Merry Christmas from Liberia!

Christmas Bi-Zone Conference

Here are all the missionaries currently serving in Liberia. 34 young missionaries, 4 senior missionaries, one local couple who are on a service mission, and Pres. & Sister Roggia.

For our Bi-Zone Christmas Conference, we suggested they do a talent show (like we do at family vacations) where anyone who wants to can share a talent. Our talent was to teach everyone the 12 Days of Christmas - with all the gestures/movements. They loved it! In this picture, six geese are laying! Two days later, we had to drop off something at one of the missionaries' apartments and one of the elders said he had a "small problem" which he needed help with. "What is the problem?" "Who is the tenth day of Christmas?" I told him it was ten lords a-leaping. He said, "Like this?" and he jumped. We loved that he wanted to remember!

Each district made a desert for a taste-testing contest. They wanted the senior couples to do the taste-testing...Elder Krumm took this picture of Judy hiding from doing the taste-testing :). Fortunately, Pres. Roggia took over (without any taste-testing - we hasten to emphasize) and gave each desert its own, unique prize (Most Creative, Most Picturesque, Most Innovative way of Wrapping the Deseret, etc.)

Sister Kirkham hands an elder a delicious lunch of turkey sandwich with cheese, cole slaw, fruit salad, chips and donuts...all your basic food groups.

Getting New Baptism Clothes Made

At a district conference session, Judy saw Sister Georgia Baryor's outfit and liked it and took this picture. As Judy talked with her, she found out she was the district primary president and that she is a seamstress and made this outfit. The Liberians call this kind of dress a suit. Judy got the idea to have this sister make new baptism clothes for the mission, which were sorely needed. So, Judy and Sister Krumm went to Waterside (a market area in downtown Monrovia - which is an adventure every time you go there), bought a bolt of white polyester cloth and took it to this sister to make baptism clothes.

Sister Krumm and Judy are talking with Sister Baryor about the baptism clothes she made. Sister Baryor did a beautiful job on the clothes!

Here's Sister's Baryor's cutting table on her front porch. Notice the charcoal heated iron. All of the baptismal clothing worn by those at the Harbel baptism (see next pictures) were made by Sister Baryor.

Harbel Baptism

Harbel is a mission branch about an hour's drive from where we live. There are no missionaries assigned there. The senior couples visit them periodically. There were several investigators who had been attending Church for a long time and wanted to be baptised. Pres. Roggia gave permission for branch missionaries to teach the investigators. Finally, last Saturday , eight were baptised. Pictured here are four of the candidates: a mother, her step-daughter, and two other young women in the back of our truck. Each is wearing the new baptismal clothes recently made.

Elder Kirkham conducted the baptism because none of the branch presidency was available to conduct the service.

These are the eight candidates and the two baptisers. The community of Harbel is located on a rubber tree plantation owned by Firestone, the largest rubber tree plantation in the world. Notice in the background, the rows of rubber trees.

The baptisms took place in a small reservoir on the rubber tree plantation, a few minutes drive. It was a beautiful setting.

After their baptism, those baptized rested at this bus stop across the street from where they were baptized in the reservoir. When all were there, we invited those who wanted, to bear their testimonies. Several bore strong testimonies, expressing profound gratitude that they finally were able to be a member of the true Church.

This is how many belt holes we've lost on our missions!

Elder Martin 3 holes, Elder Lambson 6 holes, Elder Kirkham 2 holes!

Hammock in Kakata

We went to Kakata to meet with President Harmon, the branch president. In his "front yard" his neighbor/landlord had put up this hammock. I asked if I could try it out. It was wonderful!