BAPTISM

BAPTISM  Jerris Tagavilla  March 25, 2013

Elders Lewis, Olsen, Jerris, Elders Empey, Hanson, Salmon

Elder Berning, Jerris, Sister Berning

We visited Grand Forks, ND, about 80 miles north of Fargo for meetings at 10:00 AM.  I attended the YW class while Elder Berning went to the Priest Quorum.  After the meetings there was a baptism of Jerris who is in the Institute class.  Jessis is from Hawaii and going to college in Grand Forks.  She has been investigating for awhile but needed her mother's approval.  Her mother finally gave approval, but none of her family attended the baptism.  The Institute class is her family. Jerris is a very strong young girl and has been very active.  For preparation she has been having lessons with  Elder Empey and his companions.  Elder Empey, from Soda Springs, ID, baptized Jerris.  Elder Berning worked at Simplot with Elder Empey's father for years.  

Grand Forks YW Mia Maids, Laurels,Leaders -lesson was on FAITH

ZONE CONFERENCE

ZONE CONFERENCE  - March 20, 2013

Wednesday was Zone Conference with about 20 missionaries in the Zone.  Some of the missionaries travel 3 hours to get to meeting.  It is always such a great feeling to be among the young Sisters and Elders.  They all have such a desire to serve the Lord.  They are a special group of young adults.  They also seem to have a little fun together. 

SUNDAY Church/Dinner

SUNDAY   March 17, 2013

Sunday was YSA with a remarkable experience.  A young adult, Karen, came for the first time.  As it turned out she is a sister to one of the online students, Anna, who I think is amazing.  We had a great connection and visited for awhile.  In the evening I got an email from Anna telling me how grateful she was for making her sister feel welcome.  Anna has been the only active person on her mother's side and this is so wonderful for her.  Since that day she has come to church and institute.  Karen wants the church in her life.  Some great things have happened and guided her back and we are so blessed to be a part of it. 

Front row left:  Karen

 

 

Sunday evening we had the Sister missionaries and Sammy for dinner.  

Sisters Johnson, McCormick, Dallon, Kalio, Sammy and me

 

ABERDEEN, SD

ABERDEEN  HERE WE COME  March 12-14, 2013 
Tuesday afternoon we traveled to Aberdeen SD.  The roads were bad, really bad because the wind was blowing the snow over the road.  It was so cold that the roads were icy.  So we had to go slow, but we made it safely.  Tuesday evening we visited with the new Bishop at the church.  The Relief Society Birthday Party was cancelled because of the weather.  Wednesday morning we went to Groton, a small town about 20 miles east to visit an early morning seminary.  We love going to the Taylor's home.  Sister Taylor teaches her daughter.  Ashley is a senior and will be attending BYU-I in the fall.  She is so excited to be among LDS students and be a part of such a wonderful school.  Brother Taylor is a bee keeper and loves it.  His bees are in California and will soon move to Mississippi and then come to South Dakato.  They are quite the traveling bees.  We took the Elders out to a fancy lunch at McDonalds.  Then in the evening we attended the Institute class at the University site in Aberdeen.  Their numbers were lower tonight than usual.  Thursday morning we traveled home on beautiful roads.  We always love going the 200 miles one way to Aberdeen.

Traveling to Aberdeen

Sister Taylor and Ashley

Ashley with us

Institute class with students, teacher, & missionaries

P-Day NAILS

P-Day SISTER'S NAILS  March 11, 2013

Sisters Berning, Dallon, Johnson, McCormick, Kalio

"Our beautiful hands"

We sure had lots of fun.  The Sisters are wonderful.

BREAK THE FAST

YSA BREAK THE FAST  AGAIN!!   March 10, 2013

YSA Branch Break the Fast.  It seems that everyone stays and somehow we seem to have even more 
attend than were at the meetings earlier.  It is all great!!  This is the best time when they can visit and get to know one another better. 

