The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints South Africa Missionary Training Center (MTC) has been blessed by the service of President Philip L. Collins and Sister Patricia Collins whose mission is drawing to a close.
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The Collins' began their mission in the South Africa MTC January 2014. They received the call while serving in Accra Ghana as the Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) country coordinating missionary couple. They had served in several callings including Moscow Russia as the mission president, in their home ward as the Church Educational System (CES) couple, and in Columbia once again as the PEF country coordinating couple, as well as other leadership callings in the church.
As a young married couple, the Collins' were determined to be the Lord's disciples and live the gospel to its fullest, making sure they always had their family prayers, family home evenings, scripture study and attending church. This made the desire to serve missions, as well as the acceptance of each of these calls a natural thing to them, though it has never been easy leaving family and loved ones behind
Having served in many diverse callings, the couples' first love has always been working with the missionaries and have had a great impact on the missionaries who have come in and out of the South Africa MTC (729 in total). President and Sister Collins often refer to the impact all these missionaries have also had on them. They related that most of their personal growth has been in seeing the sacrifice many of these missionaries have made in coming out to serve missions and their willingness to sacrifice even more - the pureness of their desires, their faith, as well as their prayers.
Every two weeks a group of missionaries leave the MTC and another group comes in. With each new group, some of their fondest moments have been getting to know the missionaries one on one, partaking of their righteous desires to serve Heavenly Father and the experience of taking them to the Johannesburg South Africa Temple on Tuesday's and Thursday's.
From an early point in their marriage, the Collins' committed to being the Lord's disciples, and through it all they have been blessed with an increased testimony of the Savior and His infinite Atonement, an unconditional love for people, and a realization as to how we are indebted to the Lord. They expressed that every time they had given what seemed to be their all to Him, He always blessed them with more.
The South Africa MTC currently trains missionaries called to serve in Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
South Africa Mormon Newsroom expresses gratitude to President and Sister Collins for their selfless service and dedication to hastening the work of the Lord and in mentoring the 'Army of Helaman' here in Africa.