Oh, It's Such a Small World

Heyyyy ya'll!

August in Georgia...is HOT!

Georgia

This has been a pretty cool/crazy week for me I suppose. My companion, Elder Zundel, is District Leader so I get to go on exchanges often to different areas! This week after district meeting I went down with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Prisbey, to the Winder area. Mostly I just followed him around as he did administrative duties haha. Anyway, the next morning we woke up bright and early to go to Zone Conference in Athens! 

Fun Fact: The stake center in Athens is brand new (it hasn't even been dedicated yet) and apparently it will be the last stake center ever to be built. The church has found that it will be easier and less expensive to build small churches and broadcast events such as stake conference over satellite to each of the different buildings-- crazy, huh?!?

Zone Conference was amazing. President King is such an inspired man, you can't not respect him. I learned so much from the all-day meeting. We watched The District 2, the missionary department's documentary sort of thing about missionary work, and talked about our purpose as missionaries. The spirit was so strong there, I took like 4 pages of notes or something like that. After zone conference I had a greater desire to obey the rules, be led by the spirit, become a better missionary, and ask inspired questions. We did lots of role playing, practicing how to invite someone to be baptized. Preach My Gospel says that unless the spirit directs otherwise we should invite investigators to baptism on the first lesson.

Before Zone Conference and during the lunch break I watched a defensive driving video and filled out a booklet, so I will soon be certified to drive mission cars! Oh and it's such a small world, at zone conference I met Sister Eversole, who graduated from Payson High and was in the same group of friends as Riley Fitzgerald's older sister. Also, Elder Koopman, from the Volksen's ward, introduced himself to me and it turns out that we both had the same trainer, Elder Zundel! It's funny, in the mission field if you train someone they are called your 'son'. So that makes me and Elder Koopman 'brothers' haha.

Well, I met another crazy Georgian this week. His name is Eli. He is about 58 years old and has a big long gray beard and long gray hair. He met us, asked us if we were Mormons, and then started telling us about how many deaths he has witnessed in Habersham county. He also told us that he once practiced Islam. I don't know if I believed much of what he had to say haha.

We have been working with the same investigators this week, no new ones, just trying to move things along with the ones that we have.Things are going well, I enjoy being a missionary and feel privileged to serve the Lord and help bring others unto Christ.

I love you all so much.

Take care!

Love,

Elder Mikey Caplin