When I was 19, I was a missionary for my church in Italy for two years. During that time I learned Italian, taught people about my beliefs in Christ and helped people become better. On Friday when I was walking through the halls of the Foreign Service Institute the thought hit me, the Foreign Service Institute is exactly like the Missionary Training Center. Below I explain the similarities between the Missionary Training Center and the Foreign Service Institute.
The Orange Dot: At the MTC an orange dot on the missionary name tag marked you as a newbie. At FSI it was a pink name tag.
The Campus: Both sites are in a campus setting with some really nice open spaces. Both places are kind of secluded and really foster learning and preparing for future assignments.
Language Training: The MTC is filled with rooms that can seat about a dozen people for language training. The same is true of FSI. When you walk down the halls of both places you see signs on the doors telling you what languages are being taught. Also going down the halls you hear many conversations in languages you don't recognize.
Anxious to Go: Everyone is eager to get to country and get to work. When you put someone in training for two months or six months they have a tendency to go stir crazy. I remember that halfway through my time at the MTC I was dying to go to Italy and get started. So far I have completed 5 weeks of my 25 weeks of training and I am ready to go.
In my first few weeks I've run into a lot more mormons than I would have expected compared to the population. I've also had a couple of people tell me that you can't turn around without hitting a lawyer or a mormon in the State Department. I would guess the reason might be that a mission does prepares a person for the life and career of a diplomat. I know for myself and Janet it was our missions that made us comfortable with the challenges and opportunities of this new job and lifestyle. As I get further into my training I realize and am thankful for how much my mission prepared me.
