Interviews and Zone Conferences

So, before I tell some of the things we have been doing, I just need to let you know that I have worn nothing but boots for at least the last 4 months! No, nothing but boots! We have had a true Canadian winter, and it is still going! We had snow over the weekend, and cold! Tomorrow is supposed to dip to -17! We are so ready for spring--but we are going to have to endure more cold!
Last week we continued on with our interviews, and on Saturday we drove to Medicine Hat which is 3 hours southeast of Calgary. On the way down we interviewed two sisters and two elders in different cities, and then the rest of the zone in Medicine Hat. Then that night we attended the Medicine Hat stake conference, where Elder Rulon F. Stacey of the Seventy was presiding. We have been with Elder Stacey on other stake conferences, and really enjoy being able to be with him. On Sunday morning we spoke in the stake conference and then President Salmon and his wife had invited us over for lunch before heading back to Calgary. The Stake Presidents we are able to associate and work with are so wonderful. We really enjoy all of them, and their wives! We feel like we have made all of these new friends!
Today we began our zone conferences, and we are always a little anxious for the first one, even though we have prayed and pondered and planned, and then prayed and pondered and planned some more! But it went so well! There was really an outpouring of the spirit. Steve always begins the conferences teaching them, and he gives such great messages. Today he shared thoughts out of 3 Nephi when the Savior was teaching the Nephites and teaching them to go back to their homes and ponder on the things he had taught them. It was really good. We then had discussions on working with youth and young single adults, we practiced and role played teaching one of our investigators one of the first 3 lessons, we discussed 'talking with everyone' and being able to share brief summaries of the restored gospel. We also played our usual question and answer game (with candy bars being the prize!) But the concluding (and best) part was our discussion on a talk we had all studied by Elder Neal A. Maxwell on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I wish you could hear the insights these missionaries have as they discuss the atonement and how it has changed them, and continues to change them. It is so inspiring! We then ended with an incredible testimony meeting--which is the highlight. If you want to feel the spirit, just attend a missionary testimony meeting. It really is so cool!
We are also doing something for these zone conferences we have never done--we are having the missionaries bring sack lunches instead of asking a Relief Society to feed them. We did it this time because of the big Relief Society birthday celebrations going on throughout the wards. We didn't want to overwhelm them, so we decided we could just bring our own. It was really pretty fun! So, I will be posting pictures of the 'sack lunch zone conference'! It was great!