I LOVE ZONE CONFERENCE!
Oh man! After this Zone Conference, I feel like a new missionary!! I feel like that probably after every Zone Conference...but still! This one changed the course of my mission! :)
We started off the conference with a story from the Assistants to the President. They were going out finding one day with some Zone Leaders, only having 30 minutes, and were challenged as they left by President Wong to contact as many people as they could. They took the challenge to heart, and planned literally every minute of their finding, for each companionship, and then went out and worked for the 30 minutes! They did a facebook challenge over the phone with ward members, talked to an entire soccer team and invited them to come play soccer at the church and talked to people on the street in between. They got a lot of solid potentials and referrals, and by the end of the 30 minutes had contacted over 900 people!! That's how Zone Conference started!! Then, we went into an awesome basketball game, literally Elders vs Sisters basketball game arranged by President Wong, and learned SO MUCH from the analogies that he presented! Things such as passing the ball before you shoot, rebounding, and using the area. It was amazing.
After the basketball games, we all sat down and watched a short video presentation on the 4 minute mile. The gist of it is that running a mile in 4 minutes used to be fantasy. NOBODY could do it! for years! Then one day, somebody did. Right after that, people were breaking it over and over and over again!! CRAZY!! Because it became possible. President Wong related this to our finding. We have had a goal as a mission for I don't know how long to get 3 new investigators a week per companionship. We haven't been hitting it. He encouraged us to raise our vision and break our "4 minute mile" By the end of next transfer, he has put a plan into place for us to be finding 8 new investigators per week! I know that we can do it with the help of our Heavenly Father!! I am SO EXCITED!!!
Oh there were so many more gems that happened at Zone Conference!! ...I suppose I will share them another time. :) But WOW!! So cool!!!
As I was reading through my study journal this past week, I read a passage where I wrote "At one point..." but read it as "Atone point" I was so confused! And then I realized at a different level why I can be confused at that statement. True, there was an "atoning point" when Jesus suffered for our sins, but EVERYTHING He did was for us! Is for us! And contrary to other religions where they believe in being saved at a certain time, where that one time the Atonement is for them, we know that our whole lives, our whole existence is our "Atone point." It's ALL for us! 24/7!! I'm so grateful for my Savior and all that He does for me! Because of Him I have access to Heavenly power and love every second of my life! We are so blessed :)
Another little nugget from Zone Conference...we were reading Alma chapter 8. When we got to verse 14, we talked about the words "weighed down." We looked at it from the point of lifting weights. One of the Elders said that being weighed down is when you're trying to push the weight back up. No matter how heavy the load, we need to keep pushing! :) Eventually, with the help of the Savior and our BEST effort, the weight WILL be lifted!!
I love it! I wanted to close this email with a MIRACLE!!!!!!! :D
There is a sweet lady, a recent convert, in our ward named Sandra Humphrey. She is from the Caribbean and has been here for over 3 years on dialysis 5 days a week waiting for a kidney transplant. She was here on vacation visiting her brother when she got sick and has been stuck here in Canada for the 3 years. Every time we visit her, she has just talked about faith. She has faith that everything will work out as it needs to. Her life is in God's hands! WELL....this week she called us. SHE GOT A KIDNEY!!!!!!!! Surgery was Saturday and she is recovering well in the hospital! We will go see her today! :) I love this woman so much and just cried when I found out that she was able to receive the kidney! We are praying each day that it takes well, and that she will be able to return to her home and 6 kids someday. :) God is so good!
OH! And ANOTHER MIRACLE!!! Remember the lady that I felt prompted to bring my water bottle for? That had the broken leg? Leslie? Well, she texted us this week and said she was so grateful and wants to meet up for coffee!! Oh I am so excited!!!!!!! :D :D :D
Have an amazing week everyone!!
Sister Van Valkenburg
We went bowling last P-day! It was a blast!!! My shoes were slightly less magnificent than the rest...as was my score...but we all had a blast and were given the same fair chances to be successful! ...kinda like life, eh? We don't all have fancy shoes, but we have the same chance to have a good game. :) Food for thought!
We heart attacked our dear investigator Bev's door! :) Love her!
So this tree is right by our apartment and we walk by it at least 2 times every single day. I think about this tree branch a lot. It is still hanging on to the tree, but is broken off just enough that it is dying. The rest of the tree is green! I think about that and how it could apply to my life. How many times am I still a part of the tree, but I have allowed myself to be broken off, just enough that I don't get the nutrients I need? Jacob 5 anyone? ;) We met a lady this week that is a less active member. She used to be REALLY active, and for the past 6 or 7 years has just...stopped. As we talked, she said that she has no excuse. She doesn't know why she has gone less active! So...she's going to start reading the Book of Mormon again today and come to church in a couple weeks when she gets back into town! So good! Another lady that I know goes to church each week, loves it, even taught Relief Society last Sunday and gave an amazing lesson!But when we saw her in her home, she admitted to us that her BoM reading is at a standstill. Her husband isn't reading either and is too tired in the mornings to come to church. They are still aprt of the tree! Both ladies! But in their own ways, they aren't receiving the nutrients! As they both begin to read the scriptures, and continue to come to church, I am so excited to see their testimonies start sprouting again! To begin reconnecting themselves to the tree and receive the nutrients that they so desperately need! Again, food for thought. :)
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