At just one zone conference there were seven Orem High graduates! (that includes president and me) What a small world it is.
What a great bunch of sisters. We love getting a chance to be together.
These young men from Prineville are very talented. They did a great job sharing their musical talents with the group while in Bandon.It was good to meet with all of the missionaries as we held our Multi Zone Conferences this week. We tried to teach principles that will help them in their mission life and in their life after they go home. To that last stated goal I invited a different former stake president in each of the areas to speak about the process of releasing and being released from callings. They spoke about the need to be faithful in whatever calling we have at the time, and to know whether we are being released as a trainer, DL, or ZL on our mission, or being released from other callings when we are home, that both the call and the release came after prayerful consideration by those in leadership over us.
Sister Macdonald shared examples from church history where a simple, pure testimony willingly given changed lives and how we can do the same today, that the Lord has prepared many for the gathering just as he prepared many for the restoration. It is our calling to gather in faith.
The assistants (along with Elders Crandall and Martin who joined us at my invitation on this round of zone conferences) taught about the need to prayerfully determine what is possible and not allow negativity or past results to influence what we can do with the Lord’s help.
I spoke about the need we have to rescue all those we can, and shared several scriptures that I was taught at last week’s seminar. We also encouraged all of the missionaries to re-read the Book of Mormon by the end of May. We believe that this, coupled with a mission wide fast to start us off this Sunday, will raise the spirituality of the mission and increase the success that we will have together.
During the three days of zone conferences we hold, we teach basically the same principles to each group. It was great to see missionaries in every conference be thirsty for ways to improve and grow. I have noticed how critical it is to come to a meeting personally prepared to be taught. Whether anything outwardly is said at the zone conference or not, there always seems to be one group that receives what is being taught a little better than the other groups. As I have looked at this over the time we have been here, this phenomena doesn’t seem to be affected by one specific location more often than another, nor does it seem to be affected by whether or not it is the first area in which we hold zone conference (perhaps because the bugs aren’t worked out yet) or the last (perhaps because we are a little tired) or by any other outside influence. It seems to exist in the intangible quality of personal preparation. I hope that I will always go to meetings I attend, either as a teacher or as a student, ready to learn and be edified. I believe as I do so I will get much more out of the meetings.
Saturday night we had the opportunity to drive out to Bandon and speak to a youth group staying there from Prineville. We had the full-time missionaries in the area join us and we answered some of their questions about missionary preparation. It is always good to be with the youth and see their enthusiasm for life.
During the three days of zone conferences we hold, we teach basically the same principles to each group. It was great to see missionaries in every conference be thirsty for ways to improve and grow. I have noticed how critical it is to come to a meeting personally prepared to be taught. Whether anything outwardly is said at the zone conference or not, there always seems to be one group that receives what is being taught a little better than the other groups. As I have looked at this over the time we have been here, this phenomena doesn’t seem to be affected by one specific location more often than another, nor does it seem to be affected by whether or not it is the first area in which we hold zone conference (perhaps because the bugs aren’t worked out yet) or the last (perhaps because we are a little tired) or by any other outside influence. It seems to exist in the intangible quality of personal preparation. I hope that I will always go to meetings I attend, either as a teacher or as a student, ready to learn and be edified. I believe as I do so I will get much more out of the meetings.
Saturday night we had the opportunity to drive out to Bandon and speak to a youth group staying there from Prineville. We had the full-time missionaries in the area join us and we answered some of their questions about missionary preparation. It is always good to be with the youth and see their enthusiasm for life.
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