BIGGS, CA (MPG) - Full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints usually begin their service with a few weeks of training in one of the Missionary Training Centers (MTCs) located around the world.  During the current time of COVID-19 restrictions, missionaries have been completing these weeks of training at home with an online MTC experience.

Karsyn McLean, a graduate of Biggs High School, received her mission assignment to the Argentina Rosario Mission in February of 2020, with her service to begin at the Mexico City MTC.  At the time, she was finishing a semester at BYU in Provo, Utah.  

When she returned home to Biggs, the stay-at-home order was in place, many missionaries from around the world had been sent home to quarantine, with some of them returning to serve in different assignments, and McLean was left to wonder what would happen with her own assignment.

McLean soon learned she would begin and complete her missionary and language training at home, and began her training June 2.  

As she began the first week of at-home MTC, McLean learned to appreciate talking with her family in the evening, sharing what she had learned.  An extra benefit was enjoying family meals and the great snacks her mother provided during the day.  By the third day, McLean was able to offer the family’s evening prayer in Spanish.

Some of the traditional MTC experience remained intact.  McLean’s day was tightly scheduled, with personal study, study with her virtual companion, and Zoom classes and meetings.  She was required to be in bed by 10:00 pm, and up by 6:30 am.  She also dressed according to sister missionary guidelines and wore her name tag--even in the house.  If she left the house, she had to be accompanied.  Also, each week included a Preparation Day, with time to attend to personal obligations.

By Week 2, McLean and her companion were giving religious lessons in Spanish to members of the Church in Mexico, who acted as interested investigators.  She said it was a little difficult, with a lot of “smiling and nodding” when they didn’t understand what the members were saying.  Week 2 was also the week she felt confident that, even though things were different than she expected, “I do know that this is where I'm supposed to be for my training.  I've also thought a lot about this simple phrase, ‘Dios es nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial’ (God is our loving Heavenly Father).  Everything that our Heavenly Father has done for us has always been out of love.  He has given us families, trials (yes, even trials!), and His Son, Jesus Christ.”

McLean’s father, Josh McLean, served as a full-time missionary in Honduras and still speaks Spanish.  Karsyn was soon able to enjoy conversations with her father in Spanish, with him often calling out “SYL,” or “Speak Your Language,” when she used English.  

Week 3 McLean began to experience the kind of exhaustion that found her waking up from unexpected siestas with her head in her book.  To stay awake during studies, she would walk around her living room, reading, reciting, and practicing the language.  

During one Zoom meeting, a 7.7 earthquake struck Mexico, where her two online teachers lived.  The teachers quickly ran out of the building, and, after several minutes, returned to the Zoom meeting to report they and the people in their area were safe.

It was also during the third week that McLean learned she would begin her service temporarily reassigned to the Oregon Eugene Mission, which includes the southwest section of Oregon, and even a slice of northern California, including Yreka.

From the beginning, McLean participated in Zoom meetings with seven other missionaries and two teachers.  Even though training was conducted online, McLean was assigned another sister missionary as her companion, and completed learning exercises with her.  After three weeks, two groups were combined, and her training group grew to 16 missionaries.  All missionaries were Americans assigned to different missions in Argentina.  Currently, all 16 missionaries are serving within the United States.

During Week 4, McLean and her family hosted the local full-time missionaries in their home, as they led gospel discussions with an interested family.  McLean shared, “I could feel the Spirit so strongly in those lessons, I can't wait to have more of these kinds of experiences in my own mission soon.”  

Although all interaction was online, McLean developed close friendships with the other missionaries, and especially with her companion.  They gathered often in unscheduled evening Zoom meetings to play games and talk.

Josh and Angela McLean, Karsyn’s father and mother, were initially curious to see what it would be like to have Karsyn complete her training at home.  Josh said, “We watched less TV, because we could only watch BYUtv.  So we played games, went on walks, and I practiced the piano more.”  They reported that it wasn’t as strict as they expected.  They were allowed to take Karsyn on the family Independence Day vacation to Fort Bragg.  Karsyn attended her Zoom classes from the balcony of the hotel, facing the ocean.  And additional family time was given on July 4.

As McLean prepared to travel to Eugene, she struggled with her reassignment.  She said, “I've had the question of ‘why’ in my head a lot lately.  Mainly, why can't I go to Argentina right away? And why was I called there if I might never even get to serve my mission there?  My whole life I've been a huge planner, and I love to know exactly what's going to happen and when.  So it's been hard for me to not know the answers to these questions.  But this week I've come to be okay with not knowing the answers, because I know that my Heavenly Father knows why.  He has a plan for me and He knows all the whys about my life.”

McLean left home for Eugene on July 15.  She hopes to make it to Argentina, but is ready for the unexpected.