We've made it to the 3rd week of our training at MTI. We are in the last week of our SPLICE training which is the program that covers the personal aspects of missionary life. Next week we will start PILAT which covers language learning techniques. So far we've been very impressed with the training offered here at MTI and we definitely feel it has been valuable and we highly recommend it.
One of the elements that is emphasized by the staff at MTI is building a community among the participants. They told us that their goal is for us to have painful goodbyes when we part ways with our fellow SPLICE attendees. We have gotten to know our fellow future missionaries very well and we can already tell it will be hard to say good bye. We have been encouraged by the fellowship we've had with the many like-minded people around us, and it have been refreshing to talk with those who are wrestling with many of the same issues we are.
We've been taking advantage of the plethora of hiking trails around this area. We've also been biking when possible which isn't all that often because the weather up here is rather finicky. We used to think that the weather in Illinois changed quickly but it's nothing compared to the mountains. It has also been pretty cold, one day last week the high was only 50 degrees. I will admit it is pretty cool to enjoy a morning bike ride with a view of Pike's Peak.
We will keep you all updated as we continue to learn and explore the area around Palmer lake.
