We bought matching T-Shirts for the assistants (Elders Payne, Hall and Leet) and us to wear during the activity potion of the Zone Conferences.
Elder Tui’one wins one of the “Speed Basketball” competitions and is awarded the winner’s certificate.
This was a week # 5 with zone conferences.
Specifics for this week – ending 9-6-08
On Sunday evening we had a very enjoyable dinner with returning and new couple missionaries. The Christensen’s, Lee’s and Rosenthal’s are completing their missions, and the Stratton’s and Dixon’s are starting theirs.
Monday we drove to Medford for a zone conference that would be held there on Tuesday, and we caravan with Tommy and Ashlee and their family that far on their way back to Stanford. We also met up with Elder and Sister Peterson who is the Area medical advisor and enjoyed a dinner with them.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we had zone conferences in Medford, Eugene and Corvallis respectively. The area medical doctor spoke in each one of those – focusing on stress and then met with missionaries who wanted to meet with him after lunch on any health issue. We also showed a much needed driving video on proper backing (we have had two backing accidents in the last few weeks.) The assistants taught about how to improve finding efforts with members and Sister Macdonald spoke on serving and used examples from Preach My Gospel. I spoke about the need to bare testimony and let the members know you are fully committed so that the members will be comfortable referring their friends to you.
In this mission they have a tradition of having an “activity” zone conference once a year (which we held this week) where they play games and socialize for the afternoon portion of the conference. It was a lot of fun and it also gave a chance for missionaries needing to see Elder Peterson to see him with out missing some of the instruction. I think it let all of the missionaries rejuvenate and get ready for this great work. I wanted something that would bring us all back together at the end, so I instituted -what I think we will be an annual event - a rock, paper, scissor competition with a certificate going to the winner. It was a fun double elimination event that had everyone laughing and cheering the participants who survived to the end. We also had a game of speed basketball with an award for that winner as well.
Friday found me in the office for the morning working with the staff trying to determine the logistics of having 22 missionaries coming in on the 16th and only loosing about 12. We have vans to rent to move people, a few apartments to open, and a lot of moving of missionaries to occur that week. After the logistics were completed the assistants and I (Elders Payne who goes home on the 18th) Hall, and Leet started planning the transfers. It is a great experience to feel the Lord’s direction in this work.
Friday evening I went teaching with the assistants to a woman they have been teaching. She has been struggling with smoking and we encouraged and testified. It was good to be out with the missionaries and to testify of the truthfulness of this work.
Saturday we will go down to Roseburg to attend a baptism and go to the wedding reception of Aubrey Wilkinson who use to live in our stake in Orem and married a man from Roseburg.
Again I am grateful for another week of being strengthened and having the ability of doing all that I need to do. I pray that each of you are also shored up and can carry forward in the way you should.
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