Four Days with Eleven Elders in One Apartment

July 19, 2010

So it's been a great week!

We had the four-day meeting. Crazy stuff. Basically a third of the mission was there: Zone Leaders, District Leaders and Trainers. It was cool. Basically it was a training of what we already knew... just bringing it all back from memory. Nothing new. Just making sure that we're doing it right ... and better. Also to improve our personal conversion to increase convert conversion.

They covered eight points - among which included: revelation, commitments, sacrament meeting, Book of Mormon, prayer, and how to begin teaching. It was great. They taught and we had great discussions and then we'd role play. One time I had to role play on camera and then the whole group critiqued the lesson that my comp and I had just taught to one of the Assistants. Yikes.

The first day that we got up there... the President's brother (a stake pres in Colorado) trained us. He taught of the doctrine of Christ. That has been a huge focus the past little while... teaching members, investigators, and living the doctrine of Christ... the gospel. Basically faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, endure to the end. It was really neat.

How each day usually worked out was that we would start the meeting at 9... they'd train. Lunch at noon (we had to take care of our own breakfast and dinner), and then they'd train again until 5. At 5 we'd go proselyte. it was so cool... we would proselyte, applying what we had just learned that day. Then the following morning we'd return and report. President would ask us how it went and people shared some pretty great miracles.

There was a great spirit felt there. To help change the negative attitude that is present in the mission, some missionaries created a "declaration". They presented it and it read that we need to be more focused on the missionary effort, to have more urgency in our proselyting, to truly bring souls to Christ. Then we all signed it. It was great - Sister McConkie had some MoTab playing and we signed an actual document with a feather pen. We would walk up to the podium and announce our name and the district/zone we represented and individually sign it. "I’m Elder Stoneman representing the Middoni Zone…” Every leader did that. Lastly, President got up and said, holding back tears, "I'm President McConkie and I represent the finest group of missionaries on earth.” And then he signed. Man, it was like a movie. He set the feather pen down right when the song ended. Epic. It was powerful though.

So that's about it. I spent four days with 11 elders in one apartment... with one bathroom. hahah Ouch. Elder H and I got up at 5:30 a.m. every day to run and then snag first dibs on the shower. We run about every day. Elder H is such a good guy. I spend a lot of time with him... Visiting the zone's investigators and meetings and such. I love it. I’m learning a lot. I’m going to miss him for sure. He goes home August 4th. Elder B is mostly with Elder D. They get along well and the work is progressing really well for the North Charleston Ward.

Elder H and I had a meeting with the Stake President last night. The branch is a no-go. It’s disappointing - we need it so much. Oh well. For now there is not enough people or leadership.

Elder B and I have a baptism this weekend - F. The families fell through - they're still cool... but P won't be baptized until August. F is a good guy. Really easy going and excited for baptism. He kept telling members at church yesterday that he's getting baptized - basically inviting them.
L is still waiting on an answer from her husband. If all goes well she will be baptized this weekend with F. Keep them in your prayers.

Oh also - we found M and R.... the T's!!! They had moved.... but into this area. We of course picked them back up to start teaching them. Cool miracle.

Well that's it for the week. I miss you. Hopefully Grandma is doing better. Give her my love. I’ll get some time next week to write some handwritten letters. I love you guys.

Elder Stoneman