We always ask our missionaries to expect, look for and share their miracles with us, so I am starting this blog post off with one of my own.
On Thursday night we went teaching with two of our Hermanas. They were teaching a man who had many questions and, since Scott speaks Spanish they thought it might be helpful to have him there to answer some of his questions about the priesthood, etc. Thursday had been a good, but long day, we had a full day of zone conference and then Scott had interviews until the time of the teaching lesson, and I had 24 emails to get sent off to new missionary parents, so we were running to meet at the appointment. As I was leaving the house I grabbed my well marked Book of Mormon to take with me instead of a blue copy. Last week we went teaching with a different set of Hermanas and I didn't take it with me because I thought the entire lesson would be in Spanish but it wasn't. The family we taught spoke English and I was able to teach and contribute and the entire time I was wishing I had my well marked scriptures to help me find scriptures I wanted to share, and know exactly where they are in my set of scriptures. So this time I was going to be prepared. We got to the appointment and, unfortunately for me, the man spoke NO English. And, as a side note, the apartment was about 1000 degrees. And he had a million questions, so it was quite a long lesson. By the time it was over, I hadn't understood much of anything and I was melting and ready to get home.
Friday morning we had to leave the house early and I was going to do my scripture study when we got home, because we are doing 3 workshops today at a regional YSA conference and we needed to come home and prepare in the afternoon, because we haven't had any time before then. (as a side note, that is another miracle, that we are speaking at a regional YSA conference, and at a Stake Conference on Sunday and were able to prepare for both in about an hour, the day before. Heavenly Father is SO blessing us!)
I finally got a chance to start preparing and went to get my scriptures and I couldn't find them anywhere. I searched our house and I searched my car and they were no where to be found. I was sick to my stomach. At that time, I couldn't really remember where I had them last, we had zone conference yesterday and I knew I had them there, but I didn't know if I had left them there. I rechecked the house and the cars, Scott rechecked the house and the cars and they were not here. I went in my bedroom and said a prayer. I told Heavenly Father that most of my possessions I could replace, but my Book of Mormon is not one of them. I have had this set for at least 10 years and have 10 years of markings and notes. Every time we are in a meeting and I am asked to bear my testimony I just open my scriptures and thumb through until I find a note that seems applicable and I can just teach and testify from what I find. I told Heavenly Father I didn't know how I could do this mission without my scriptures. I then remembered that I had taken it with me to the teaching appointment so I called Hermana Alexander and Hermana Hernandez and asked them if they could call their investigator or drop by to see if I had left them there.
I texted my family and had them all say a prayer that I could find my scriptures and then I waited. At about 7 we still hadn't heard from the Hermanas and so Scott, Ethan and I decided to start heading that direction, we were just getting on the freeway when they called and were so excited to tell me that they had my Book of Mormon and we could meet them at a church to pick it up. I was so grateful, we said a prayer of gratitude right there in the car (Scott didn't close his eyes). It was a miracle to me that I even remembered taking it with me, and that they were able to get a hold of the investigator and that he was able to find it in his apartment. And that I was able to get it before I had to speak today and tomorrow. My kids all told me they never took their good scriptures teaching with them, and that is a good lesson learned.
My angels who found my scriptures I didn't get the dress in gray or black memo
The past week or so we were also able to finish the interviews with all of the missionaries. It was a wonderful experience to get to spend one on one time with each missionary in our mission and get to know them, to hear of their miracles, and the love they have for the Lord and for this work. They are remarkable and inspire me on a daily basis.
We were also able to have 7 out of the 8 Stake Presidents in our mission and their wives to dinner at our home last Saturday night, along with our Area Seventy, Elder Dorias. It was such a fun night, and they were all so great. All of the wives just came in and pitched right in to help me in the kitchen and we had so much fun. I miss my friends and it was good for my heart to have my kitchen full of women working and chatting, like I have done so many times with my friends at home. I am anxious to get to know all of them better.
