This was a group shot we got the 2nd day of zone conferences. The 1st day and the the 3rd day I wasn't able to get the whole group, because Marinduque zone was there the 1st day and Mindoro Zone was there the 3rd day. Both of those had to catch a boat to get back to their islands so they had to leave right after the zone conference.
Some of our cute Sister missionaries!
I know it looks like all we do is eat, but really we do a lot of teaching! This was a catered lunch we had during our 1st day of our Zone Conferences. Each day we served a different menu. We are sitting with the senior couple we have helping us to teach the missionaries to keep their apartments clean and repaired and making sure they are changing their water filters correctly and on time! We are so thankful for their great efforts! Elder Bennett is a real handyman and she is health and cleanliness enthusiast!
We had three days of Zone Conferences. We have 10 zones with anywhere from 12 to 16 missionaries in each zone. The first and second day we had 3 zones at each conference and on the third day we had 4 zones. So we had anywhere from 36 to 60 on each of the three days. Just to give you an idea of what went on at this Zone Conference...here is a schedule we followed this time...After and opening hymn (accompanied & lead by a missionary at all three conferences!) and prayer, we stood and recited our purpose, which is to, "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." President Peterson, then gave some counsel on the white missionary handbook. He just covered a few things...companions always stay together. He tells them, "Huwag kang magisa!" (don't be alone!) Also, don't pick up children, hold them on laps or be alone with them! We don't want to accidentally drop them or to have any chance of false accusations. And, always dress like a missionary, even on preparation day. You can wear your casual attire for activities and service projects, but then go home and clean up before you go out shopping or run other errands. Then, Elder & Sister Bennett talked to them about apartment cleaning and maintenance. "Words of Wisdom" by Sister Peterson was next. I talked about Keeping Mentally Well. I started out with the scripture, D&C 11:13, "...I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy." I asked them to think of when they first came to the mission and how exited they were. However, as time passed, the language continued to be a struggle, investigators usually fell through on their commitment, the heat caused irritating rashes, and you sometimes wonder why I am here so far from home! You are each just trying to be a good missionary, but "where is the joy" and the peace the Savior promised his followers? We cannot expect our lives to be without struggle or pain. It's normal to have problems. However, we must to learn to face and endure them. I talked about some principles and practices (gospel rooted) that can help them heal and allow them to experience greater joy, even as they encounter the difficulties of mortality. Principle #1 "Perfection is an eternal quest, not an immediate goal." When we see our mortal task as one of developing ourselves rather than one of not making any mistakes, we are less likely to give up hope when we confront our weaknesses. The Lord gave us weaknesses so we would be humbly open to his influence (Ether 12:27) and not need to appear perfect to others. Principle #2 Control--less is more! One good definition of good mental health is the ability to give up control--to trust God, ourselves and others--and to know that things will work out. As missionaries, we are responsible to others, but not for them. We are our "brother's keeper", but our brother still has responsibility for his own life. The Lord knows better than we do how to help him. But we do need to be open to His spiritual promptings in our relationships. Principle #3 We can be freed from the effects of sin. We are all prone to slip into sin sometimes without realizing it. We must sharpen our awareness and engage in a continuous process of repentance. Principle #4 Changing thoughts can change feelings. As we read in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." If we are thinking unwholesome or negative thoughts, it is going to show up in our emotions and eventually in our behavior. Negative thinking patterns cause negative emotions, which can trigger even depression. Also, medical researchers are finding that some kinds of negative thinking can also make us more vulnerable to physical illnesses, including heart disease. We must replace negative with positive..."I am thankful for...and list as many things as possible. The rewards for redirecting thoughts in a more positive direction are great...Depression can subside, anxiety can diminish, and physical health can improve. It is up to us! Principle #5 Wellness is balance. The Word of Wisdom reminds us that the way we treat our bodies also affects our minds and spirits, for along with physical blessings of a strong body, the Lord promises "wisdom and great treasures of knowledge" (D&C 89:19) to those who eat properly and abstain from harmful substances. Good nutrition raises resistance to stress, while poor nutrition is a stressor. Rest and exercise are also necessary for emotional health. Some people think mental wellness is the absence of struggle or pain. Actually, wellness is being in balance. Principle #6 The atonement brings healing. The atoning love of the Savior includes his willingness to bear not only the burden of our sins...which would separate us forever from our Father--but also our day-to-day burdens of fear and anxiety--which would deprive us of peace and joy. Healing comes when we not only know, but also feel that the Savior loves us, even in our weakness.
President Peterson then taught his workshop which was on the Doctrine of Christ...which is Faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. He had us go through scriptures, 2 Nephi 31:2-21, 3 Nephi 9:20-22, 3 Nephi 11:21-41, 3 Nephi 27:13-22. He led a wonderful discussion about the doctrine taught in these scriptures and how the Father, Son and Holy Ghost feel about it. He emphasized that our purpose is "The Doctrine of Christ". He talked about why love of the Lord and for those we teach is so important. (D&C 12:8, D&C 4:5) He taught us that we should have an eye single to His glory when we plan. And all of our missionary activities... personal study, companionship study, daily and weekly planning, teaching, attending ward council, etc. should be with our investigators in mind...looking through the lens of the Doctrine of Christ...with an eye single to His glory...and His purpose. "This is not your mission, it is His mission." President talked about not losing sight of our purpose...We are here to seek and find those ready to be invited to come unto Christ... not to teach the less active...that is for the ward councils to do. We can help and go with them when they ask, but we cannot forget our purpose as missionaries. It was a great workshop! I know I am writing a lot, but we are so excited about the work. I don't want to forget any of these wonderful experiences.
The afternoon workshop was about introducing a new missionary training program. It is a 12 week program where prayerfully selected missionaries are called to train the new missionaries coming in. The training adds another hour to the 1 hour companionship study. They take time everyday to study from the missionary handbook and it goes through an exact schedule of study for the Preach My Gospel fundamental lessons and the whole rest of the chapters in PMG. It is proposed that by the time they finish the 12 week program, the new missionary could be a trainer. It is truly an inspired program! However, it is brand new...We will see how well it will help to get the new missionaries trained a little quicker. I believe it will.
