Week 66: When its your comps birthday...

Posterity pic from ZC (both my sons and grandson)

Hey everyone!

This was actually a pretty awesome week. Very eventful and very fun. First things first though: food places. As follows: Don Joaquin's, Fiiz (the best soda place), Cravings (so epic), and In-n-Out (always epic).

The main theme for this week was Zone Conference, which this time was a mission tour with Elder Pearson and Elder Douglas, who are in the Utah Area Presidency. Elder Douglas spoke last GenCon. We all had to prepare a 3-5 minute talk on becoming a more effective missionary, but you had to have it typed out to turn in at Zone Conference! It was like doing homework again, and I actually thought it was kinda fun. I know, crazy. They were also going to call on 4 people at random to come up and give their talks, but everyone still had to turn them in. It was kinda scary even though I didn't even get picked haha.

Anyway, the actual Zone Conference was......wait for it......EPIC. It was basically just Elder Pearson going off for like 2-3 hours about how we can take our mission to the next level. Lots of cool ideas, and the important thing is that we actually try the new ideas we heard at Zone Conference. They asked me to do literally all the piano though. Like prelude for the pre-ZC meeting, prelude for the actual thing, opening song, the mission song at lunch, prelude again, a musical number, then the closing song. Lots of walking up and down haha. I sang a song that Sister Evanson wanted played at ZC, and I played piano for it too.

My favorite part of ZCs is honestly just kickin' it with people before, during, and after haha. This was a big ZC too so there were lots of homies to talk to. I got to meet my mission grandson (Elder Phelps' trainee), and see a lot of my old comps. After the ZC, Elder Pearson and Elder Douglas randomly selected some missionaries to interview, and Elder Parker got picked so I got to stay after and hang out even longer haha.

On Thursday we brought Chris (a guy we been teaching for a while), to a baptism in our zone. It was for the YSA Elders, so it was cool for Chris to see an adult's baptism. He thought it was really cool and he was really glad we invited him. There were a lot of things said in the talks that were given that were good for Chris to hear because it was just from other people and other missionaries in a different place.

Friday we had MLC with Elder Pearson, and it was kinda an intense meeting haha. But after the meeting we got Cravings with 2 of our good friends in the MLC which was awesome. Then we went on exchanges, and I went to the Lehi Thanksgiving stake. It was actually really cool because that stake has the Thanksgiving Point golf course, so with that and being back on a bike, it was bringing back many fond memories of Vineyard. Ahhhhh, Vineyard. I was with Elder Fransen for the day, and he's mad chill, but he's leaving for Ecuador on the 1st so like bruh.

Sunday was fun because it was Elder Parker's birthday, and we were busy all day. We saw that family we had dinner with the other week where the mom knew my mom on their missions, and turns out not only did they know each other, they were comps! Crazy to think which of my comps' kids I'll be feeding on their mission in like 30 years. I also finessed a birthday surprise for Elder Parker while we were on exchanges the other week. We had dinner with one of our ward mission leaders, the Morrisons, who are super epic. Elder Parker didn't know that they were planning on his birthday dinner until we came in hehe, and Sister Morrison had made a great big meal with a birthday cake too! It's not very often your companion has a birthday while you're together, so it was a fun day.

Pday today was fun because we got to play pickleball a lot, and turns out the church building where we play pickleball is where one of my friends back from TO goes to church. They moved to Highland while we've both been on our missions, and he actually just gave his farewell talk there yesterday. Then after getting some haircuts and running to the mission office, we went to In-n-Out. While we were eating, my cousin Lucas came in! It was so insane! I hadn't seen him in forever so it was cool to see him again. Utah is a dream mission guys. Pray you get to serve here someday.

This week I'm excited to celebrate Thanksgiving. I'm so grateful that I get to serve in Utah honestly. I've met so many amazing people, missionaries, and I woundn't want to serve anywhere else. So many of my friends in this mission are leaving for their original assignments, but I've also got friends here who are getting permanently reassigned here too so we're good. I love reading Saints and hearing about the early days of Utah and I think, "That's here!" I can look out the window and see what Brigham Young and the early saints saw when they came here. It's amazing here and it's an amazing blessing to be a missionary here.

Last bit of news! Unless I get transferred after next week (which is unlikely but still), I will be operating the Light the World giving machines at the University Mall in Orem on December 2nd from 10am to 1pm! Pull up if you want to give! hehe....

Love you all!

Elder Snyder