The main focus of this week has been on our zone conferences. We have a fairly small mission, with only about 130 missionaries, and it is small geographically, and so we were able to combine 4 zones each day and have 2 days of zone conferences. We loved it. Anytime we are able to be around the missionaries and feel of their spirit is such a boost to us. We felt a little pressure as they love zone conferences as well. In their Monday letters to Scott, he told me so many of them commented on how excited they were for zone conference. I think they went well.
Scott started out and talked about our mission vision statement, and the things we are focusing on as we unite in prayer each morning. It was really powerful, each morning, he finished close to 9:55 and we all knelt down in the chapel and said our morning prayer with all of us together. There is definitely unity of prayer and it was felt strongly each day. I was blessed to train right after the prayer and I trained on the scattering and gathering of Israel and how we, as missionaries are the fulfillment of prophecy, that ancient prophets from the old and new testament and the Book of Mormon saw our day and looked to this time, and to us, to gather God's children, scattered Israel and how we do that through the tool of the gathering, the Book of Mormon. The keys of the gathering of Israel are operative in every corner of the world, including every corner of our mission. They are the swift messengers Isaiah wrote about, who would present gathered Israel to God.
We then had break out sessions with each set of zone leaders and sister training leaders training their individual zones, then Ethan did a training on getting those golden contacts to be golden investigators, and then golden converts by teaching them doctrine and increasing their desires, thereby increasing their actions. As we teach doctrine, they become uncomfortable because they desire something better, and as they desire something better, their actions start to match their desires. Preston did a training after Ethan and talked about following the pattern the Savior used as he prepared his disciples for when he wouldn't be with them anymore. This helps us get those with baptismal dates actually baptized and how we can help them understand the process of baptism more. They did great and it was so fun for me to see them train and to be able to see what they would have been like as missionaries. I am so grateful they are here with us this summer and so proud of them. The assistants did a great training on working with members.
After lunch we were able to hear from all of the missionaries who will be going home at the end of this month. They are powerful and it was tender to hear of their strong testimonies, they all testified of doctrine. How we are going to miss them when they leave. One missionary commented that they have done their very best and now it is up to the new missionaries to build on what they have tried so hard to accomplish and when they leave, to leave the mission even better than they found it. Most of them started their testimonies by saying they thought this day would never come, and talked about how fast the mission went by for them. I loved what one fine elder said, as he stood and said "most people say they thought this day would never come, but not me. I knew it would come and that is why I have worked as hard as I could every single day, so I wouldn't look back and think I wasted one day of my mission."
Scott finished the day with a wonderful training on the Book of Mormon and how the Book of Mormon contains the doctrine to answer any question. In Preach my Gospel it talks about questions of the soul, and how, as we know and understand the doctrine in the Book of Mormon we can answer those questions. We are starting tomorrow to read the Book of Mormon as a mission and he introduced the reading chart, we will all be following a schedule and be reading the same chapters every day, finishing right before Christmas. We want them to read through this time looking for and underlining the doctrine taught in the Book of Mormon. He also challenged them to use the doctrine to answer people's questions. As they contact and give away Books of Mormon, he wants them to ask people what their questions are, and then to find the answer in the Book of Mormon and let the person read the scriptures they find, which will, we think, lead to more return appointments. They have been posting their experiences on their messenger pages and they are finding this to be true. It's exciting to use the Book of Mormon to answer people's questions.
We love our missionaries and are so grateful for their goodness, their testimonies and their love. Enjoy an overload of pictures from our zone conferences.
Day 1: El Dorado, Folsom, Carmichael and North Sacramento Zones
A little twinning going on. They let me be in the picture, even though I was the odd man out.
Day 2: Cordova, Sacramento, Elk Grove and East Sac Zones
Elk Grove Zone
A little silliness after zone conference
And finally, we were able to sneak away one night after zone conference to a food truck round up for dinner and found some amazing Peruvian food. And then Ethan and I went to see the movie of Disney's Broadway show Newsies. It was a welcome break, that Scott didn't have time for, but we at least got him to go eat with us.
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