The Great Kentucky Louisville Mission

In the zone: A mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity

Similar idioms: To be on the ball, in the moment, in the zone, in the groove, or keeping your head in the game.

In other words, if you are in the zone you are very focused on what you have to do.

All of the missionaries in the mission were all of the above as they attended their various Zone Conferences July 26^th through the 29^th, fully engaged, immersed, involved, and energized to be better missionaries and more effective tools in the Lord’s hands.

The first Conference was with the New Albany Zone on Tuesday the 26th,

"I looked out the window and what did I see?" a "baptizing version" led by

Zone Leaders Elder Winn and Elder Naylor.

"... I could take an armful and make a treat..."

We didn't get a group picture taken at the New Albany Zone Conference,

but did the following week at the Temple.

Sister Woodbury and Sisters Waite, Beukers,

Blevins, Mikami, Ash, and Delgado

"Called to Serve" - New Albany Zone

"Go baptize!" first verse

"Go baptize!" - second verse

followed the next day by the Lexington and Lexington North Zones combined,

Lexington Zone rehearsing a musical number before the meeting

The Lexington North Zone

Lexington North Zone super-charged

Lexington Zone

Thursday the 28^th, the Louisville West, Louisville Central, and Crestwood Zones combined,

Crestwood Zone

Crestwood Zone having fun with Elder Norton

Louisville West Zone

Louisville West Zone "feelin' it"

Louisville Central Zone

Elder Tuimoala showing Louisville Central Zone

how it's "done."

and lastly, on Friday, the Evansville Zone.

The Evansville Zone

The Evansville Zone showing their stuff

Each Conference began at 9:00 am and ended between 5:30 or 6:00 with lunch breaking up the middle.

In the morning, the Zone Leaders did business and instruction and President Woodbury spoke about increasing efforts to find new investigators and tracting some each day, and did “Tune-Ups” which included talking about safety and security issues. Sister Woodbury taught and did a skit on cleanliness with the help of various Sisters and the Assistants (see following article) and later spoke on the topic of courage and missionary work. The local Stake President also spoke in the respective Zones.

Midday, after eating the tasty lunches prepared by the Relief Society at each location, the missionaries rose to their feet to thank the meal-providers by singing “Called to Serve,” GKLM style.

"Called to serve him..."

"Gooooooooo forward, pressing forward,

as the triumph song we sing..."

"Go baptize!"

Then it was back to work, the Districts dividing and rotating between workshops conducted by the President and Assistants. The latter conducted sessions about working with members and “earning” referrals from them, and the former taught and trained about using the Book of Mormon to inspire and commit investigators. These training sessions included role-playing and practicing the techniques and principles they had been taught.

Reuniting the group once more, President Woodbury spoke about laying our lives on the altar and sacrificing even more so as to be worthy of increased blessings. He then told of a mission-wide day of fasting and prayer to be held the next Wednesday. After the President finished, each missionary who was departing before the next Zone Conference bore his or her testimony.

When formal sessions were finished, the Zone Leaders did presentations about mapping the homes of members so as to more effectively use the members to help them as they teach.

Instructions by the Lexington and Lexington North Zone Leaders

regarding mapping

Elder Naylor showing how to use the Family History centers

and Church websites to aid in mapping

Rallying the forces...

Then the cameras came out and lots of pictures were taken by and of friends, former and current companions, and other groupings, some straight-forward, and some with more "personality."