Getting to the Top of the Hill

It's that time of year again when all the missionaries get the Conference itch and it doesn't go away until you see it or read it.  It literally comes on like a fever and you sometimes get rashes.  Ha ha ha!  Totally kidding, but I do really want to see it.  It get's to us just a little slower here.

So this week started off with opening up a marriage process!!!!!!  Woooooo hooooooo!  We are so excited for this couple.  The blessings that are going to happen in their lives are going to be unreal!  It was a good start to a great week and the rest of the day was just jammed pack, so I needed another p-day after our p-day.  I think that is exciting that you guys are reading my companion's family blog as well.  He will be excited to hear that.  Then we went to zone conference and oh boy, was it a good one. Aside from talking about the fastest way to get sent home (say you have suicidal thoughts, which I don't have), it was pretty good.  The psych was a little bit more than I cared to pay attention to, but now I know who is bipolar and who has OCD in my house.  Good to know.  I think President Kretly did an awesome job, like always lifting our vision.  I am pretty sure we get a ten thousand dollar Franklin Covey presentation every zone conference.  You pretty much leave there feeling like you are going to baptize the world.  It's great.  So some of the things that they focused on right from the beginning was the amount of time we have put into getting ready to become missionaries.  I didn't really connect with that too much because I kinda just decided to be a missionary two or three years before and I wasn't constantly looking forward to it like a huge goal, but still, it got me thinking about others and what they do to become ready and how much it must mean to them.  Then Sister Kretly said something that really kinda hit me.  She said that the general authorities or a member of the seventies had been visiting  the surrounding Africa area and they noticed a pattern in a certain question that a lot of missionaries had. basically what it was, "When will the work I do be enough, when do I get to the top of the hill, when do I get to feel like I am making and adequate difference?"  She turned the question on us to see what we would say.  Some said it was never over, you are never done even after your two years.  Some said just do your best and don't worry about it.  I thought that it was when you had confirmation from the Spirit that your work was done in that specific area.  Whatever the answer may be, I think it was an important one.  I think it will help me work with the end in mind.  I think a lot about what kind of work I am doing and if it is acceptable to the Lord, because only He and I know if I am doing the work to the best of my abilities.  Also, I think a lot about if I am the missionary I think you guys tell everyone I am.  I know complex questions that I shouldn't really worry about, but I think about these things and I don't want to go out and come back in vain like the quote by Brigham Young, when he talks about missionaries.  So I thought about that pretty hard.  I think I had a spiritual micro burst at the end of zone conference, because I was feeling a little held back by the time I had and the ability to manage it, with the things that's asked of us.  President Kretly, by the end of this year, wants to split 7-8 branches so we can be on track for making 4 stakes in 2015. I know, big talk!  But it was a plan he introduced to his leaders and they had to introduce it to the twelve.  That's all I am going to say about it because there's a lot of in between stuff.  The jist of it is, that we need to be doing a lot more work that we are doing now and I am feeling like most of the heavy lifting is only being done by a few and the rest aren't doing what they can.  So I thought instead of complaining about something, I should try and fix what I could. I thought back to the 500 mile bike ride and how I worked alongside this boy named Jacob and by the end of the ride he was able push himself, by himself, or at least have the motivation to do so. I don't know if I am making any sense, but I think that's what I can do to help this mission grow faster, that is by lifting others.  By myself I can not do the work of 4 missionaries, but if they are doing their best and so am I, that's 5 missionary groups focused on a goal that can help and change the mission for the better. I think I know generally how to be effective at this work and sometimes while you're out here it takes someone else to show you what to do to open the eyes of your understanding and that's what happened with the zone leaders and I.  They showed up and showed me how so I could teach the rest of my district. I will help them be successful on there missions by serving them.  Anyways, there is a lot of other stuff I would like to write here about zone conference, but I will wait till I have time to review it.

This week was great and we had an experience that was actually pretty cool.  There is this investigator and his name is Mussa, his wife is Reid's age and they live together in a house and they want to get married and baptized.  It's cool to see them with a desire like that and follow the commandments.  Anyway, randomly last week she disappeared and when we asked Mussa where she went he said he didn't know because she left her phone.  We then found out from his mom who lives with him (she is very old and needs to be taken care of) and she said Rosa (that's her name) one of her sisters came by and took her to their house.  So long story short, she was staying there so she could look after he family until her mom came back from South Africa.  It ended up being about a week and Mussa was feeling pretty down because he had not seen his wife or their baby boy since he left and had not heard anything as well.  So then during the week, we stopped by to see how he was doing and it turned out that she still had not received a Book of Mormon and so we decided that we could stop by and give her one.  Then Elder Poyfair had the great idea to stick a note in it from Mussa to Rosa, seeing as how they couldn't communicate.  It was a great opportunity for him to send a secret message (sound like a love story?).  The next day we decide to give the book to her and it was Sunday night.  I had been fasting that we could help our investigators progress since it's kinda hard to teach someone when they are not at their own house.  We had planned to stop by Mussas house first and then go to Rosa's house after that.  We stopped at Mussas house and asked him to get the note.  He had not written it yet and went inside to go and write the letter.  Well, as it turns out, while we were waiting for him, guess who shows up out of nowhere??   It's Rosa with their baby.  I was like, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttt??!  (insert Despicable Me minion)  I was just blown away and then Mussa came out with a huge smile on his face.  We sat down and gave a short lesson and then we left.  I told Rosa to ask where Mussa put the note as we left, but something cool happened there.  The prayer I gave was answered, none the less, right in front of my face.  It was like when Cuzco from the Emperor's New Groove comes out of the door and says, "BOOM BABY!!!!"  I was like, "Oh my gosh!  That worked!!!"  That was amazing.  Now I know that all prayers aren't answered like that but that one was pretty direct.  A testimony to me that God is still a God of miracles.  So, in a very big nut shell, that was my week.

That's all.  Sorry this letter is so long, lot's of stuff this week!  Hope you all are well!

Love Elder Proksch