PEORIA/PHOENIX NORTH ZONE CONFERENCE 2/14

 PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINE FOR ALL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT

Last Friday was the Peoria/Phoenix North Zone Conference.
It was a wonderful day of conference, albeit one of the strangest ones for President Taylor and me.  If you see my next post about our Elders in a car crash, you will know where I am coming from.
President Taylor and I spent the night at the hospital and he came over the next morning to start conference while I stayed.  So, if I look tired in my photos, its because I truly was exhausted.

 I am not sure the order that things were taught.  I came over twice to teach my lessons...but I know that the Spirit was there and I know that everyone learned what they needed.  Conferences are a place of revelation.
The Assistants taught a great lesson today on OBEDIENCE vs PRINCIPLES that was really great.  They had everyone practice explaining beliefs based on principles instead of rules.
Many times members want to question missionaries about things like dinner policy or why we dress a certain way, or why we cannot do certain things.  You know how that is with non-members questioning beliefs like the Word of Wisdom.
How much better is it to direct them to the principle instead of just saying "WE CAN'T..."

I also know that the Spirit was there because of the music that was performed.  When we have musical numbers, it brings the Spirit in full force!  I really missed hearing these numbers!!
Above, Sisters Brown and Hale and then Sister Young is on the piano to the right.

 The Phoenix North Zone had a large musical group for their number.  And I know it was good because we have wonderful singers in our mission!

President Taylor then taught about the Godhead, then about being a consecrated missionary.  We learned how important it is to give our will to the Lord, to lay distractions or fear or pride or anything else on the altar that could hold us back from being the missionaries that the Lord wants us to be.
We learned that the difference between hot water and boiling water is only 1/2 a degree...yet that 1/2 a degree increases the power of that water by 1720 times!
We want to be the CONSECRATED MISSIONARIES!  We want to be like Ammon or Alma!

My first discussion was about PLANNING.
I illustrate how we can fit in all the things that we need to do if we start with the BIG ROCKS FIRST and then the smaller rocks, then the gravel and then we can even fit in the fluff...or water to fill the gaps.

If we start with the small stuff...there is not room for the big stuff.  A good lesson for life!



We also learned how to use the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST in our planning.  This means that as we plan for investigators or anyone else we are teaching, we look to increase their FAITH their REPENTANCE/CHANGE their DESIRE TO MAKE PROMISES WITH GOD, their EXPERIENCES WITH THE HOLY GHOST and to know how we can help them ENDURE WELL.
As we plan this way, and then evaluate how we do, we can really be SPECIFIC in our planning and the Spirit will definitely guide us.  Planning is a process of revelation.











We practiced using what we call our VGPTA
Vision
Goals
Plans
Tasks
            using the Doctrine of Christ.
            Then we also evaluated, or used our
Accountability to report how each person was doing using the same Doctrine of Christ.  "How did this persons FAITH increase?"

 

Lunch as usual is a highlight.  Time to visit with old friends and make new ones.  The local wards and stakes put on the lunch for us so I do not have to stress about feeding hundreds of missionaries every month.  It is a huge blessing to the mission!







We love seeing full tables of Sisters at our conferences now...sometimes 2-3 tables!












Today was VALENTINES DAY...and the stake that did the lunch decorated in style and had really cute cards that used the scripture John 3:16 and found the letters for VALENTINES within that verse

 We celebrated our February and March birthdays.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:
Sister Barlow
Sister Brown
Sister Jackson
Elder Q Wilson
Elder Merrill
Elder D Jensen
Elder Perkes
Elder Schull
Sister E Walker

 We sing in all languages in our mission.
ENGLISH



SPANISH by all our Spanish Speakers in these zones.

 SAMOAN by Elders Moala and Laititi

KOREAN by Elder Jeong

and MONGOLIAN by Elder Enkhjargal

Font:  Sisters Young, Barlow, Brown, Hale, Jackson, Neary, Townsend, Meyer, Esplin, Bennett, E Walker and Turner.   Standing on floor:  President Taylor,  Elders Beck, Wainwright, Goldsberry, Maxey, Judkins, Allen, Enkhjargal, Moala, Laitit, Shin, Zaugg, Merrill, Dobson, Belnap, Greener, Young, Hernandez, Sister and Elder King and President Juchau. Sitting on Stage:  Elders Bryson, S. Smith, McFarland, N Nelson, Blackburn, Perkes, Hughes, Luke, D Jensen and Schull.  Standing on Stage:  Elders Nield, Handy, Jeong, Janzen, Mullinex, Lower, Sharon, Dickson, Q Wilson, Wade, Empey, Goehring, Syndergaard, Kroeger and Weiler.

After lunch the Zones broke out into their own training sessions.

Elders Lower and Q Wilson for Peoria


Elders Wade and Wainwright for Phoenix North

They both taught how to help teach to baptism and how to use the Doctrine of Christ in planning and helping people see that they know enough as they use progress records/Baptism calendars to mark off the things they are progressing in.
It is important for all of us to celebrate the things we are doing well and are learning as well as to see what we are needing to work on.
We are ALL works in progress!

It was a fabulous day with these two great zones.  They are amazing people that have made great commitments to live, love and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others.  As they do this, their own understanding increases and they become the deepest converts of all.  It is all just so good!