Changes - Transferred

This has been a very exciting and exhausting week! We made a dozen home visits and had amazing success at finding people home. As many of you former missionaries know, that's the toughest part. One day we went out and every single family was home and we ran into two more that we didn't plan on meeting. The Lord is working miracles in this mission.

We had our official Zone Conference with President Woods. This was our regularly scheduled Zone Conference. He made some major changes that will create better relationships between the missionaries and the members and build their personal testimonies of Jesus Christ.

The first thing that President Woods changed is that the missionaries are to be at all ward socials and activities, whether or not they bring an investigator. In the past, we've had a dozen or more investigators at the activity, but no missionaries; because they weren't allowed. They are now encouraged to attend and establish relationships with the members and set up appointments to go to members homes and share a message.

The second thing is "The Plan". He changed a program of memorization that the missionaries were required to do in order to "Progress". Many missionaries were spending hours every day for up to 8 months trying to memorize English scriptures. Their new focus will be on studying and learning the background, doctrine, application to lessons and how they feel about a scripture. They were encouraged to memorize one scripture of their choice a week, rather than have dictated to them what was required to be memorized.  We've had many of the missionaries come up to us and express their relief at this change. Memorization of scriptures is difficult for some of these missionaries.

The third thing was the "Preach My Gospel" schedule. In the past, the missionaries would skip meals and language study time. The new schedule gives them one hour for lunch with companion study and an hour for dinner with companion study. President Woods wants them to follow "Preach My Gospel".

Sister Woods had all of the missionaries go into the Cultural Hall for her lesson. She used a basketball game analogy to teach the missionaries how the Ward Council was the team and we need all of the members of the team working together. She gave the missionaries Thank You notes and encouraged them to use them.

One last note. It's official the Spanish Senior Couple is coming to New Orleans and we are being transferred to the English ward. We are so excited. The Mission President told us there may be a couple of families that we will want to stay in contact with, but that the new couple would be here this Friday.  We stay in our same apartment, go to the same Church building, but we go to the English meetings. We are very excited. Did I say that we are very excited?We have one year left on our mission, we go home the beginning of August 2009.

The new Mission President has the missionary spirit and even came down to our Honduran Consulate activity on Friday night. He's speaking very good Spanish already. What a blessing President and Sister Woods are to us, to the Mission and to the Lord.  Several of the missionaries have come up to us and told us that they love the new Mission President and his wife, because they really "care" about them. They are feeling the love of a great Mission President.

It's like a whole new mission. We love it and we're so excited to witness the difference. It's truly a miracle mission for us!