Zone conference

Hey Everyone, 

Not a lot has happened this week! Its been pretty calm here. We had a zone conference on Wednesday. It was nice. We talked about engaging, finding, and how to improve our teaching skills. Elder Jones, a senior elder from London, talked about our mission culture and lessons we learn from the book of Mormon about missionary work. 

We had a lesson with our new convert, Karine. She's doing good but she's been having a hard time lately. Her friends and family are mad that she was baptized so they insult her a lot. She's been feeling really lonely. Luckily, the ward here is awesome so some sisters went and visited her and that helped a lot.

Our investigator Anoun is doing awesome. Her baptism will be next wednesday. She's been fellowshipped by the ward and she comes to all the activities. Everyone thinks that she's already a member. 

One of our other converts, Betty has been helping us find new investigators. she's been inviting her family and friends to come take lessons with us and they accepted. So this week we should be starting lessons with them. 

So this week, I was very interested in the story of Ammon and his brothers as they taught among the Lamanites. Ammon ended up having a lot of success because he converted King Lamoni. He basically converted an entire Kingdom. His brothers on the other hand were beaten, mocked, and thrown in prison. They didn't have the success that Ammon had had. I was wondering why and I read this verse in Alma 20: 30 And, as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people;" The Lord had sent them to a different sort of people who weren't ready to accept the gospel. They got out of prison and started preaching again and in chapter 21: 17 it says "And it came to pass that the Lord began to bless them, insomuch that they brought many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, they did convince many of their sins, and of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct." The Lord decided to bless them. I learned that its not our job to succeed. Our job is to do the best that we can. It's the Lord who gives us success, that's his part. This has been a hard lesson I've had to learn. I know this is God's work and I know he loves his children. I love you all! 

Talk to you next week!

Elder Cole Porter

Eating lunch at zone conference.