Sister Emily Elise Shill

  Oct 4 I had my first zone conference this week! It was awesome. Brother Littlefield came. He's over the Central West America Area, it covers Montana, Wyoming, Chicago, Colorado, etc. He was amazing. He blasted us with stats about what our mission is doing well, and what it needs to improve. One of the things we need to improve is working with members to fine referrals, because member referrals are 12 times more likely to get baptized. It just so happens that working with the members is my passion, so that was very validating.  The other thing that really blew me away was how Brother Littlefield talked about our ability to influence other's agency. He explained the Key Indicators (numbers we report every week: Baptized, On Date for Baptism, Attended Sacrament, New People Taught). Key indicators seem like a terrible idea because they are goals based on others' agency. But man cannot have power to choose unless he is enticed by one or the other. So we get to entice people an...

Dear Friends and Family, Last week I had my first exchanges this week! Our Sister Training Leaders are in a trio, so two went with Sis. Bealer to Fruita, and I stayed with Sister Ray in the young adult ward. I learned a lot from the exchange that I'm still kind of processing. I have been studying the Christ like attribute of hope. While on exchanges, I found the scripture Jeremiah 17:7-8: "7- Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 8- For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Basically, this reflects President Nelson's famous quote about the joy in our lives having little to do with the circumstances of our lives, and every thing to do with the center of our lives. Obviously that Center for our lives that brings joy is Jesus Chr...