INSTITUTE CLASS

Megan, Karen, Nathaniel, Juvaughn

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 was our Tuesday evening Institute class with the YSA Branch.  We only had four attending this week, which is normal.  We are studying the New Testament.  Elder Berning is the main teacher and is doing a great job.  These are some of our most faithful students.  Megan is getting married Dec.28 in the Portland, OR Temple.  Her finance is in the Branch, but has to work on Tuesday evening. They are both returned missionaries. They will live here in Fargo and go to NDSU.  Karen has just come back to church and is so happy.  She just got a miracle job where she doesn't have to work on Sunday.  Nathaniel recently returned from a mission in Argentina and will go back to BYU-Provo next semester.  He came here to be with his younger brother who is less-active.  Nathaniel is the young man that helped to fix my computer. He brings bread, rolls, and cookies to church all the time.  He works at a bakery and gets the left overs.  Juvaughn is from Jamaica and is making plans to go on a mission.  He has one sister who attends a university in Alabama (I think) and has a scholarship with track.  She was in the national finals and did really good.  His mother remarried and lives in Canada.  He misses all his family. He wants to get a good education in the medical field.  We showed pictures of the flag painted on Todd's bedroom wall in Georgetown.  He was really surprised and liked it.  They are all great.

District Meeting

November 27, 2012 - District Missionary Meeting in Fargo.  Every Tuesday is District Meeting with the missionaries that serve  in Fargo, Grand Forks ND,and the Zone Leaders who also serve in Fargo,ND.  So there are 4 Sisters and 4 Elders and us.  The District meeting was getting acquainted with the new Mission Weekly goals for finding investigators and baptisms.  It's a funnel chart and a little complicated at first.  There was a really good discussion and setting of goals.  The missionaries are so wonderful to us seniors.  After the meeting we all went to Dairy Queen for lunch. 

Elders Sadlerd,Ostrom,Empy,Greco,Berning, Sisters Hutton, Carter, Kalio, Johnson

Elder Greco was just overwhelmed!!!!!!!

Lunch at Dairy Queen-Good Times......

THANKSGIVING

THANKSGIVING,  November 22, 2012.   We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at YSA Branch President and Sister Brayton's home.  We took some homemade rolls and a salad.  The Taylor's brought a pie and a relish dish.  The rest of the meal was prepared and served by the Braytons.  They are such friendly and gracious people.  They have 4 children.  A son died when he was a baby. They have a daughter that lives in England, another in Rapid City, SD and a son going to school in Arizona.  They are all married.  Others at the dinner were the YSA Branch missionaries, Sister Kalio and Sister Johnson.  Also attending were Pres. and Sister Taylor.  He is counselor to the Stake Pres and an administrator at a hospital in Fargo. She teaches speech therapy.  She didn't want her picture taken, so she took the picture.  President Brayton's father was also there.  He lives about 40 miles away.  It was a cold day with snow on the ground.  After everyone left, we stayed and visited for awhile.  They are a fun couple to be with.

ZONE CONFERENCE

November 15, 2012 was Zone Conference in Fargo from about 8:30AM to 4:30 PM.  The conference was fabulous.  The Assistants to the President and zone leaders gave excellent presentations.  President and Sister Anderson spoke to us.  It was good to hear from them. They work so hard and love all the missionaries.  President Anderson, Sister Anderson and the Assistants were on a week trip to visit all the missionaries in the mission.  The mission covers all of North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Minnesota, Wyoming and Nebraska. They told us that by June or July the mission will have tops 250 missionaries.  We now have about 140.  They expect about 60 Sisters where there are only 14 at the present.  There will be 180 Elders plus 10 Spanish speaking missionaries.  So this will be a busy time for the President and everyone involved.  The Relief Society served us a delicious lunch.  It was great!!  After the conference we drove up to Grand Forks to visit a Seminary class the next morning.

There were 25 missionaries at the conference,.

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Seminary

On November 14, 2012 we visited an Evening Seminary class in Detroit Lakes, MN Branch. This is about 1 hour from Fargo, ND.  This Wednesday evening class is held before the YW/YM activity at the church. The class is made up of about 10 youth.  Some are home schooled and others go to different high schools in the area.  It is a very rural area with lots of lakes and trees. The class is outlined for the students to do 4 days of individual study at home with assignments from the Wed. evening teacher.  Then on Wed. they turn in their assignments and do scripture mastery, etc.  They are a fun group of kids and really like being together.  The teacher is Sister Paulson. She is great.  Her husband is the Stake Patriarch.  We take treats whenever we visit, usually donuts and chocolate milk.  They like us to come!!!

Break the FAST

One November 11, 2012 we had a Break the FAST with the YSA Branch.  They are such a varied, wonderful group of young adults.  Some are working and some are going to school. There are several colleges and trade schools in the area. They seem to really enjoy being together at this activity, maybe because there is food.  There is one couple that are getting married on Decembeter 28 in Portland. They are in the bottom picture, left- front seats. There also is a young girl sitting across from them who plans on being baptized next month.

ABERDEEN, SD

November 8, 2012 we traveled 200 miles south to Aberdeen, SD.  We attended an Institute class that evening at the church taught by Brother Gonzales.  There were about 10 people present.  This included us and the 2 Elders that serve there.  Brother and Sister Gonzales had us over for dinner before the class.  They both have Mexican ancestors.  Sister Gonzales is really into genealogy and he teaches Spanish at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. 
     The next morning at 6:20 AM  we attended Sister Taylor's Seminary class in Groton which is 20 miles east.  She teaches her daughter who is a senior. She has applied for BYU.  The class has two other students, both seniors.  One is a member young man who brings his non-member girlfriend.  It was a great class.  

     Later in the day we visited Brother Peterson in Northville, SD, about 25 miles south.  Then back to Aberdeen to visit Sister Vassar.