MORMAN TRAIN

MORMON TRAIN -Transfers   March 5, 2013

Tuesday evening after Institute the Mission Train arrived from Rapid City, SD about 10:30 PM.  Because of the weather and road conditions it took them about 3 hours longer than scheduled.  From South Dakota they were traveling about 30 miles an hour.  There were about 12 missionaries on the "Train".  The "Train" or van lets off and picks up missionaries as they circle around the mission.  This occurs every transfer when the new missionaries arrive in the mission.  Since the Train hadn't arrived on time all 12 of the missionaries   came to Institute that evening.  This was decided while Elder Berning was picking up Juvaughn.  So when he walked into the room he was pretty shocked to see about 12 additional students all dressed in suits, ties and white shirts. Elder Berning teaches the class. It turned out really good.  I think it was great for Juvaughn to be with the missionaries.  He is putting in his papers and is very anxious to go on a mission.  Wonderful evening!!!

the "MORMON  TRAIN"

It was COLD!!!  and about 11:00 PM

"I'm a mormon" in large letters on the"TRAIN"

Refreshments after the Institute Lesson

TUTTI FRUTTI

TUTTI FRUTTI  March 4, 2013

Elders Sadleir, Ostrom, Sis&Elder Berning, Sis Johnson, Kalio

Sisters Kalio, Johnson, Elders Ostrom, Sadleir

 We always love to take the missionaries to Tutti Frutti which is a yogurt place.  You can choose from about 14 different flavors.  Then there are many, many topping to choose from to top off the yogurt delight.  This was sort of our farewell with Elder Ostrom.  He was assigned to open a new area as Zone Leader in Pierre, SD.  We will miss him.

Grand Forks, North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, ND - February 27-28, 2013

SEMINARY CLASS
    The weather warmed up to 28 degrees so we decided to travel to Grand Forks, ND, about 90 miles north of Fargo.  We visited the Wednesday evening Seminary class which meets at 6:00 PM.  The students gather here from 6 different home taught classes and the early morning class taught at the church at 6:30AM.  They meet before the YM/YW ward meeting.  On Wednesday evening they work on Scripture Mastery with games and activities.  In a picture below they were doing a tick-tack-toe game where two teams of three had to keep moving from chair to chair until time was up trying to end up with 3 in a row.  It was wild, crazy and fun.  The young man in the blue with the scriptures just received his mission call to Guatemala.

fun game

We visited the early morning Seminary class at 6:30AM.  They were so quite compared to the evening before.  You can see them trying really had to stay awake. They attend 3 different High Schools. 

Early morning students with their teacher. One student had already left for school.

INSTITUTE - Grand Forks
After the Wednesday night Seminary class we attended the Institute class for young adults 18-30 yrs.old.
This is held in the same building at 7:30PM.  Sister Dabel is from Chile.  Brother Dabel, the teacher, served his mission in chile where he met his wife.  They have two daughter in the class.  Only one was attending this week.  They have a great class.  

  

YSA Institute Class

YSA Institute Class - February 26, 2013  Fargo, ND

Nick, Juvaughn, Karen, Sammy Camu, (Sisters Berning, Kalio, Johnson)

We love our Institute class. Juvaughn told us that he will be able to get his mission papers in now and hopes to leave in August.  He just received Canadian citizenship since his mother moved there from Jamaica.  He is so excited to serve a mission.  He has a strong testimony with a great spirit and desire to serve the Lord. 
Nick is a returned missionary who served in England.  He is going to college and lives with his family here.  He was in Utah but decided to return home.  A sad thing happened in his family just weeks before we arrived here.  His younger brother of 16 committed suicide.  This shocked and effected so many of the youth here.  Nick is a great strength to the Branch.
Camu is a young woman from Taiwan and is also going to college here.  Karen is on the floor.  She is going to massage therapy school.  Her parents are divorced and most of her family live in Arizona.  Sammy is studying anthropology and loves it.  She is always sharing things she learns.  Her family lives in west ND.  Each one of these young adults add so much to the Branch.  We love them all.  The Sister missionaries are behind the students.  We love it when they attend.