I'm leaving on a jet plane . . . .

Monday, August 11, 2008:
*Up at 1:30 a.m.
*Leave MTC at 3:00 a.m. (picture below)
*Flight leaves Salt Lake City 6:00 a.m.
Will be traveling with 7 Elders going to
same mission.
*Layover in Atlanta, Georgia at 11:40 a.m.
(with a 25 minute call home).
*Arrive at Bradley Airport in Hartford,
Connecticut about 4:00 p.m.

More MTC notes

Email of Saturday, August 9, 2008:

We got an extra day to do laundry because we're all leaving Monday. I can't believe there are only 2 more days until I head out to CT. Crazy, isn't it!

We had a "Priesthood Appreciation Day" on Thursday to show how much we appreciate the Elders in our district. We gave them lots of candy & each a blue oil thingy so they had something to remember us by. We even gave out Starbursts to the other Elders that opened the doors for us & took our trays for meals. I haven't had to take my tray to the nasty smelling place because the Elders are so nice about taking it for us. They're pretty much awesome!

MTC happenings

From email of Wednesday, August 6, 2008:

We've had a few great firesides each Sunday & Tuesday. One was by Sister Kathryn Madsen, wife of former Seventy, David W. Madsen. She talked about finding the talents within ourselves & developing them. She stressed the fact that everyone has different talents & they all come together & compliment each other. That really made me think because I tend to compare myself with others. But I'm ME! No one has been nor ever will be just like me. Elder Madsen talked about "The Good Shepherd" & how shepherds lead instead of push. We are all shepherds as missionaries. "Your voice will become His voice & your hands will become his Hands." Aaah! I love all this spiritual-ness! I've never felt the Spirit so strong.

We had a teaching appointment (where we teach a pretend investigator) & my companion & I were soooo confident about it. We have a certain scenario & we plan for that certain person. But the guy we had didn't stick to the scenario & started spouting off scriptures & answering his own questions & throwing in Mormon humor. He even answered his phone TWICE during the appointment. How do you teach someone like that?! We were a bit disappointed with it, but oh well. It's another learning experience. My companion & I finally figured out a teaching method which works perfectly for us. I'm finally becoming a confident teacher! I'm so grateful for this missionary experience. I can't wait to get out there to Connecticut!

First day

From her letter of July 23, 2008:

"Wow! Today has been pretty overwhelming but it's not near as bad as I thought it would be. . . . we got shuffled through a billion lines & stations to get all that we needed & to make sure everything was good to go. All of the buildings look alike . . . so I had to wander around for awhile before I found my residence hall. . . . no one else was there, so I sat around until [some]one finally showed up. All 3 of my roommates are going to the Maryland Baltimore Mission. I'm stuck with about 6 Elders going to Connecticut but they all seem pretty cool. There are all different personalities in the district (7 Connecticut/4 Baltimore) & some just might be hard to get along with, but I'll try my best. I saw Cameron Briggs [from Malta] in the cafeteria today. . . . . I'm actually liking it here, at least so far. You feel the spirit so strong here that you have that fire to get out and do missionary work. I'm really happy that I'm able to be here to prepare to bring souls unto Christ. Don't ever worry about me. I'm doing the Lord's work & will be watched over & blessed. P.S. My companion is Sister Rosser from Las Vegas." (Pictured above: roomies Sisters Lindsey, Wilson & Rosser)

Sister Darrington at the MTC

"Sister Darrington" arrived at the MTC in Provo, Utah, July 23, 2008. She is excited to begin a new chapter in her life serving as a representative of Jesus Christ! Her tentative departure date to the mission is August 11.

MTC mailing address:

Sister Brenda M. Darrington

MTC Mailbox #140

CT-HAR 0811

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, Utah 84604-1793

The Connecticut Hartford Mission Area

This came in the lil' packet from my mission pres. It's pretty interesting!


