Zone Conference with Elder Nielson

Alright well honestly this week was just a normal week here in the mission!  I feel like there really wasn't all that cool of stuff that I was like wow!  I guess first off we are working with someone else so they can get married we are getting close and I am really excited because it is another just free baptism for anyone who can get them married!  So we are hoping that can happen here really soon!  

Tuesday we worked really hard and we were able to get some good lessons in!  Elder Nielson (Executive Director of the Missionary Department) came in this day to the offices and that was really awesome too!  He is an amazing man!!  I learned so much from him on Wednesday when he was teaching us!  I guess that would be the spiritual experience!  We were in a meeting with him from 8 until 5 and it was awesome!  He taught us so much and helped us realize all sorts of things and I was so grateful to be in the meeting! One thing he said that really stood out was that lots of times us as missionaries aren't assigned to a mission, we are actually assigned to a mission president!  So he was saying we all need to think with that mentality of what can I learn from President and his wife!  It was awesome!

zone conference

photo bomb

Sister Stutznegger wrote this on her blog:

Elder Nielson and his sweet wife Marcia stayed with us for 5+ days.  He spent 2 days just visiting our missionaries and giving them instruction.  They all were on spiritual highs as he answered any question asked, and gave great guidance on how to make this mission even better.  A few of his hints that will be started ASAP:

• Less active members are a goldmine.  We are using 18% of our time with them, and they are providing 48% of our baptisms.  We need to use time more wisely.
• Leaders (Zone and Assistants) need to be the hardest working missionaries in the mission.  We never take them out of their area.  Missionaries come to “their laboratory” to see how it is done.  Divisions will be changed – we do it just opposite of this as do most missions.
•  Alma 23:13: “lay down the weapons of your rebellion.”  He taught us that we all have these weapons – the little things that keep us away from completely enjoying the blessings of the gospel.  After this teaching, several missionaries handed over electronic devices that were against mission rules.

The missionaries absorbed his sweet spirit, mild manner, and 4 hours of help.  He visited apartments to see how they are here.  He interviewed some Elders and Sisters.  He encouraged, he loved, he shook every hand, and he motivated.  It was the best Zone Conference ever!

That was basically all for this week about stuff like that!  We just worked hard! Julio didn't get married we actually have ran into some small little problems!  Instead of getting married they might be getting divorced but we will know tomorrow what the verdict is!  The family Alva we will probably drop them tomorrow as well just because they aren't really progressing! It is really sad but we will have to go here in a few months and try again!  Like in January!   It is sad!

This is short we are going to a mall right now but then I will write more after I talk with Olson about what we did and I will send a little more once we get back okay?  I love you have a good week!

Elder Orchard

(Instead of writing more when he got back he sent us Elder Olson's letter home.  Thanks for the great details, Elder Olson!)

Tuesday: Elder Nielson came to the offices today with his wife! It was super cool. We got everything all cleaned up :) They came and just kind of saw the whole house and then talked to us for a minute about our jobs and stuff! They're super great. Then Orch and I went to the temple to drop off medicine to a missionary. We got lost on the freeway in the taxi :/ It sucked hahaha. Then we ate and had our ward mission meeting! Then we did splits. Orchard went with Hno Gus to a family night and I went with Roger to a cita with Alba. It actually went really well. The only two really progressing right now are Salvador and Chino so we're going to start to focus on them. We were super clear with them and so it was good.

Wednesday: Today was sooo so good! We had our meeting with Elder Nielson. We left here like at 7:30 to get there by 8:15. He honestly killed it. (Elder Olson shared many things he learned but I will let that be personal to him and his family:))

Thursday: Today we had a service project in the afternoon, wasn't too fun :/ Haha. We did get KFC though :)

Friday: We went to eat today with a less active family. They're so cool!!! We had a great time and had a good chat with the son, Angel. He's 15. He's a good kid but super struggling right now with his testimony so we were able to talk to him about that the whole time we ate and it was really good. Then we had another meeting with Roger, the ward mission leader. It was good. We had a good chat about all our investigators, and the girls investigators. Then Sis. Gutierrez had a little breakdown so we spent about 30 minutes trying to help her feel better. Then we went to see Alba and they weren't home :/ So we went and had Pan de Muerto with Sis. Adaiia. It was yum :) We had a great lesson about patience after we ate!

Saturday: Today we did special changes. We left at 7:30 and went all over the mission hauling people around and changing them and stuff. Then we ate, and brought Elder Parkinson back with us to be in a trio for a few days. He's a super super great kid. He's going home on Thursday to have surgery on a bulged disc. Poor kid. He's a phenomenal missionary and we're super super sad he has to go home. But he's with us until Thursday, so wee!! We're excited about that :) He lives in Honeyville, Utah heh. Not really sure where it is, but he probs will be giving a homecoming talk this Sunday if you guys want to go! I'll try and find out times and stuff. Anyway in the night we took him back to his area for a baptism he had. It was super cool. I was asked to talk about baptism, and ended up talking more about the atonement but it went well! It was super super sad though. He was really struggling :( Poor kid. It really gets me sometimes, when I'm feeling like I don't want to be here, or when I'm really looking forward to getting home in 9 months (!!!!) To see someone like that really makes me remember why I'm here. Awesome kid. He'll be in bed for the next 6-8 months. 

Sunday: We had church and then ate, and came back because Parkinson was really struggling with his back and couldn't really walk. We came back and the poor kid layed down on the floor for like 4 hours and just couldn't get up. Honestly breaks my heart

Well that was pretty much our week! Today we went to the mall and I bought a sweater haha. We have no pics :/ I"ll try and do better this week, but no promises. I'll be in Migration tomorrow, wednesday, thursday. :/ We probs won't work until Thursday night because we don't want Parkinson to get too wrecked but we'll see what he says. I love you guys all tons!!! Have an amazing week :) 

Love,

Elder Olson