Zone Conferences

We.  are. so. tired.  We just finished up a very busy two weeks of Zone Conferences. It was so fun to have the opportunity to spend time with every one of our missionaries. I wish each of you could be here and meet these amazing young men and young women. They are mature beyond their years in so many ways. We ask so much of them that doesn't always come easy for someone their age (or mine). They have to -

• have a strong testimony
• have amazing people skills
• be a terrific teacher
• plan and organize every hour of every day 
• put aside their differences and work together
• keep their home clean
• serve others
• survive the rain, the cold, the fleas and the dog bites 
• learn to budget 
• be obedient 
• share the amazing message of the gospel

They do it all and they do it well. Back to the Zone Conferences - we had three classes each day. President Arrington and Elder Rees taught one about the focus of our mission - Baptize, Retain and Reactivate. Elder Carvajol taught about using the Book of Mormon in teaching and my class was on obedience. When all was said and done we ended up teaching the same classes 12 times each! For part of my class I used a talk that Elder Holland gave at the MTC in 2011. I wish I could find the video online so you could watch it but here is a link if you would like to read it (Be sure to read it with the same enthusiasm Elder Holland would use :)  -http://laytreasuresinheaven.com/feed-my-sheep-elder-holland/

Huge bread bowls filled with chili - a favorite of the missionaries

It took two of these coolers full of chili for each Zone Conference (Yep, we scooped it right out of the coolers).
Lili made enough chili and brownies to feed about 250 people in two weeks. She is amazing!

Letters from home are even better than the chili

Two thumbs up

Some of our amazing sisters

Smile

Taking pictures is a BIG part of zone conferences

This picture was taken a couple of weeks earlier when Elder Walter Gonzalez and Hermana Gonzalez came for a Mission Tour. They were amazing and we learned so much from them.