Zone Conference

Photo Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QuW5JQQJL6emqhb68 We Had zone conference, it was an amazing experience. It talked a lot about the restoration and the first vision in depth. One thing that kind of stood out to me was how everything has an opposition and how if there is bad spirits on the earth and satan is around us, then there has to be good spirits and angels to help us out in our times of need. Another thing that stood out to me was how the first vision accounts are all different and how a lot of people bash on it. One thing that President was talking about was how in the 4 Gospels in the Bible, All the resurrection accounts are completely different and some things are added, some things are left out in the sequence of things. The main message gets across, but every time you tell a story, it's going to be different. The important thing is that the message always stays the same. Joseph Smith wrote these accounts over the span many years. Of course, it's not going to be the same every time he writes it, some facts are gonna be different and some things he might have misremembered. We had a training by the Uni ZLs and STLs which was the cake training again. The gist of it was how we need to not spoon feed our friends but to teach them how to use the spoon for themselves so they can nourish their own spirituality and testimony and become lifelong disciples of jesus christ for themselves. After everything, we had an amazing dinner and after a whole day of zone conference it was amazing. Big fat beef Hot dogs and macaroni and cheese with lots of snacks and games. We had another member meal with Sister Phillips and it was amazing once again. She never fails to impress with her pepperoni roles and amazing Filipino food. Originally, we were supposed to have our friend there and another member, but they both canceled, and so it was a small crowd. I'm so grateful for sister Phillips and her amazing spirit and willingness to cook so much food for us. She will be moving to Utah eventually so I guess I might be able to see her again after the mission. We had a blitz in altoona and so it was the four of us and it was so fun. I was with Elder West for the day and he also came out with me, so we're both greenies. He is such a cool guy and we had an amazing day full of lots of success. One of the cool things that happened was when we met with their friend Brooklyn, and she's this awesome black lady who we taught and we started out originally by teaching the restoration, but after she started to ask so many questions and we ended up going into Temples and celestial marriage, baptism and baptisms for the dead. She asked about if she could eventually do that for a child who died before 8 and so I responded with Moroni 8, "Little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them. Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy." She really liked it and how it makes perfect sense how baptising little children is an abomination and is a mockery towards god. We also had a team up with a member named Tiffany and she brought of chasity and tithing which was funny. We literally taught so many principles, but overall it felt good and spirit led. I had the perfect answer to ever question she gave. I knew that the spirit was there in that moment bringing those things unto my remembrance. The lord works in mysterious ways. We have this new friend from a missionary referral up in philadelphia whose name is Jarel and he is awesome. He's this really awesome black guy who had already been taught by those missionaries quite a bit and so we talked to him and stopped by and he wanted to be baptized and he had already been the church before in philadelphia and so we literally just put him on date for december 7th for baptism. It was an amazing lesson about the plan to salvation, and everything just led to another and he really wants to be baptized and has a strong desire to learn more and grow in his faith. We had stake conference and all 30 missionaries in my zone went and it was so fun. It reminded me of back home with an average utah church attendance. All the missionaries is just occupied the back rows, and it was so funny to see. Recently I have been trying to better recognize the spirit in my life and an elder brought it to my attention that I'm constantly feeling it but since we constantly feel it as members, we're numb to it. When you can for certain recognize the spirit is when it's not there. After any sin you commit, that feeling you have is the spirit leaving temporarily and isn't there to comfort you and that's why you instantly feel that guilt and depression after anything that wards off the spirit. When the spirit isn't there, we feel that emptiness. The reason i'm happy out here on a mission teaching this gospel specifically is because of the spirit, the mustard seed wouldn't grow unless it was a good seed, I wouldn't be happy if it weren't true. I'm trying to take the why out of the equation from, "Did I feel the spirit today?" to, "When did I feel the spirit today?" You can attest every good thing in a day to the spirit because without it we truly can't be constantly happy. In Moroni 7:13 it says, "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." The spirit is the ultimate comforter and guide in our lives. When we hunger to become worthy people and hunger to feel that spirit, the spirit let's us be more open and honest with everyone around us. I never was honest and open until my mission and that's because I started to recognize that spirit slowly but surely. Even though we may not feel worthy sometimes and maybe we just aren't, but the spirit will always push its way through sometimes when we need it so we can better recognize and solve our problems not alone. You feel like you have someone with you by your side, who knows your struggles perfectly and can say it with you. Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have is the primary target of his attempts to lure us to spiritual destruction. Jesus Christ, who always did Heavenly Father’s will, is the perfect example of living in such a way as to overcome the temptation to sin. Although He suffered all kinds of temptations of the flesh, He “gave no heed unto them." One principle we can learn from Galatians 5:16 is that as we walk in the Spirit, we will be better able to overcome the temptations of the flesh.  It was an amazing week full of many blessings. I'm already heading into the 5th week of the transfer. Everything is flying by so fast, I'm already at 3 months tomorrow as a missionary on the 18th. With Love, Elder Batman