Week 78 (Feb 13th-19th 2018)
During Sister Russell’s trainer follow-up meeting several weeks ago, a training on using Area Book was given. Area Book is the app we use for all our missionary necessities that I have talked (or, murmured) about before. I have very strong feelings about Area Book and most aspects about it, so during this training I spoke up and gave comments liberally. I was pretty passionate about it and the points I was making were valid. Especially on missionaries Referring teaching records when they should be reassigned and how uncontacted referrals show up in the system etc. President Clark especially enjoyed my comments and during interviews a week or two later asked me to give a training in Zone Conference about it and include Sister Russell.
Then last week we received a call from the Assistants. Apparently President liked my thoughts and insight specifically, so much so that we were invited to go to both Zone Conferences to give the training. I was pretty humbled and honored. Our mission is big enough that when ZC rolls around, the northern half and the southern half of the mission have it on different days. Usually the topics of the trainings given are decided ahead of time and missionaries from the half of the zone it will be in are chosen to give it. It’s uncommon for a specific missionary to be asked to give the training at both. So we felt pretty VIP.
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to say during the training, but Sister Russell was nervous because of her inexperience with Area Book; she had basically no idea of what our training was actually about. I assured her that I would teach her and show her how she can contribute so that she wouldn’t be my silent shadow. So we thought that southern ZC was on Wednesday and northern was on Thursday, so on Monday night we decided we would spent time in companionship study on Tuesday preparing our training because I’m a dirty rotten procrastinator.
Well, around 8:30pm Monday night I had a sinking suspicion that the southern Zone Conference was actually tomorrow (Tuesday). Sister Russell dismissed it because we were sure we had been told it was Wednesday. I decided to ask someone and check. After several people not answering and increasing panic, the Assistants finally called us back to tell us that the southern Zone Conference was indeed the next day. Sister Russell starts silently freaking out in the background. I calmly asked how long our training was going to be, as I thought it was going to be maybe 10-15 minutes.
Turns out they were planning on spicing things up and having the missionaries break up into four large groups and rotating around trainings in different classrooms of the church, and that we would have 25-30 minutes each. Sister Russell turned as white as the fruit on the tree of life (1 Nephi 8:11) and collapsed to the floor.
We had a rapid fire planning session and prepared our training and had it (roughly) ready to go before bed. We rose supremely early the next morning so we could depart in a timely manner. We had a lengthy drive and we wanted to beat the notoriously bad traffic on I4. A trip that would take about 50 minutes in a perfect world without traffic ended up taking us 2.5 hours. We hit what I am positive was every accident and red light there was. It was nightmarish. Blessing was it wasn’t our ZC and we didn’t have to be there on time for car inspections. Thank goodness.
Our training ended up not being too shabby, and I loved it because I got to vent some of my Area Book frustrations to the public. I felt like a celebrity being in the Southern half of the mission again, it’s where I’ve served a vast majority of my mission and all my former companions still out in the mission and most previous district members were there. Everyone was so excited and surprised to see me, and I was as happy to see them. It was a great time. and the drive home only took an hour. woot woot!
Our own zone conference went well as well. A little more scrambled because I didn’t have as many people as I knew and loved pumping me up. So we gave our training a total of 8 times. Afterward we had the best post ZC lunch I’ve ever had. I know that’s an irrelevant detail, but it was divine. The ward members that put it together for us even brought flavoring syrup and cream so we could make our own little Italian sodas. It was adorable. Members are so good to missionaries, it gives my heart the warm tinglies.
Also the Florida Orlando Mission is definitely the promised land because we have been plucked out of obscurity and given smart phones! Alleluia! I am grateful I have lived to see this day in the mission. Many advances have happened in the FOM since my arrival nearly 18 months ago. It’s a great time to be a missionary.
Now I must apologize, I have failed to prioritize my time correctly and have given the most time and energy writing this newsletter about the more trivial and unimportant part of the week, leaving very little to devote to the significantly more important events that transpired this weekend. Hopefully this upcoming week will be uneventful and I can unfold what transpired with more detail in my next epistle.
This weekend I met and shook the hand of a living Apostle of the living Lord. I have learned so much and kindling to the fire of my faith and testimony was added. I feel strong inside. A sort of righteous power that comes only through the Spirit of God.
We had a visit from Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Jorg Klebingat of the Seventy, and Bishop Causse of the presiding bishopric of the church. It wasn’t a mission tour, it was just a day or two visit from them, but we were blessed as a mission to have a brief two hour meeting with them. And for the first time in President Clark mission history, the whole mission was gathered in one place for one meeting. It was glorious. What a blessing it was to see the whole of the Florida Orlando Mission together! The meeting was truly inspiring and unforgettable and a gift.
Next week I wish to discuss more about this meeting and the topics discussed, but they’re giving me the light so we have to move along.
This all gets better- Elder Klebingat presided at our stake conference the next day. If you remember, he came and visited our mission back in November and it was one of the more spiritually edifying days of my life. When he was here before, one of the commitments he left with us was to take two pages in our journals and on one make a list of ‘Things I will never do because of my mission’ and the other ‘Things I will always do because of my mission’. I did and it helped me immensely to feel like the blessings of what I have learned on my mission will extend beyond the end of it.
Before the meeting he was greeting and shaking hands with many of the people on the front pews. Sister Russell and I were blessed to be among those he greeted. When he saw us, he joked how we survived the meeting yesterday (Saturday). We told him that we loved the meeting and he said, “You should write that in your journal, it’s not everyday that you get to meet an Apostle.” I lit up and told him that I did and whipped out my study journal to show him a glimpse of my notes.
As I was flipping through the pages, I paused and showed him the notes I took when he was here in November. I turned the page and said, “Look! I did what you asked us to!” and presented the two pages of the lists of what I will and won’t do. He looked over it with quiet surprise and said, “Aw. Wow. That is wonderful” he made a move to pull his phone out but stopped and said, “I almost want to take a picture of it but it’s probably too personal,” and I quickly said,
“No, no, please! Please, you are welcome to photograph it.” He brought his phone out and took a few pictures of it and said how he just wants it to see how missionaries take his counsel or something (can’t quite remember, was in a state of shock) and he promised he wouldn’t post it online or anything. Honestly, I’d be honored if he did.
Until next time,
-Sister Olivia Petty📖
Sisters of the DeLand Zone post mission conference feat. Jeremiah’s 2.17.18
When a dinner cancelled we went to Olive Garden on the treat of Sister Russell’s mom 2.16.18
All of the missionaries I entered the mission field with on September 12 2016 2.17.18
MY MTC DISTRICT 39-B (FL) REUNITED ALL TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME 2.17.18
Me doing the thing 2.19.18
@ Local donut shop this morning 2.19.18
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