Hey Everyone!

These last few weeks have been rather hectic, and we are staying busy as always. Both today and last Monday were pretty packed because we had our district activity last week and our zone activity this week. It's been pretty fun to get to spend so much time with other missionaries!

Like I said before, last Monday we had our district activity. It was pretty awesome because we all got Nerf guns and went to a chapel and pretty much shot each other for a couple of hours. That was awesome because there was no shortage of bullets, plus its a great way to let out some energy. We were in teams of companionship, but Elder Hemstreet and I never won. We gave it our best shot though!

Earlier this week, on Wednesday, between lunch and dinner, we had the opportunity to participate in a Zone Conference. Zone Conferences are wonderful opportunities where we get to meet as a zone, sometimes in just our zone and sometimes with another, and hear from our mission president as well as other leaders in the zones. These events are amazing opportunities to be uplifted and edified. The amount of growth that comes out of just a few-hour meeting is absolutely incredible. I always look forward to this opportunity and I'm already looking forward to the next. Each missionary is asked to prepare a three minute talk on a designated topic, and one will be picked to give theirs during the conference. I was picked this time, and I gave a talk on accountability. I was actually so happy to have the opportunity to give my talk because I was prepared and I wanted the chance to help those in my zone.

Last Saturday was pretty exciting because we had a baptism! The one who was baptized was this young girl named Savanna. She wasn't baptized when she was eight because her family has moved around a lot and that has made it hard for them to stay active for two long. The ward they are living in now has really embraced them though, and I don't think there is anything to worry about there. She has a pretty strong testimony, and she is pretty knowledgeable for someone her age. I am so grateful for the opportunity I've had to be a part of the process and help her achieve her goal of being baptized. It was also awesome to be able to work with her brother to help him prepare for the ordinance. Baptisms are always fantastic testimony builders!

Today we had our zone activity. We went to the same chapel and played laser tag this week. I personally didn't think it was as fun as the Nerf war, but we still had a good time. After playing a couple of games with the laser guns, we decided to play capture the flag a few times to close out the activity. Overall it was fun.

Well, those are the highlights of my week. I love hearing from everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Elder Orchard