Zone Conferences

This week was super busy for us.  Zone conferences started on Tuesday.  The first one was held in Lexington with 2 zones and we decided to ride down with the Priors.  Brother Prior is the one over the motor pool that Don assists.  Well, that day we took the Mission truck.  We sat in the back seats with our knees mashed up against the front ones.  By the time we got home, I could barely walk and had my knee in my brace for the next two days.  Wednesday we were in New Albany, Indiana (for two more zones) which is just over the Ohio River from Louisville.  We drove ourselves.  Thursday was the Louisville zone...we drove again.  Friday the Priors decided to take "Moe" the Mission van to Evansville, Indiana.  How bad could it be, right?  We rode with them.  There was a little more leg room but was still a really uncomfortable 2 hour ride there and back.  We'll see what happens in 6 week when we have the next conferences.

Zone Conferences were great!!  It's so fun to see how excited everyone is to see each other.  The hosting zone asks the ward they are in to provide a lunch for all of us. There is a seamstress who travels to all of the conferences and while they are going on, she is mending the missionaries clothes for them.  In our last conference, they even had three members who shined the shoes of any who wanted.  Such service and love!

So...on the way to the Louisville conference (it was quite a way south of us) we stopped at a rest area.  Just thought you'd like to see a Kentucky rest stop...

In our New Albany conference, President Brough was surprised with a little ceremony.  We have an Elder from Wales in our mission.  He's been in the states off and on for several years, is 25, and a really nice young man.  He and the other elders in our area decided to knight President Brough and present him with the "Sword of Laban".

On our way to Evansville we passed some fields in bloom.  Some were yellow and some purple.

This is the Zone Conference in Louisville...minus me and President and Sister Brough

At the Zone Conferences, each car gets inspected for dents, fluid levels, tires, cleanliness, etc.  They give out a gift card for someplace to eat to the ones whose car passes the most categories.  In the Louisville Zone, the Elders that won had shampooed their seats a few days before then wrapped them in Saran Wrap until the day of inspection, washed and waxed the car and then shined the tires after they got out of the car!

Don and I spoke in church today.  Me on Miracles and Don on Gethsemane.  Knowing him, I'm sure you can imagine how nervous he was.  He did great!!