End of the Beginning

Aloha! This was a week of lasts for me and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Honestly this was probably the fastest week of my mission so I'm really trying to remember what even happened.

The big things were my last interview with President Bekker and my last zone conference. Interviews were pretty crazy as President Bekker and I went over some of the highlights of my mission and lessons that I learned. He gave me advice about school, work, and dating but more than anything he focused on the basic principles of staying active after the mission: Praying daily, studying the scriptures, serving others, and going to the temple. He also told me that the full time mission isn't even the real mission, it's more like boot camp and setting you on the right path. The real mission is going to be about moving forward in the gospel after real life starts. Should be fun.

Zone Conference was also pretty crazy, the focus was on finding new people and we all threw around different things we could do to help build our teaching pools. Since it was my last ZC I was able to go up in front of everyone and bare my testimony of the gospel. It was pretty surreal but it gave me the spiritual boost I needed to get through this last little bit. After all of us that are going home got up front and everyone else sang us Aloha 'Oe which was rough to be sure haha. I was able to be there with my MTC companion Elder Johnson who I haven't seen in over a year so that was pretty awesome.

Aside from that we were able to use some of the training at zone conference to help find new people, we think we have some real potential with some families we met and hopefully we will see the work in these wards continue to move forward.

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone that has been through this journey with me, I know I have been pretty trash at responding to some of your emails or letters but they really do me the world to me. You guys have been amazing and I can't thank you enough. One week left to go and I'm gonna make it count! Love you all.

Elder Smith
Hawai'i Honolulu Mission

1500 S. Beretania St. ste. 416
Honolulu, HI 96826

3. Me with Elders Cowden, Blackmore, Pututau, Anderson, and Gunderson.
4-6. Some zone conference pics

The updated Wall of Legends now includes Elder Cowden