I am glad to give my time to Him

This week is Tongan week, meaning the big-hearted people feed us this week. They feed us tons of food. Maybe next meal I'll see if I can take a picture, but last night a brother had cooked a HUGE foil pan of Lasagna. I was so worried they would have made us take it all with us.

But of the food that has been Tongan, is Lou, and sa-pa-soo-ee. They like sweet potatoes but the white ones, they taste better. I agree to that!  A YSA member fed us last week, she had orange sweet potatoes... it was kind of gross to eat, not that she made them weird or anything.

The Tongan people beautiful singing voices!

There was stake conference for the Reno North Stake, so the YSA ward went. We had two rows filled with people we are teaching and then one or two in the way back! It was a really good conference. The Stake President compared to when he was driving a huge combine up a steep hill and having to respond immediately to this boss's commands, to  immediately following the spirit's promptings.

There was also a recent convert who gave his convertion story. He had a calling in the church for 10 years before he was even a member, and he was just really stubborn to being baptized and didn't understand why he didn't want to be. Last year, the Stake president asked him if he would be security for Elder Christoffersen as he was visiting the area. Because of the time that he spent with him, he really helped him to make the decision. After 18 years he was finally baptized. He said that he wished he hadn't waited so long to be baptized.

We drive a car because since we are over the Tongan ward the whole mission is our boundary (but we don't drive it, that would be too much and too far from the chapel). Big difference from those 35 or so acres back at Temple Square. We walk when we can, but usually we are always at the institute teaching there. We had three lessons going one day! Two pass off lessons, giving to less active members to the elders, and one investigator lesson. It is amazing how many YSA members will come with us to lessons! Sister Christensen came into this area a few transfers ago and has worked so hard to build it to the how it is today. She and Sister Lovstedt gave a training in MLC on "the vision to build." It was very good to hear them go over the training, I learned somethings from afar! They are such great missionaries are working hard to keep the area busy and going.

I think I might have mentioned that we have a flip phone. We rotate each day who uses it. As they have prepped for their training and had MLC, it has been pretty much me on the phone all week, which is kind of hard sometimes, because casual conversation over text? What? I still don't know all the people in the area. It is great to give the phone to the other sisters, they feel the same as well.

WE HAD ZONE CONFERENCE!  So how do I compare and contrast the two different missions?

Lets go with similarities:

1. Mission president gives a training

2. Assistant to the president gives a training

3. We sit at tables

4. Two zones attend

5. Mission President's wife (MPW) speaks once

6. We have a zone break off

7. We eat lunch

8. Talk about missionary work

9. Departing missionaries bare their testimony

10. Special musical number

11. Sister Smith A. was there. (right next to me in fact, common to have zone Conf. with her in the past)

Differences:

1. Elders are everywhere

2. The zone leaders just train in their zones not in the whole big group

3. The APs only had one training

4. Sis. Chesnut (MPW) only had one training

5. It was in a chapel.

6. We played a game called 9 square. I'll take a pic next transfer.

7. President had us prep a 5 min. talk on the Book of Mormon and randomly called on 4 people to speak (I wasn't called, thank goodness, didn't want to relive the MTC talk all over again)

8. Just the sisters sang the music number, so staring out into a sea of elders was kind of weird.

9. We took pictures after.

10. Ran off to a lesson, not a tour/assignment

11. Members made and fed us lunch, I think.

12. Sister Smith and I were introduced to everyone, which was like, no, we are just missionaries like everyone else.

13. We talked about working with members.

14. It felt kind of sporadic, maybe because we where in the gym and everything was more spread out.

15. My only choice was to hand write my notes.

I really loved seeing how much was the same between the two different missions, but I loved the most was thinking about how I get to use every aspect of missionary work now! Working with members, being in people's homes! What I can do to teach with my companions.

Something really funny that happened? Hmm? Well. There were definitely times that were super funny. Hmmm.

I know that this work that I am doing is the Lord's, and that the Book of Mormon is true, which means everything that we as a church believes, does, knows is true and correct in the eyes of God! Temples, priesthood, a living prophet, etc. I am glad to give my time to Him.

Sister Glanzer, The Secretary of the Reno North Zone STLs 

My companions and me

The zone