Let the Games Begin...week one!

The Stamina needed for these two weeks could definitely qualify for an Olympics game.

 Interviews, Zone Conferences, Firesides, and travel began this week.

The roads leaving Cali were busy as we left the city at 6:30am.

Our new assistant, Elder Stutz, is learning what it feels like to keep this schedule...exhausted!!

We traveled to Buga, Zarzal, Andalucia, and Tuluá

to do interviews and house inspections. 

Elder and Sister Torgerson were with us.  Elder Torgerson is helping to get all the apartments in better shape...bless him!

We were pleased to hear that the truck arrived in Tuluá and Palmira to deliver new mattresses, pillows, mattress protectors, microwaves, and sandwich makers

to all our apartments.  This has been quite the project to get funding and improve the living conditions of our missionaries.  I fought the good fight and won!!! 

I believe the mattresses we replaced were older than some of our missionaries!!

Our first Round of Zone conferences was with the Tuluá, Paraíso, and Palmira Zones.

 Zona Tulua

Elders McKay, Hutchison, Malca, Lewis, A. Ramirez, Carillo (front)

Elders Faundez, Parada, Camacho, Dyas, Jensen, Lamoreaux, Aldunate, Cartes, Aleluya, Low, Conde (b)

 Zona Paraíso

Elders Rocha, Aspajo (front)

Elders Calle, Lobelcho, Santizo, Curtis, Cabrera, Aguilera, Chumacerro (back)

Zona Palmira

Elders Rodriguez, Bolokoski (front)

Elders Alvarado, Guerrero, Almeida, Chamorro, Quisbert, F. Ramirez (back)

We enjoyed instruction on how to improve our communications skills,

 work with the members,

and then of course....lunch. 

Missionaries are ALWAYS hungry!!

 It was Elder Conde's birthday this very day...August 10...

 and Elder Aspajo's birthday was coming on August 12...

and Elders Carillo, Malco, Conde, and Aspajo

were the only birthdays in the last 3 months...June, July, August!

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!

And then the Mission Olympic GAMES began...

The first game was played as a companionship before they arrived at the conference.

Each companionship in the mission had 4 hours on a given night to find and contact as many new investigators as possible. 

 It was quite impressive how a little competition led to a lot of new contacts.

Next (in the pictures above) we played a relay game with scripture mastery scriptures.

The final game was a marathon with Preach My Gospel.

Points were totaled and each zone had their gold, silver and bronze medal winners.

Zona Tulua

GOLD:  Elders McKay and Carillo (zone leaders)

SILVER:  Elders Cartes and Faundez

BRONZE:  Elder Parada

Zona Paraíso

GOLD:  Elders Rocha and Aspajo (zone leaders)

SILVER:  Elders Cabrera and Chumacero

BRONZE:  Elders Santizo and Curtis

Zona Palmira

GOLD:  Elders Rodriguez and Bolokoski (zone leaders)

SILVER:  Elders F. Ramirez and Guerrero

BRONZE:  Elders Almeida and Quisbert

All of the missionaries are winners in our eyes...

They are working hard.

They are being obedient.

They are wearing themselves out in the work of the Lord.