MLC and Inspiring Mission President's Seminar

This past week we continued with interviews in two zones, then we had an awesome Mission Leadership Council on Wednesday.  We had about 10 new zone leaders and sister trainer leaders, and we just had a wonderful meeting!  We discussed President Nelson's talk on receiving personal revelation and also linked it with Chapter 4 in Preach My Gospel on Recognizing the Spirit.  Our assistants,  Elders Grinwis and Chapman led this discussion and it was really great.  Steve also spoke to these leaders about the importance of having vision in the work, and how it influences us in setting our goals and making plans.  He used the scripture in Proverbs which says 'where there is no vision, the people perish.'  We try to help the missionaries have a vision of what our mission can do, what their zones can do, and what they in their companionships can do.  I think it is really a powerful principle.  We also spoke about the 'small and simple' things as President Oaks taught us in General Conference, and how those are the things that determine not only our missionary work, but also what happens in our lives.  We also had trainings from Elder Urling and Sisters Christensen and Johnson, and they all did such a good job.  You would be in awe of how great these missionaries are when they stand up to teach and train--they are pretty incredible, and we are so proud of them.
We also had a little fun playing a 'pictionary' type game with phrases from the scriptures and other missionary words.  The winners got some pretty good candy bars!
On Thursday we left for Denver for our interim Mission President's Seminar.  These seminars are so uplifting, and we look forward to them every 6 months to recharge us!  This one was very special because we had two apostles with us!  Elder Andersen and Elder Soares!  We felt blessed at our last seminar to have Elder Andersen, and then we got him again, along with our newly called Elder Soares!  It was so incredible to be taught by them, and have them with us.  We also had Elder K. Brett Nattress,  Elder Joaquin Costa, and President Carl B. Cook of the Presidency of the Seventy.   All of their wives came with them, and we love getting to know them.
The last morning, we had the blessing of hearing Elder Andersen speak to us about the sacred experience of seeing the First Presidency reorganized and then also the calling of two new apostles.  To hear him share his testimony about it was so incredibly special.  It was something we will never forget.  We felt so blessed to be there.

President and Sister Pattison, us, and President and Sister Craig
we all serve in Canadian missions

Our MTC group-
The Craigs, Griffins, Wadsworths, Hess, Us, Gardners, Hancocks