Christmas time is here again

This week’s pictures are all going to be from the Christmas zone conferences.  I wrote a whole post about them last year, and this year’s program is the same so if you need more details, please look up that one.  Even my talk is the same with a few additions.  The talk I am using is from Elder Bednar, April, 2005, about the tender mercies of the Lord.   It is a great talk and after I give a few examples of tender mercies I have experienced, I ask the missionaries to share a few of their own.  It is so great to be able to understand their answers and enjoy what they are sharing.

This year we went back to the first year format for the video and had each missionary send in three pictures from which the secretaries put together a 40 minute presentation.  The missionaries love seeing former companions and the sometimes silly poses others think of.  We give each missionary a copy of the DVD and hope that when they watch it they will remember good things about their mission and the great people they learned to know while they were here.

The secretaries also included a few of the bloopers from when President and I attempted to record a Christmas message the first year we were here.  I am grateful to realize that my Spanish speaking abilities have improved and that I can laugh at how bad it was then.  He and I will certainly never make it to the big screen!

This is a short post but please enjoy the pictures as much as the missionaries enjoy participating in the Christmas zone conferences.

We try to structure the games so the sisters have as much fun
as the elders.  These elders look pretty focused!

Our intrepid and talented elder who takes charge of the menu
while we are doing the rest of the meeting.  This year we are
grilling hamburgers.  It is part of the formidable logistics plan
 to take the grill from our house to each conference.

What a beautiful group of missionaries, right after the talks, music
and videos and right before they change to play the games.

They are thrilled to receive packages from home.

With the mission book (missionary listing), DVD, First Presidency
Christmas card, packages, etc., their arms are full!

Each conference features a special musical number and these five
did a beautiful job.

Happy elders waiting for the program to start.