Comments on: “A Preparatory School of Intensive Teaching and Training”: The Church’s First Missionary Home

By: Maurine

Maurine — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:35:53 +0000

This has been very interesting. I didn’t go on a mission so I didn’t attend the Mission Home. But, my husband did in 1958. I went into SLC one day and met him and we went for lunch. Another day we got on a city bus and rode out to Cottonwood for dinner with his family. Things were quite lax then. He remembers the GA’s talking to the missionaries and the lesson on how to lead the singing. Nothing was said about him leaving with me those two times.

Then, two years and three months later, we got married. After the ceremony, we were having pictures taken in front of the beautiful gardens at Hotel Utah (now Joseph Smith Memorial Building). The missionaries walked by, returning to the Mission Home after having lunch in Hotel Utah. They assumed that he was a missionary too, because of the suit, I guess, and THEN they razzed him about being with me instead of going back to the home with the missionaries.

By: David Y.

David Y. — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:50:08 +0000

Crrrrrrack! [balls sails out of the park]

You’ve done it again, Ardis. Thanks for that wonderful follow-up.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:33:44 +0000

Randy D., who knows everything there is to know about the buildings and physical layout of early Salt Lake City, tells me that the Young descendants who owned the houses that became the Missionary Home were three daughters and a son of Brigham Young:

27 N. State: Myra [Shamira] Y. Rossiter
31 N. State: Clarissa Y. Spencer
41 N. State: Heber Young
49 N. State: Maria Y. Dougall

Maria Y. Dougall was still living in her house into the 1930s, so 49 North wasn’t added to the Missionary Home until much later than the others. Also, 27 North (the one in the pictures with the two storied square porch) had been earlier used as an annex to the Beehive House when that building was being operated by the YLMIA.

By: David Y.

David Y. — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:12:26 +0000

I, too, would be interested to find out the identities of the residents of 31 N. State when the Church bought/took over the property.

By: Mex Davis

Mex Davis — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:53:35 +0000

I second Mark B. We had more GAs teaching (talks) us than you can believe. We also had a 2 hour meeting in the SLC Temple with President Lee (Pres. Smith was ill). Funny part about the GA visits was I sat on the back and most of the local Elders were sleeping while I was from the Mission Field so I was excited to see these men. I asked some of the Missionaires why they were sleeping, most said that the GAs were either their uncles, old Bishops, Scout Masters, etc. That was wierd to me. I was in a whole new world. We did our own endowments there at the SLC Temple, totally unprepared and filled with wonder.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:23:55 +0000

Not offhand (other than that they were daughters or granddaughters of Brigham Young), but I know someone (two someones) who probably do. I’ll ask and get back to you.

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:47:45 +0000

Ardis, do you know the identity of the former owners of the residence (31 N. State)?

By: queuno

queuno — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:36:29 +0000

Do they not give that kind of instruction at the MTC anymore?

I remember our Spanish-speaking district got thrown into a couple of culture classes with other Spanish-speaking districts. The problem was that our district was comprised of missionaries going to deep South America, a Caribbean country, and a stateside mission.

Hard to teach culture/dialects/what to avoid to large groups comprised of 8-10 different countries…

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:29:44 +0000

We got some sort of lessons about the culture of Japan at the LTM in Laie–but I suspect most of those were promptly forgotten, along with everything else we had ever learned in our entire lives, when we arrived in that very foreign land.

By: Clark

Clark — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:08:35 +0000

Ardis, thanks for jogging a memory loose with comment #4. They did give us a hour-long class (out of 2 months) on cultural issues, including the advice to never use the “shave-and-a-haircut” rhythm to knock a door in Mexico.