Zone Conferences and the Hermanas

March 3, 2015

Zone Conferences occur every 3 months.  Since we have 7 zones, we do 7 presentations, each on different day.  Each conference lasts from 9AM – 1PM.  We have to get them home for “comida” – the big meal of the day which happens at 2PM.

The missionary force in the entire world is 80,000+.  About one quarter of the missionaries are women.  Our little world consists of 210+ missionaries with only 18-20 being women.  We only allow these “Hermanas” in 2 out of our 7 zones because of safety reasons.

We are in the midst of zone conferences.  Our teaching team for the first time includes our Sister Training Leaders.  These are two of our best female missionaries.  So our total team is Keith and I, the two Assistants (male) and our two Sister Training Leaders.

I love to watch the faces of the Elders when we arrive, open the doors, and out step two Hermana’s.  Most of these Elders have never been taught by a Sister Missionary.  They are serving in areas that we do not place Sisters.  Since half of our missionaries are Latino, many have had little experience being trained by the “softer” gender.

We have done this for a reason.  Culture is a slow thing to change.  The view of women in Mexico still has “some room to grow.”  These youth will return home after their missions finish.  We are hope their future view of women will be affected by seeing the great women who serve here.