Donetsk and Kharkov Zone Conferences

The Zone Conferences were SUPERB!!! The subject was HEART: all of the zone leaders did such a great job!! I was so inspired and uplifted. I'll try to keep it short but how can I when it is all so good?Elders Allred and Goodfellow talked about "A MIGHTY CHANGE OF HEART". We cannot progress without a change of heart. We have a divine identity and who we are is always greater than our circumstance. Faith, Repentance and a desire to not do evil. We need to make committments and having a real intent to do what we've committed to do. Elders Jones and Howard talked about "LOCK YOUR HEART". We agreed to sarifice and leave things behind when we wrote our acceptance letter to come on a mission. What do we lock our hearts from - the world, girls, disobedience, gossip and music. We need to stay focused and keep from becoming casual. It is a mission effort. It's like a castle - we all have walls that build a castle - satan looks for our weaknesses to weaken the castle. It affects everyone when our walls are weakened. We need to stay loyal to God and to each other by keeping our walls strong. Elders Williams and Steele talked about "HOW CAN HAVING A RIGHTEOUS HEART HELP MISSIONARY WORK?" Having a righteous heart is being one with God. One heart and one mind. We need to build a fortress of righteousness with faith , hope, patience, obedience, knowledge, humility and charity. Chariety is a driving force. It fuels the heart like fuel to our engine. Elders Smith and Hess talked about a broken heart and a contrite spirit. "NEW HEART"and "NEW SPIRIT." Faith in Christ and applying the Atonement will help us continue to have a change of heart and a desire to continue to change. Elder Duffy and Elder Shipp says ,"THE HEART IS THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING WE DO."The heart produces the desire. The center of our heart is "to love God with all our heart, soul and mind." We should do His work in His way by His power. Where your heart is - is shown by your actions. Elders Beus & Whitehead talked about the DANGERS. Hardening your hearts is a danger - the I don't care attitudes, lack of desire, disobedience, being comfortable and being casual can all be like a snake biting us. To avoid dangers - read the WHITE HANDBOOK. They compared the heart that beats and keeps us alive as God and the arteries being Pres. Fry and all of the missionaries as the capilaires. Not doing what Pres. Fry tells us to do is like telling the arteries that we don't want anymore blood - cutting ourselves off and dieing!! President Fry says,"HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU'VE HAD A CHANGE OF HEART?" 1. Have you been spiritually born of God? 2. Have you received His image in your countenances? 3. Do you exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?How can we expect our investigatiors to have a change of heart if we are not willing to either?Knit your hearts together with your companion and God. Turn your life over to God thru a broken heart and contrite spirit, humility and meekness. If you lose your life to God - you will find ETERNAL LIFE!