It's the Conference Spectacular‏

Hey Family,

P-Day on Tuesday. This sensation has become a little unfamiliar to me. We always did this in Concordia, but it’s become a little rarer here in Navegantes. We’ll have to improvise a little today to fill up our time, but we’ll probably be heading to Itajaí next week.

Zone Conference/Interviews was great. We used to have them on different days throughout the transfer, but for training purposes we’re lumping them all together until the end of the year. We left here Sunday night to stay in Itajai. Good times, little parties, and some sleeping. Yesterday we got up, got dressed, and got to the chapel at 8:15 so that we could be seated and ready to start at 8:30. At about 8:50 the assistants called the zone leaders and told them that they hadn’t even left the island yet. That being said, we abandoned the thought of sitting all pretty waiting for the president. Elders threw their coats off, the kicked their high heels off, and we scattered. I left the football with the rest of the elders as I took a small group to a local bakery to get some breakfast. We got back and I started playing catch while talking with Elder Larson. Time passed and we were sitting in the parking lot playing catch when the President, his wife, the assistants, and the president’s father showed up. We ran inside and got the meeting started at around 10:15. Only an hour and fifteen minutes late.

The regular Conference schedule got thrown out the window as we had a mini-MTC. President Queiroz and the assistants taught us some valuable techniques for utilizing the spirit, inviting people to baptism, and teaching the first two lessons. Now we’ve got the flipbooks back, only this time their Queiroz-style. President Queiroz’s dad was both mission president and temple president in Porto Alegre a while back. He taught us how to do contacts and first visits in people’s houses differently. Using 5-10 stories that blew everyone’s minds, he explained that these same techniques (that focus on our authority as missionaries) turned the Porto Alegre mission around. When he arrived the mission had 100 missionaries and was baptizing 50-60 people a month. Each of the 3 years he served as mission president the mission baptized hundreds of people each month. He promised us that if we have faith, we will see enormous numbers of people come to a sure knowledge of the Restoration of the Gospel.

Well, how are you guys? Is Buffalo looking ready for the season? Is Warren nervous about grad school? Does Bentley love 1st grade? Is Max ready for kindergarten? Jonah excited to be the man of the house while his brothers are at school? Jake comes home next month? That’s not fair. Is it Mandy Burton that’s serving in Europe, or a different Burton girl? I’m worried about Derek’s health/weight if he doesn’t get out of the MTC soon. If Mexico doesn’t decide to let him in he’ll end up losing his Christmas phone call. No one is allowed to call from the MTC.

Life is good, there’s work to be done, and I’m fine so stop worrying about me.

The Father of an Angel,
Elder Haws(mo)