Post General Conference

Okay! Now I'm in a place where I hopefully won't get kicked out until I'm done writing my very long story for this very long week :D

Any way, so I haven't written you since last month! How sad! :P It's been a crazy week, but that seems to usually be the case.

On Sunday (day after my last P-day- 3-29-09) My companion and I witnessed a snowball fight on temple square. We weren't sure if they were teenagers or college students, but we both thought it was hilarious, if somewhat dangerous since the girls were, in a majority, in high heels. Quite funny. They all went into the Tabernacle for the Organ recital that starts at 2, and when they came out, they resumed the fight again.

Monday (3-30-09) was the first time I heard of the guy who dresses up like Satan when there are protesters and has a sign that says, "I'm Satan, and these street preachers/protesters are my missionaries" I think it's hilarious, and I still thought it funny when I saw him in person during General Conference weekend.

Tuesday (3-31-09) I ran into someone who knows David from High School! Sharen Yoingco. She said she was in a class with him, and the teacher was Mrs. Williams and that she was the only Pilipino in that class... or something like that. She said she'd try and find him on Facebook. Kinda cool, eh?

Also on Tuesday, Sister Williams and I took part of our tour to the Conference center. It was my first time being inside, and they had an art gallery that apparently isn't there most of the time. It was... wow, I loved it. I was only able to get a glance of things as we walked to our destinations, but what I saw was excellent. They have it there until the next General Conference and I Highly recommend it!

April First was busy. We went to Welfare square to give tours. It was my first time, and I think that Heavenly Father likes to keep me busy when I'm learning a new tour because just a few moments after we got there until we left over 7 hours later, we were constantly giving tours (each of the tours are an hour each, give or take) with about 15-20 minutes for a hasty lunch. I guess he thinks that if I have time to sit down and relax that I'll forget everything I'm supposed to say, or something like that. I'm just glad I'm more used to being on my feet now than I was when I first got here, because directly as soon as we got back to Temple Square, sister Williams and I were doing God's Plan For His Family, which is us standing and offering to take people through a 15-20 minute walk through video, which we don't get to sit much at.

We've both been working on listening to the promptings of the spirit, and I think that's really been improving, so that's exciting.

I've also been learning how to page. That's quite interesting. I don't get a pager now, but I will next transfer, and hopefully by then I'll have passed off ASL and I'll be able to give tours in ASL :D

On Thursday (April 2) We had Zone Conference, which was Very excellent. I loved it. We had a meeting in the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, then lunch, then we went to the ... Bountiful Temple and did a session together (I still haven't been able to do anything but initiatories at the Salt Lake Temple...haven't had time yet) Then sister Williams and I worked at the RC (Referral Center) for a while, and so on. It was fun.

Friday we had a mission training meeting that revolved around General Conference and what we as missionaries were to do (and or were not to do) and how to do it, and then went about our business as usual, ignoring the protestors who had come early as we took tours, etc.
At the end of our tour, I noticed some familiar faces. Sister Henderson, her daughters, Sister Barker and some of the other youth from Hollister were there, which was really cool. I was able to take them all through God's Plan, and talk with them a bit, and catch up on what I'd been missing since we moved.
One of the things that we talked about in the mission Training thing is our goal for General Conference. How many people we wanted to invite to refer their friends, and how many of those friend's information we were able to get so that we could call them and invite them to learn more... as much as I love talking on the phone, I don't, but since being on my mission, I've been able to be less afraid of opening my mouth when I can't see the person I'm talking to, especially since I've had so many great experiences on the phone.

Saturday and Sunday felt like weeks on their own. On Saturday we did tons of contacting (talking to people either who were waiting in the STandby Line, or in the Visitor Centers, etc etc, and asking if they had anyone that they wanted us to call and invite to have the missionaries come over.)
As temple Square Missionaries, we are able to watch one session of General Conference, and I was able to go to the Saturday Afternoon session, and loved it. We get to sit up really close, 10-11 rows from the front, and have a great view of everyone... though mainly from the side, but it's a point of view you don't usually see when you're watching it on TV, etc. Something I notice that we don't hear when it's broadcasted is everyone who coughs. There are a lot of people who cough it seems.

Directly after the session, we got back to work and contacted like there was no tomorrow. We ran into Sis. Henderson and Barker again, and talked with them for a bit before heading back to the Square. Also on Saturday before the Session was Diana Heartlib who I knew from when I lived in Santa Clara. Someone else that I ran into went to the Barcelona Spain mission and had heard of Cameron. Cameron, do you know a Josef Spjut? (Elisabeth, you'll have to ask him, I don't have his email address...)

On Sunday... it was just as crazy and contacting like as Saturday... for the most part. Unfortunately, Sis. Williams and I weren't able to go out and contact as much for some of the time because we were at God's Plan (which was basically dead, we were able to take a grand total of 4 people through because most everyone else was watching conference)

oh... I don't think I mentioned what our goal was for General Conference weekend. As a mission, our goal was to invite 5640 members, and receive 2000 referrals from those members, so that we could call and invite those people on those referrals to have missionaries come to their house (either to talk to them about the Gospel, and give them a movie or a book, or just talk to them about the Gospel) And last night we got together after we totaled up everyone we'd contacted and all the referrals we'd received and it came to 9881 members, and 2715 potential investigators! Exciting stuff!

Our mission President loves us and didn't want us to be dead today, and was happy with all of our efforts and let us sleep in today, and we didn't have to be on the square until 10 am (normally we have to be on the square and working at 9 or earlier, and as per usual for missions, awake by 6:30) and he encouraged us to rest much today, especially since we worked so hard the past two days and had to be on the square by 7:45 both days. It'll probably be one of the only semi-day of rest we have on our missions :P.
Another cool thing about President Holmes (aside from the fact that he was just released as a member of the Quorum of the 70, because he's our mission Pres, on Saturday) is that he was out there contacting people just as much as we were, and working right along side us, his wife as well. We love them both. (did I mention that he got pizza for all of us for lunch today? Yeah, we have an awesome president :D )

And it sounds like a generator just turned on... kinda odd... any way, that was random.

So, if you all could, next time you come to Temple Square, whether for General Conference, or anything else ( like taking a tour from your favorite Sister missionary :P or something) Please please please remember to be thinking of someone who needs to hear the gospel and have their name and phone number on hand so they can be called and invited to hear more.

And the weather's been crazy. The past week and a half it's been snowing/raining, etc, and yesterday and today, it's sunny, almost warm. crazy crazy.

I know I've written a lot, but I feel like I haven't said all that much, kinda strange, eh?


I think I'm going to send this for now and if I think of something more to write, I'll start another email.

Love ya all! You're the best!

~Sis Sarah Durtschi