Zone Conference

Dear Family,

It's beautiful weather here in Alamosa! We had zone conference yesterday, which went wonderfully. A large part of it we rotated the districts through different workshops:

1. Pres. Pfile and Elder Barzee- role playing the end of a 1st lesson: commitment to baptism, read and pray about BOM, and attend church. They focused on 1. Inspired Questions, 2. Promised Blessings, 3. Commitment Invitations.
2. Sis. Pfile- training on effective planning.
3. AP's and Me- roleplaying teaching current investigators, focusing on: 1. "Will you....?" Commitments, 2. Simple and Direct Teaching, 3. Focus on Baptism, 4. Effective Questions

It was a great learning experience for everyone. Another theme that President talked about a lot was "Hold the Line!" (relating to football, the battlefield, etc...) He applied it to missionary work in a lot of ways and was pretty inspiring. It also applies to the Church as a whole, to families, relationships, fishing, etc... :)

Also, Elder Barzee and I did a presentation about faith. The valley is kind of its own little world. There's a lot of members and everyone's related. Sometimes in the smaller towns it can be tough for the missionaries to find new investigators, so we felt impressed to address the importance of always having faith. We broke it down into showing our faith through our thoughts, words, and actions (Mosiah 4:30). We also referenced Moroni 7:33, Ether 12: 14-15, and Pres. Packer's quote: "There are two kinds of faith." We had a pretty good discussion with everybody, and I'm excited to see miracles continue.

Dad, the area is great. I wouldn't say there's more Hispanics than the other area's I've served in. The members are wonderful; they feed us very well. Elder Barzee is awesome. He's a really good companion for me. I hope I've answered all your questions. :)

Dear Papa Craft,
I know I've said it before, but I want to say it again: You're my buddy, my pal, my friend!!! I love you so very much, and I am so very grateful for the wonderful grandpa that you have been for me and for the outstanding person that you are. Please don't ever forget that. I hope you're doing well and are finding peace and happiness, even during this hard time of your life. I wish I could be there to spend more time with you, but I know that you understand. I do want to again leave you with my firm testimony that I know the gospel is true. I testify that God does live and love us. He is very aware of everything we're going through and has provided a perfect plan for us to return to Him. I testify that Jesus is the Christ and our Savior and Redeemer. He paid the price so that we can live together as families for all eternity. The blessings of the Atonement are real; I know that without a doubt. I testify as well that the Church of Jesus Christ with priesthood authority has been restored on the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. How blessed we are to have these truths in our lives! I love you so much more than I could ever express Papa. Again, I hope and pray for God's choicest blessings to be upon you at this time in your life.

Love your grandson,
Spencer