FIRST Zone Conference and Transfers #2

 Our first Zone Conference was held the week of August 13th...we had been here for a total of 16 days, had toured the mission, met all the missionaries and senior couples, attempted to organize every needful thing in the mission home, (now our home for 3 years) attended our first MLC and did our first training, attended our first specialized training mtg and did some more training, welcomed 20 new missionaries and did more some training, went through our first transfer, said good-bye to 13 departing missionaries, and then it was Zone Conference.  What is Zone Conference you ask? 

A zone is what Kim was in for the first few hours....but its also where zones are brought together quarterly in one place for up to 6 hours- to train, teach, motivate and instruct. Its normally held every 6 weeks or so for 6 hours.  We got to attend one every day that week of the 13th and it was amazing!   We do some training, role playing, goal setting, singing, eating (sisters from the Stake will take turns feeding the missionaries at Zone Conferences and it is of course very organized, very nice and very yummy) Not only was it great to see all of the missionaries again but it really gave us the opportunity to interact with them and learn more about them.  My favorite part was hearing all of them sing. My second favorite part was watching them interact with each other.  These missionaries are so awesome!  They are so happy and so focused.  We left feeling so inspired and invigorated.

 Quick snap shots of that President Ames took before the official picture for history was taken and Sister Ames is definitely in a zone 

Kileen Zone performing a musical number
Sister Glazier leading (the sister of Sister Lehnardt)

                                                  
                                                  
                                       
                                                            

Role Playing or rather...."Real Playing" or Practicing!

                                            

  

Every Zone has a group of ladies that fixes a nice lunch for us and even leave us treats for the road!

Getting ready for car inspection @ Zone Conference

REVIEW:

Every 6 weeks we have the "incoming missionaries" 

Our most recent new missionaries (arrived Sept. 17th)

After we pick them up from the airport, treat them to a Texas Welcome barb-e-que, have a getting to know you and testimony mtg, training etc. we introduce them to their new trainers.

Meanwhile..... transfers are happening out in the parking lot, and somehow it all works very smoothly! 

We then take the "departing missionaries" back to the Mission Home, attend the Temple, treat them to a good bye barb-e-que, have a going away/testimony meeting and then its off to the airport the next morning.

Our 2nd group of departing missionaries who left Sept. 19th

This time one of the Assistants to President Ames will be going home-:-(  And though we are excited for him to move on the the next phase in his life, he will be missed.  He was a great assistant to President Ames, in helping him get organized, situated and so patient!  He was always smiling and a great leader.

 In between transfers we have MLC every first Friday, specialized training, interviews (with each missionary), farewell to Senior Couples, speaking engagements at Stake Conferences, firesides, dinners, etc. and Zone Conference. In addition President Ames is reading an email he receives from each missionary (roughly around 277 e-mails a week) Sister Ames is taking care of the medical needs that the missionaries might have, and there are always extra events that are needing our attention (car and bike accidents, major sicknesses, trips to the ER, etc.) We also get a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy who visits, trains, evaluates and teaches us.  (more on that in October) And every now and then, we get a surprise visit from one of the Twelve Apostles who in this case was Elder Neil L Anderson and with him was his wife Kathy, Elder Callister and his wife Kathy.