First ZLC and ZC!

Pictures:
Elder Conrad and Elder Clinger, companions from the Mountain Home area
Beautiful scenery in Arkansas

Things are still going pretty well here. We only had two full days to do missionary work this week with going to Tulsa for two days and then having the rest of our normal meetings. But we still managed to get 121 otm's and teach 35 lessons, not what our goal was but considering the week it was exceptional.

Zone leader counsel was very good. I was pretty nervous about meeting with all the leaders in the mission and comparing myself to them, but everything was alright. President Merkley is so wonderful! I love him and I am so excited to serve the rest of my mission under him. He is every loving, but he doesn't put up with anything. He's already got himself a slogan that's going around the mission, "Shape up, or ship out!" the work is going to continue to keep going forward and I'm, very excited about it! I talked to him about his family and if he knows Uncle Merkley and he said that he is related to all the Merkleys some how.

We had Zone Conference yesterday and that is why I am emailing you today. It went very well and was very inspiring. I am a part of the best Zone ever! Everyone at zone conference was inspired and uplifted by the Spirit and we are working on becoming one with the Father and the Son. The focus of the conference was all about becoming one in all that we do, becoming more unified and becoming a band of brotherhood. We were taught about role plays and how we need to do them everyday so that we can become master teachers by following the Spirit in all that we do. Something I am learning from Elder Harrison is the importance of relying on the Spirit in everything.

President Merkley is a retire pilot and through out his instruction he often referred to things dealing with air planes. He told us a story about a Jr pilot not paying attention and heeding to his gut feelings and how it cost everyone's life on the plane. Then he told us this story about a time when he was flying a cargo plane full of firecrackers and while taking off two of the three engines exploded and how he was barely able to land the plane. By the end of this story I felt like I had just stepped off a 5 hour plane flight, I was anxious, sweating and I thought to myself, " I'm never flying again, either my parents will have to drive down here to get me or I will take a greyhound home!" But when President Merkley finished he told us it was a simulation and that it hadn't really happened. If he keeps telling his plane stories I might never fly in an air plane again!

Getting to go and see Elsie and her family again was pretty awesome. It opened my eyes to see the impact that was had there in that family. I still felt a strong love for them and it was hard to leave them again.

When you're a zone leader there is no Jr, Sr companion but it is very humbling to see the growth in Elder Harrison, and have him push me to become better. I have been very prideful these past few weeks and I just now realized it. I have been fighting against what Elder Harrison has been trying to teach me and have viewed as him be critical of me, but when in reality its not him be critical but helping me grow, and helping me see what I can do better. Pride creeps in and we are sometimes never aware of it until its to late and some thing has been lost. I am so thankful that I was compelled to be humbled because I can keep learning from the rest of this transfer. It reminds me of the scripture that says that those that the Lord loves he chastens, the reason why He does that is not to be critical, or put himself higher then us, but to help us to become better and reach or potential. Something that has really helped me out these past few weeks has been prayer. I look forward to my time talking to Heavenly Father and seeking out His will.
I have to go, I'm running out of time on the computer
Love,
Elder D Kelly Conrad