So today is day one of 4 zone conferences that we´ve got going on this week. Three of the 12 zones came to the stake center today. Zone conferences are filled with videos, trainings, talks, musical numbers, etc. It´s really a time to see the missionaries and give them the new instruction on what we´re trying to achieve in the mission, and the things that President Lindahl is trying to accomplish. It´s always a time for the missionaries to reflect, relax, feel the spirit, and be instructed. I´ve always loved zone conferences!
This conference has been quite a bit different now that the other assistants and I are giving the instruction, and planning the whole conference. Staying on time, following the spirit, keeping everyone excited, getting through to em, make sure the catering gets there on time, etc. Such an experience! So much work goes into these things. We´re planning, praying on our knees alot, doing all the necessaries to make sure what we´re teaching and instructing is the Lords will. And most of all that the missionaries can recieve it and go out and just tear it up. Today was a great success, tomorrow will be even better with the little adjustments we´re making.
The first week of traveling assistant work was really fun, super exciting. We worked with a few Elders where everyone says it´s close to impossible to find new investigators. Or to reach our goal of 10 new investigators a week. We decided it´d be a great place to put into practice our plan to work more effectively with members to get references to new investigators. We made the ambitious goal to double the goal in the supposedly hardest area for news. Welll........... with those two elders on our divisions we found 22 new investigators and 6 have baptismal dates. (We were only able to work 2 days with them). Smashed the goal! Then celebrated with a little ice cream after, it was really great. I think the Elders out there are super excited for this next trasfer, full of energy out there now! I loved every bit of it, I love being able to make goals and work my butt off to get em, to just get that feeling of euphoria afterwards knowing that you put in 100% and made the goal. My football past has humbled me so much. To have worked so hard to just loose, loose, and loose. Now I am seeing the fruits of labor in something that I have 100 percent control over, and it´s fantastic.
Had a cool experience out in that little town of Palmira this week as well. We went over to a very active members house who is getting ready to send two of her 4 boys out on missions this year. We shared a message with her, and decided to a little activity we´re teaching missionaries to do where we make a list of 25 peoples names that she knew that weren´t members. After we get their names we pray together on our knees about who is ready to recieve us in their house right now. We did it and asked her to put dots on the list of the people she felt would recieve us that day. She put three on there, and we then set out to find them. The references she gave us didn´t really pan out how we had hoped but as were walking out she told us that she had talked to a lady that lived around the corner that she talked to about the gospel before. She didn´t know her name but said she was receptive. So we went by. We knocked on the door and a lady peeked out and told us to wait a few minutes, and that she wanted to attend us. She came back and let us in. We got to know Viviana a little bit. I could tell immediately that she was passing through a rough time right now. Although she lived in a nice house I could sense that in the way she spoke things weren´t exactly as nice as her house looked. The Elder I was working with asked her a really inspired question and all the sudden she opened up and started telling us how she felt so alone, how she felt deserted in her life. She showed us her brand new cell phone and said ´´It´s beautiful to have a phone like this, but it´s not so beautiful when it never rings.´´ As we dug a bit deeper, i asked her why she let us in that day. She put her head down and paused for a second, then looked at me and said ´´Elder I´m a member of the church, and I know you were sent here today to bring me back.´´
She had been inactive for the last 8 years. All of her depression, and problems began as she left the church for a boyfriend in whom she moved in with. The saddest story of her life that had fallen apart, and all of her trials. But we lifted her up, and she went to church yesterday for the first time in 8 years. Accompanied by her neighbor member that wouldn´t have ever known she was a member. It´s a simple example but its in times like those when you remember that you´re truely a disciple of Jesus Christ, called to bring back his lost sheep It was a great week!
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