Training

     Even though we are already in the DR, I want to show you a little about our training in Salt Lake, starting July 8.  Monday through Thursday we rode the "Frontrunner" train from Thanksgiving Point up to the Church Office Building in SL.  We took the Trax the last part of that journey.  It all made the trips much easier and we didn't have to be in a traffic hassle.  When we arrived, we went to a little room with three other couples and our trainer.  There we learned to use this amazing system.  You think it is easy to take a picture, but these have to be perfectly focused and the "grayscale" regulated.  There are different settings for single papers, books, big books, etc.  Here is a picture of what the system looks like.  Usually, those spotlights would be on, but he had just turned them off.

As you can see, it is all connected to the computer and to a "shuttle" that record the images and then the shuttle is sent in to Utah for inspection.  If it passes the quality test, the information will eventually be available at familysearch.org for those who are interested in viewing it to get family history info.

Here we have our trainer and the couples who were learning the process.  The couple on the left will go to D.C. to capture the images at the National Archives of Civil War widows' pensions and the middle couple are going to Peru to Cuzco.  They have lived in Peru before and have shared our visa problems.  At present, there are about 200 cameras around the world, some operated by missionaries and some by people contracted to do the work.  One of the great benefits of training there was that we were able to eat in the beautiful 26th floor dining room (while the regular cafeteria is being remodeled).  We had a spectacular view of the city while we ate, delicious food and wonderful piano music played by a gentleman.  I'll include a photo from the observation deck just outside.