PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINE FOR ALL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT. YOU WILL FIND YOUR MISSIONARY WITH SANTA AND POSSIBLY WITH US ON THE TEMPLE GROUNDS.
Our third day of Christmas Conference...and a beautiful finish to this wonderful time of year!
"It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!"
Christmas Conference is a special Zone Conference. We still have our health training...and had lots of fun with dental care (because everyone gets a new toothbrush for Christmas, right???)
And our Assistants were hilarious with their fake teeth and lack of dental knowledge to introduce it for me as usual. Thanks Elders Knobbe and Nield!!!
I spoke about ANGELS. I started with the Brian Kershisnik painting entitled NATIVITY.
It reminds us that we were angels, that we can be angels today and that angels surround us when we need them as well.
We had a lovely discussion on what we saw in this painting and then learned from the Bible Dictionary and the scriptures about different kinds of angels.
We were glad we were going to the temple so we could listen to references of angels there too! It was a beautiful experience!
The day was FULL of musical numbers! Which means that the Spirit was there constantly to speak to our hearts and minds.
This is Flagstaff Zone large group.
Elder Hall is an excellent pianist! He helped with several musical numbers and accompanied for us today.
Sister Barton is also incredible on the piano! She was a huge help playing and led music in our temple chapel meeting before the endowment session. When she sings or plays, you can tell how much she loves music!
Members from the DEER VALLEY Zone.
Sister Barnett from Buckeye/Goodyear Zone on the piano.
And Sister Santana from the same zone on the flute...it was so beautiful!
Sisters Harris and Carter singing along with them, just incredible the Spirit that was there!
President Taylor taught about the special flocks of sheep for the temple in the days of Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
He taught about the Atonement and how the sacrament represents both the body that Christ took upon himself to come to earth and the blood that he shed for us in the Atonement.
It was beautiful to think of this on this special day.
Sisters Wade, Brewer and Barton singing a trio.
And Sister Summerhays in a solo with Sister McAllister accompanying.
Large group from Deer Valley Zone.
Elder Weeks in a lovely solo...
...with Sister Santana on the piano!
Seriously, our musical numbers were AMAZING! The quality of the musical talent we have would merit burning a CD, they are really that good!
And multitalented Elder Hall with the guitar and singing. So talented!!!
Below are the ZONE PHOTOS! We have a box of props that they love to dress up in and relax a bit before lunch. Look how big our zones are...and how many Sisters we now have!
BELOW: GLENDALE NORTH
Seated: Sisters Summerhays, McCoard, Barlow, Elders Nielsen, Stulen, Wainwright, A. Smith, Fackrell, Wardle and H Peterson. Standing: Sister DeMille, Elders Pratt, Moore, Buechter, Ogden, N Christensen, Leonhardt, Brown, Knobbe and Nield.
BUCKEYE/GOODYEAR ZONE: Floor: Elders Shurtleff, Pettingill, D Jensen, Kellett, and Soper. Seated: Sisters Jones, Barnett, Carter, Ratto, Santana, Harris, Connell, Eldres Kwock, Baker and Dart. Standing: Elders Jo Weeks, Nokes, Madsen, Clay, Knabbe, Yoxtheimer, Thiel, Okelberry, Dodd and Rusk.
DEER VALLEY ZONE: Seated: Sisters Barton, Brewer, Hixson, Wade, Seaman and C Turner. Elders Weiler, Ure, Severe and Burgoyne. Standing: Elders Parkinson, J Cook, Jeong, Bryson, Pham, Boyce, Sillcock, Gapinski, Searle and Farnsworth.
FLAGSTAFF ZONE: Seated: Sister McDaniel, Elders Starr and Hamilton, Sisters Manwill, Muhlestein, McAllister and Magee, Elders Larsen and Bryant. Standing: Elders McDaniel, Graybill, Salas, Thompson, Lovstedt, Hall, Bruegger, Castanos, Finklea, Munoz and Cardoso.
And finally a photo of some of our office and presidency missionaries. Seated: Sisters King, Morris, Taylor, Turville and Rodgers. Standing: Sister & Elder Juchau, Elders King & Morris, Elder & Sister Cherry, Elder Rodgers and President Taylor.
Lunch is such fun for the missionaries to relax and visit and eat good food that they did not have to fix! Click on the link above for all the tables.
At the end of lunch, we had a SPECIAL VISITOR! Santa brought tee shirts and lots of other goodies for our good Elders and Sisters!
I don't know how my picasa web album added snow to this photo...but I am rolling with it. Lucky Elder Burgoyne was the "chosen one" this time.
Elder Stulen looks content on Santa's lap...here again, go to the web album for all the missionaries with Santa.
And Sisters got their photos as well...just not on his lap.
We could not resist a shot of the Flagstaff Sisters who really look like "sisters." The matchy matchy tops help with that as well! So much fun!
After lunch, we sing a thank you song to our wonderful stake helpers and then our MISSION FIGHT SONG!
It is a real boost of morale to sing together!
We celebrated December birthdays.
HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY TO:
Elder Ure
Elder Jeong
Sister Magee (on Christmas)
Elder Nokes
Elder Thompson
Sister Santana
After both spiritual and physical feasts, we all drove to the MESA TEMPLE to adore our Lord in the best possible way.
We all did an endowment session together and this is the highlight of our mission. To be in the temple with our mission sons and daughters is the crowning jewel of our mission. We love them so much that this is where we ALWAYS WANT THEM TO BE. It is the desire of our hearts to always be worthy and desirous to attend the temple and we pray daily that our family including your sons and daughters, will make the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the beautiful promises that we make through covenant, the center of our lives. We know that is how we can be truly and eternally happy.
We know that "things" can get in the way and temporary pleasures can lure us away from our temple or baptismal covenants. We also know that the Atonement, and returning to those covenants will bring the greatest joy that will last.
The POWER of the promises we receive through living up to our promises is real. We are grateful to our Savior Jesus Christ for taking upon himself a body and coming to earth as the baby Jesus. We are grateful for the Atonement that allows us to learn and grow and change and become who we need to be for eternal joy.
Lunch is such fun for the missionaries to relax and visit and eat good food that they did not have to fix! Click on the link above for all the tables.
We all did an endowment session together and this is the highlight of our mission. To be in the temple with our mission sons and daughters is the crowning jewel of our mission. We love them so much that this is where we ALWAYS WANT THEM TO BE. It is the desire of our hearts to always be worthy and desirous to attend the temple and we pray daily that our family including your sons and daughters, will make the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the beautiful promises that we make through covenant, the center of our lives. We know that is how we can be truly and eternally happy. 
1 comment:
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to keep up this blog!! One of the best Christmas presents I could get was a picture of my happy missionary with Santa! Thanks for all you do.
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