Zone Conference

This week I had my first zone conference which was pretty incredible. There were about 4 zones that got together and had a big meeting with President there. It was pretty spiritual. I'll share my takeaways but first I'll share a little bit about missionary work!

The members are feeding us so well and it is so delicious! There's this older couple that used to have the missionaries live in their house and they love us so much. They invite us over and make treats for us and they have made us burgers twice this week, they're just very enthusiastic about having missionaries again. Basically, both the ward and the branch are so happy to have missionaries again. There weren't missionaries in this area for a few months, so everyone is just so grateful and excited that we're here. 

The three of us gave talks on Sunday and they were each 10 minutes long. And I was nervous about speaking for the full 10 minutes, so I spoke first so my companions could fill up the rest of the time. I studied and I wrote down my bullet points and decided that I would just say everything I could and then I would let them recover the leftover time. 

I just let the Spirit guide my thoughts and then when I finished, I realized that the meeting was almost over and I had left 15 minutes for both my companions and the ward mission leader. I spoke for a full 20 minutes! I didn't leave very much time at all-- I was so embarrassed but nobody else seemed to mind.

Zone Conference Takeaways:

- Do not hold to events in the past, forget and find strength and motivation from looking to the future. Remember the past but don't dwell in it because you have better things ahead of you.

- Trials are crucial in moving forward in your life.

- Weakness helps you to see God in your life.

- We cannot be saved in ignorance. Those who drift by without trying to better understand the gospel are missing the point. The gospel is the most important thing in the world.

- We never need to grow without Jesus Christ, so don't choose too.

- If you aren't feeling joy, you're doing something wrong.

- Be aware of what is the natural man inside you and improve it, but do not become discouraged by it.

- When you lose your focus on Jesus Christ, you lose. Never be embarrassed to always be thinking of Jesus Christ.

I'm feeling more confident as a missionary. I'm still new, but I'm learning how to connect with others. And I've noticed the Spirit works differently for me as a missionary, and I'm still learning to fully rely on it in this stage of my life.

I'm learning to really enjoy the work, and I've noticed that time is going pretty quickly. But I'm really trying to grow and to be the best missionary I can be.

Sorry I haven't been taking many pictures. I'm really good at forgetting to do that!

I hope you're all doing well!

- Elder Dahl