MTC Hijinx

[_consiglieri]

Yeah, the fun and games didn't stop in the MTC, but continued into the mission field.

Especially in Japan, where I went, where fireworks are sold year round.

When I was in Sakai, every night before PD would find the four of us missionaries in nearby Hamadera Park armed with a coke bottle, a lighter and an endless supply of bottle rockets, scurrying from tree to tree and trying to shoot the other elders.

Only once did I actually hit somebody, and he got all mad about it.

I mean, what was the point of the whole thing if not to hit somebody?

I also remember getting my hands on these packets of "lady fingers" which are like fire crackers but about half-the size.

Our green bean missionary in Oji was on the back balcony of our apartment doing his laundry one fine morning when I lit a packet of those babies, tossed it out with him and locked the door.

It was a sliding glass door so we got to relish the look on his face when he saw what was going down and rushed to the door only to find it locked before the fireworks started.

Then to top it off, some old Japanese guy from the building across the way came out on his deck and started chewing our green bean out.

That wasn't very nice of him.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_Cicero]

A little context is necessary before sharing this story just so all of you don't think I was a pathetic rule-breaker in the MTC (If anything, I was generally the opposite of that): I don't know if this still how it works, but at that time each MTC district had a district leader and a group of MTC districts were organized into branches and each branch had an AP (assistant to the branch president). I was the district leader for my MTC district, but the AP for our branch (technically my superior) was also in my district. My MTC district was all going to Brazil, but we found out the day before we were departing that our visas had not come through. We were given no guidance as to what happen, but we knew that our rooms were already needed for others arriving in a couple of days so we expected that we would be assigned to US missions while waiting for our visas. Consequently, on our original departure day we actually had nothing to do (after having literally every waking and sleeping moment for the prior two months spelled out for us). So we were all more than a little annoyed and we decided as a group to sleep in that morning.

So the next morning I woke up probably around 9:00am (3 hours later than the rules allowed) and I staggered to the bathroom in my PJs. I met another elder in the bathroom that I knew had been there less than a week, but he did not seem to know who I was. He was, of course, fully dressed in the uniform. After staring at me with self-righteous disgust and indignation for a moment, this young Elder began to interrogate me:

Judgmental Greenie: Did you just get out of bed???

Me: Yup.

Judgmental Greenie: Do you know what time it is???

Me: About 9:00am

Judgmental Greenie: Elder, who is your district leader?

Me: I am.

Judgmental Greenie: [looks shocked and is speechless]

Me: Oh, and if you want to report me to the AP go right ahead, but you'll have to wake him up since he's still asleep.

[_zeezrom]

Hi, Zeez!

My problem was I didn't feel guilty about my former sins. I was too busy adding new sins at the MTC to have time for feeling guilty about the past. :wink:

I was there during the winter, so no nice trees for me.

But I do remember two similar things:

1. Marching up the hill to the Provo Temple every PDay morning at o-dark thirty with the stars blazing away above. (Or "the sidereal heavens" as Bruce R. McConkie would have put it.)

2. The evening star on the magenta horizon greeting me every evening as I left the cafeteria.

The fact you remember these things so fondly indicates to me only that you should not have been troubled by former bitterness. Yours is a sweet soul and one close to God in every meaningful sense.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

Consig, you are too kind. I really am *not* that sweet.

Winter nights in Utah can be stunning. The cold air certainly would make the MTC dorms a different experience than what I had.

[_cafe crema]

When I was in Sakai, every night before PD would find the four of us missionaries in nearby Hamadera Park armed with a coke bottle, a lighter and an endless supply of bottle rockets, scurrying from tree to tree and trying to shoot the other elders.

Only once did I actually hit somebody, and he got all mad about it.

I mean, what was the point of the whole thing if not to hit somebody?

Bottle rocket wars were a long standing tradition in my family/friend group. It started in HS and continued to be an annual Fourth of July event until the majority of us had kids we worried about, then it faded away. It has morphed into Wimbo where you throw light fluffy objects at each other (ball pit balls work well) Strangely while I was quite good in a bottle rocket war and always managed to hit 2 or 3 "targets" I suck at Wimbo. These days I'm just amazed none of us was hurt with the bottle rockets.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

We had Heritage Halls Whores come and service a group of us.

We let them hold our priesthood while we practiced the laying on of hands.

Afterwards we did not have pizza. Ate at the Y, fur burger and side order of thighs.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

Judgmental Greenie: Elder, who is your district leader?

Me: I am. BITCH!

Judgmental Greenie: [looks shocked and is speechless]

Me: Oh, and if you want to report me to the AP go right ahead, but you'll have to wake him up since he's still asleep.

[_Dr. Shades]

I also learned about Cambodians, their culture, and their history in the MTC.

The Cambodians have a history in the M.T.C.??

We had Heritage Halls Whores come and service a group of us.

While you were in the M.T.C.??

[_lulu]

Any one remember Knight Mangum Hall?

[_kamenraider]

One time at the MTC me and another Elder found a copy machine sitting idle in a room and nobody else was around so we started photocopyng our faces and rolling them as the scanning light passed under them in order to produce strange and surreal images.

Another memory from the MTC - we were sitting in class one day when a voice came over a loudspeaker in our room and told one of the Elders in our district to report to the front desk. A couple of us were speculating about why he was called up that way and his companion said he thought it was something to do with an old girlfriend having confessed something back in his home ward and the MTC President had to meet with him and make sure it had been confessed and taken care of already. I was like, "So they call people suddenly like that to come meet with the President?" He said "Yeah, I guess so." Soon after that, one evening the voice over the loudspeaker called my name and told me to report to the front desk. I was afraid I was in trouble or something, but it turned out to be a former home teacher of mine who had come with his wife to say hello and bring me some snacks. There were also a couple of GA's in the lobby at the same time - Neal A. Maxwell and another Seventy, and I got to see them too. Needless to say, I was very relieved to find out what I was called up there for.

[_Sethbag]

So, your old girlfriend kept her mouth shut?