very nice furniture and kitchen appliances and was a great place to live while looking.
The woman moved here from Illinois to start a home for abused women and a month after she moved her husband of 34 years said he could not stand her 'goody goody' ways and left her. He went back to Illinois and moved in with his girl friend who then tried to take her place as grandmother to her grand kids. So she went back to protect her interests. She has the house up for sale for $299,000 and cannot sell it. It would be a million in Sacramento and probably 2 million in the bay or LA or SD.
We finally found a 2 BR apartment just outside the Post and got a bunch of furniture from the mission office and bought a few used items and we are very comfortable with no lawns to mow or yards to keep up. Takes us about 15 minutes to go on post and to the training side of the base where we hold our meetings. Our address is:
Elder & Sister Woodbury
906 NE Tortoise Drive Apt 1
906 NE Tortoise Drive Apt 1
Lawton, Ok 73507
Local Phone: 580-351-9064
Our snug little kitchen, has all the appliances included, and an attached eating area, too boot. Below is our office, which consists of only 1 working laptop at present, but we have 2 printers besides our Kodak easy share printer. We are still waiting for the technical supprt to bring out the additional supplies to hook up the PC for Elder Woodbury. Our weekly reports are usually done on Sunday afternoons and Mondays, they are due in Salt Lake City on Tuesdays.
Our living room is very spacious measuring 15 x 17 feet which is just right , we have 2 couches and an easy chair along with 3 occasional tables. So far we do not have any lamps, just the overhead light you can see on this picture. Oh, and yes we do have a TV and it is hooked up to Direct TV, but no local channels are available in our area. Very little to watch, but we do get the BYU programing.
Our bedroom is a spacious 15 x15 and as you can see includes a nice closet for clothes and storage. We also have two chairs and a small occasional table in front of the window by the dresser, but not in this camera view.We are getting into the swing of things here. Tom Brox is the Group Leader on the Post and we are the assistants to run the block meetings on Sunday. This is for young men going through Basic and advanced training before joining operational units, so they are only here for 9 weeks basic and then if they are Artillery will stay an additional 3 to 4 weeks extra training in artillery. If they are other than artillery they will go elsewhere.
During those 9 weeks they can hardly leave their drill Sgts side and have only a three hour time on Sunday they can go to church services. If they do not go to church they will have other duties so its a way for them to get some relief. As a result many friends, not members will come with them .
In the 5 weeks we have been here we have had 5 baptisms of these friends. The Assistants to the Mission President come down from Ok City and teach lessons usually bringing two others but there is shortage in the mission and Joyce is going to be teaching some of the lessons. We learned the missionary lessons at the MTC so we should be able to handle. Will depend on how many nonmembers are in attendance.
As part of our duties we attend the graduation ceremonies for each battery whether we have members graduating or not. Most of the time they are held on Friday. We attended our first two a week (22 Sep) ago and then two more yesterday (29 Sep). There are usually about 350 new soldiers in each battery and they make a big thing of it.
Even though the ceremonies are all about the same it makes us proud to see some patriotism instead of the junk we see outside. The men all look alike with their almost shaved haircuts and slick uniforms and shiny shoes with the flag and the national anthem and the army song and all and each going across the stage with back straight and proud.
The ceremonies are held in the Post Theatre and it is jam packed with family and friends. We had people from Pima AZ, Magna, UT, Denver Co that came in to see their soldiers graduate. To tell the truth, it makes me a little homesick for active duty, even though it has been 33 years since I retired.We try to identify each LDS member and call their parents and wives and are conduits for the men with their families. The mail system is not that good, considering there about 4-5000 recruits here at all times so if we can help we do what we can.
We will start teaching an institute class next Weds (3 Oct.) on the Book of Mormon. This has no connection with the Post but is part of the Seminary and Institute program and under the direction of the Lawton Stake President. We are looking forward to this experience. Have a list of approximately 75 singles between 18 and 30 that are potential students but expect only about 10-20 at the most based on previous Seniors that have been here and have discussed with us.
We also have volunteered with the Red Cross at the Post Hospital. I remember years ago you just volunteered and they put you to work. We had a 3 hour orientation Weds, then had to submit information for a back ground check, then had to complete HIPPA training which took almost three hours on the computer and THEN they will tell us if they accept us as volunteers. We plan to work Tues and Thurs mornings at the hospital and then are thinking of working on the base schools with a reading program.
Donna Brox (wife of the Group Leader) is an accomplished violinist and we went to the first concert of the New Year a week ago entitled "A night with Rogers and Hammerstein" with the Lawton Symphony Orchester and Community Choir and it was very delightful.
They are starting preparation for the community Messiah presentation and we met and talked to one of the leaders. Think we will join them, even though we neither of us have great choir voices we do miss singing in the choir. Practices are on Sunday from 2-4 starting on the last Sunday in October with the presentation in December.
Lawton is a military town that lives and grows on the Ft Sill militaty post. It was interesting when President Adair of the Lawton Stake had us come to their High Council Meeting and tell about ourselves and I mentioned that I was retired military. He stopped me and went around the table of the Stake Presidency and of the 12 HC members, all but 1 of them were retired military.
Adair is a retired Marine Colonel and runs things like one. He and Sister Adair are fun people. They invited us to dinner the 2nd week we were here and it was great.
