Crazy how this was my last general conference on the mission... These moments are kinda rough cuz it makes it all hit home that I'm not gunna be able to stay our here forever :/ But, let us all rejoice either way alright?
So, conference was amazing wasn't it? Sadly on saturday we spent the time during the sessions running after people who had accepted and marked to go with us to conference, but to no avail, they ended up not being able to. Kinda a bummer, but I end up learning more in my studies of the Liahona afterwards when it's in english haha. The sunday sessions were incredible though. Like you said Mom, it was so SO focused on families!! I loved that. On the sunday sessions we only were able to take a few investigators, but as the Prophet was ending his talk, I got this super strong feeling of how much people outside of the church are missing out. This city that we're in has roughly 150,000 people that live here, and our side of the city should have at least 70,000 that out area covers. With the 50 or 60 people that went to these sessions I just couldn't get it out of my head just how many families could evade all the problems that families have nowadays. All the children born without parents... All the marriages that don't last, all the abuse and sadness and heartbreak, the answers are ALL right in front of our faces!!! It's so sad that we invited so many people to come and only a handful took the decision to just use 2 hours of their saturday or sunday to hear those priceless words. It was honestly really sad how that was my last conference on the mission... I remember last year as well as last conference thinking, next year I'm gunna take like 30 people to conference so that they can know that there is such thing as a true prophet!!! And now I can't say that "next time" thing :( Man... talk about a killer feeling.
Even though the missionary aspect of the conferences didn't go quite as I'd planned it, Monday we had a Leadership Council in BH (we left here 1:45 am, got back here 7:45 pm... haha, kill me) and wow... Talk about an eye opening experience. We've received a lot of new missionaries these last few months so President has opened a lot of new areas and even new zones, and there were so many good ideas discussed there. It was amazing how it all happened, cuz we all just discussed our difficulties in the work and what is holding us all back from finding and helping more families and people in our zones, and the Spirit just turned it into an incredible learning experience. At the end and since monday I've just had this like, renewed fire inside of me. Even though it scares the heck outta me that time is going so fast, I feel like I've been able to take hold of my original excitement and fire that I had when I was brand new, and I just feel like the Lord is so ready to make SO many miracles happen, and now it just relies on my effort and focus!! I'm hitting that point where I'm realizing that there's just no time left to lose, and I just need to give it every single bit that I have. I just regret not catching this vision earlier, but either way I'm just stoked and ready to give it all I can. I'm realizing just how much more I truly can give, how much more focused I can be, how much more I can sacrifice, and I'm just... Excited haha. More than ever before I know that this is God's work. I know that missionaries are truly representatives of Jesus Christ, and that I just need to be the type of instrument that will allow the Lord's hand to be manifested just as much as He is wanting it to. Happy anniversary Mom and Dad, happy birthday Brigham and Austin, and happy Easter to all. Hurrah for Israel!!! Thanks and love you all!! -Elder Ballard
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