Last Zone Conference

2 November 2015

Dear Family,

I got to share my testimony on Tuesday at the end of our last zone conference. The zone conference was all about health. They had the doctors and psychologists and their wives from the MTC come and speak. My favorite was listening to Elder and Sister Call. He is an eye doctor and she is a nurse. They have been to 65 countries together and have horror stories about people in Africa who scarred their eyes when they used goat urine to treat their eyes. After Sister Call's talk she made everyone do yoga exercises in the cultural hall. No one was expecting that and our clothing wasn't really adequate but she was hilarious.

When you receive a referral of a family who has lost a loved one, be prepared to meet that loved one upon entering. We talked to a woman who was putting calla lilies on a fence and she told us that her neighbor's husband had died. Hermana Chavez and I (exchanges) went to talk to that family and they let us in so we had the cultural experience of seeing their whole family sitting around their husband, father, grandfather's open casket in their living room. They sit near the body for days. We sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" and as we left we talked to one of the family members who lives next door and accepted an appointment for us to come back because she had received missionary lessons before and had a good experience.

Karina was confirmed yesterday. Her mom went and her only comment to us was "potente." We found out that Hermana Roman knows her mom from the gym as well. And Hermana Roman's daughter, Cata, studied the same thing as she did in the same university. I hadn't realized that before. I had talked to Cata about her studies but didn't catch that fonoaudiologia is communication disorders until I met Karina.

Yolanda invited us to eat Arabic food. She made falafel and Arabic rice with walnuts. AND there was Chilean bread. I've never had such a delicious lunch.

I'm learning how much the gospel blesses families. So while doing crunches in our exercises the other day, Hermana Souza started reading aloud from a booklet we have with our proselyting materials about how to have a happy family. She said we should apply these things to our companionship and as she started reading we realized we already do those things. 

--Spend time together. CHECK

--Eat together. CHECK

--Turn off the TV. CHECK

--Share chores and responsibilities. CHECK

So if you want a happy family, just be a missionary.

Talk to you on Tuesday! Thanks to Grandma Joan, Lauren, and everyone who has been writing emails. Sorry I am short on time to respond personally but I will see you soon. Love you all!

Hermana Eva VanCott

Most delicious lunch with Yolanda