Much of this country’s heritage is deeply rooted in the New England States. The Lord prepared this place. It was here that many great leaders of the nation were raised up to perform a work and lay the foundation of the Kingdom of God in these latter days. And it was here that God’s anointed were chosen to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth. Joseph Smith, Jr., was born in Sharon, Vermont in 1805. Brigham Young was born in Whitingham, Vermont in 1801 and Wilford Woodruff was born in Avon, Connecticut, a city close to Hartford.

The men and women who helped bring freedom to this nation did not stand alone but were inspired of God to accomplish their work, and they have left to this area a legacy of industrial advancement that has benefited the restoration of the gospel. The combinations of manufacturing, production and ingenuity provided a place of work and refuge for millions of immigrants who fled unjust forms of government; so when the time came, the scene was set for the hand of God to be made manifest in these New England States. In 1979, The Connecticut Hartford Mission was organized from parts of two missions, the Massachusetts Boston Mission and the New York Rochester Mission. The mission office is located in Bloomfield, and the mission home is located in West Hartford.

Both the mission home and the office are close to Hartford, which was named for Hertford, England in the 163 Os. Now the state capital and largest city in the state, it is located on the Connecticut River. For more than 150 years, Hartford was one of two state capitals; the other was New Haven, home of Yale University. New Haven was founded in 1638 and her port became the unloading dock for clipper ships bringing exotic cargo from the Far East to the New World. However, in 1875, Hartford was voted to be the single seat of government. In the past, Hartford has been the headquarters for some major insurance companies. The fortunes of these companies ebb and flow according to the tides of the insurance industry. It is a fact, though, that the loss of manufacturing jobs over the years has been hard on some of the cities that lie along Connecticut’s rivers.

The Housatonic River and Appalachian Trail share a part of Connecticut’s western border with New York and are mainly recreational areas, but the Connecticut, Quinnipiac, Naugatuck, Mystic Rivers and other major waterways in the state used to be a rich source of power for manufacturing industries. However, over the last forty years or so, highly water-dependent industries have abandoned their huge warehouses. Slowly, Connecticut’s cities have either developed cleaner, less polluting industries or declined in vitality. Another major river lies on the eastern side of our mission and that is the Thames. Almost every larger city in the state has a Trumbull Street because a vital Revolutionary War defensive fort over-looks the mouth of the Thames River into Block Island Sound-Fort Trumbull. Groton Submarine Facility and Naval Base are situated close to the mouth of the Thames. The cities of Providence, North Providence, Warwick, and Cranston Rhode Island make up part of the eastern boundary of our mission.

Although no great battles were fought on its soil, Connecticut joined with the other colonies in the Revolutionary War to fight for freedom. General Washington depended on Connecticut Governor Trumbull to provide war materials and food for soldiers. Connecticut representatives had taken part in all of the meetings that led to the formation of the Union. On the 9th of January 1788, Connecticut adopted the Federal Constitution and became the 5th state to enter the union.
The larger cities of the States of Connecticut and Rhode Island have become a gathering place for the “seekers” of a better life from South America and the Caribbean. They gather here to work for the families they leave behind; consequently, the Portuguese and Spanish Language programs are very much alive. The main religion of Rhode Island is Catholicism, while Connecticut is a mixture of Congregationalist, Catholicism and different versions of island Christianity. And, the cities of West Hartford and Hartford have sizeable Jewish populations. Most of the Indian Tribes have slowly disappeared, but their original languages appear to have much in common with the Algonquin Indians. The two most notable Indian reservations are the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot.

The Connecticut Hartford Mission area is culturally diverse, full of immense beauty and populated by people as solid as the rocky, ice-gouged landscape. Originally a place of preparation, patriots, pastors and priests influenced this part of the land. Then, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff and others, restored and pioneered new paths. Now, three stake presidents, the mission president, his wife and from 135 to 140 missionaries are behind a united effort to bring all of this diversity into one fold.