9/16/13

Zone Conference
Hola hola hola

Happy mexican independence day! It is still raining here.  I haven't had dry clothes or shoes in two weeks ha.  But we are still happy and working hard!  The work here is progressing, and it will be moving even faster after the zone conference that we just had. We had a meeting in the morning with  just elders, then one again at night with ward leaders.

So Elder Leishman and I had to get there early and we got to make the metro which was a lot of fun! But I had my interview with Elder Salinas right before the conference started.  We sat down and the whole thing was in spanish.  I was A little nervous at first, but then the words just started flowing out.  He even asked me how long I had been out, because my spanish sounded so good! Which was really good to hear ha.  Then he just asked me questions about stuff that was hard in the mission, and if I had any questions for him.  He said that he was going to use my questions to base his talk.  I asked him how we could better work with the ward.  He got a serious look on his face and said that he was going to answer my question right away, but that he would in the later meeting.  And boy did he answer it! So all the ward leaders were there from the stake. The bishops, counselors, ward mission leaders, and everyone.  Well we just had our bishop because we don't have a word mission leader.  But Elder Salinas gave a 2 hour talk about how the wards have basically left the missionaries out to dry.  And gave them a list of things that is required of every ward member.  He said that Missionary Work is for the members, and that the missionaries are the experts in teaching the gospel.  He said that his message was straight from the first presidency and that missionaris really should just be teaching every hour of the day.  They want the ward members to find, teach with us, and even baptize the converts.  He said that the ward mission leader should fill out the schedule of the week for the missionaries! He also made a big deal about ward councils that we should be having every week.  Our ward is going to have a lot to change, because we don't have a ward mission leader, and we have never had ward council.

The meeting was really cool because it shows how urgent this work is.  The lord is hastening his work for the last time, and we all need to be enlisted.  That is one thing that Elder Salinas said, that missionary work is for the salvation of others, but that our salvation depends on doing the work.  We all need to work!  He aslo said that Missionary work is that same work as that of the father son and holy ghost.  What a great opportunity we all have to take a part in it.

I hope that you are great, all of you! Love and Miss you!

Elder Jacobsen