Christmas Zone Conference 3rd day

It was a bright sunny day for this picture!  This is our third and last day of zone conferences with the Lipa, Batanga, and Marinduque zones.

Sister Merdegia & I enjoying the meal!  Her husband is a counselor to George.  I wish we could find another.  They are a wonderful asset to the mission and so helpful to President!  ...Not a good hair day for me!  ...Not too many are in this weather!  (Oh well...)

Elder Diaz and Elder Yelle are happy it's time to eat!

Elder Villnueva, Elder Delfin, Elder Tagulao and a visiter.

Elder Yost & Elder Navarro, from Mindoro Zone, acting out campanionship study...talking about what President Peterson is expecting of them...

Then, the whole zone got up and started singing the 12 days of Christmas..."President Peterson said to me"...And called off all the different sayings and counsel he has been giving since we got here.  It was so cute and so funny!  Very well done!  Here is part of the group, Elder Johnson, Elder Guyer, Elder Navarro, and Elder Yost.

More of the group...Sister Tumaliuan, Sister Guzman, and Sister Pascual.

Here is the whole Mindoro Zone doing the 12 days of Christmas!

Except for Sister Osborn...She was on the piano.  I think, with some input from the others, she pretty much wrote the words the song.  They had a ball performing it.  It was a big hit!

This is Elder knight accompanying the Batangus Zone on their musical number.

Batangas Zone

Sister Baby (Katrina) and her Brother accompanying the Lipa Zone.

The Lipa Zone singing their special Christmas carol.  They have some really good singers in their group!

The Calamasi race again!

Elder Navarro...very steady!

Sister Tumaliuan passing to Sister Campbell.

There Sister Campbell goes!  She made it without a spill!

Sister Matanghi passes to Sister Packer!

Look at Sister Packer go!  I am telling you...us seniors didn't slow anybody down!  We kept the teams going at a good fast pace!

Elder Packer has the right form!

Now the favorite game starts..."Do You Love Your Neighbor".

President and Sister Merdegia were good sports and played the games too!  They look like they are enjoying themselves, right?

Sister Campbell always knows how to have a good time!

The missionaries love the story I read that gets them to pass their gifts right or left until the story finally stops and they get to open the gift.  They each brought a 200 peso gift to exchange.

Elder Tagulao, Sister Tumaliuan and Sister Osborn.

Even Sister Baby (Katrina) and her brother got in on the gift exchange!

Elder Cortez, Elder Roxas, Elder Navarro, Elder Perez, and Elder Alinsoot. 

Feeling badly, Sister Tacbobo and Sister Mantanghi missed being in the group shot outside.  They were in the ladies room as we took the picture.  We didn't realize they weren't there. 

Christmas Zone Conference...2nd Day!

This three zones...Lopez, Lucena and Marinduque zones!

Elder Judd is having a "face off" with the Bauboy Lechon!

Not a pretty picture!  Are we really going to eat this?!

I guess if these sweet sister can eat it, so can we!!

The cake makes it easier!  Actually, it is all good...just not crazy about the pig!

Elder Dela Cruiz, Elder Trapsi, and Elder Miranda getting ready for the entertainment to start!

A wonderful song & reading presented by the Lopez Zone.

Marinduque sang a beautiful Christmas hymn.

Elder Poole is introducing the Lucena Zone's skit.

Elder Libutti as Rudolph the Red nosed investigator.

The Elfs and the Grinch waiting their turn to come on the stage.  Elder Shepherdson's the Grinch in the plaid vest.  He is moving onto the stage.

Let the races begin!  This is a relay where you hold a spoon in your mouth and carry a calemansi (small green ball shaped citrus) in the spoon walk a distance around a chair and back to your team to pass the calemansi on the the next person in line.  It is a lot of fun to watch!

Here Sister Escalona is passing to me...

Now I am passing to Elder Roxas!

Elder Tamale knows how it's done!

The "Cops & Robbers" Tie game again!  Elder Brown looking on with Elder Judd having a good laugh.  Elder Roxas is doing the double tie and trying to hurry and pass it to Elder Clark.

"Do You Love Your Neighbor" was the big hit of all the games!

Yeah...We really got into it too!

Some of the fun gifts that were exchanged for the "Right Family" Christmas story!  Those neck pillows seemed to be a popular gift!

Christmas Zone Conference, Dec, 2011 (1st Day)

This is the first of three zone conferences.  This included 4 zones.  San Pablo, Cabuyao, Santa Cruz, and Siniloan. I won't name them all this time, but in the center you will see all the couples and senior missionaries, starting with the senior sisters, Sister Montegue, Sister Walker, Elder Packer, Sister Packer, Me, President, Sister Howell, Elder Howell, Sister Bennett and Elder Bennett.

It is a Filippino tradition to have Buboy Lechon (Pig, roasted) for Christmas dinner, so we odered one for each of the three days.  We wanted all the missionaries to experience a traditional Christmas dinner together in the Philippines!  Here, we see the roasted pig being chopped and ready to serve!  Yum!? :-(  (Not sure?)

Elder Packer & President ready to fill their plates.  We get a glimpse of Sister Billings between them, followed by Sister Donato, Elder Nalesoni, and Sister Uy

Elder Packer seems happy!

...And President, too!

Sister Morton and Sister Romua are happy!  Sister Romua is a trainer for Sister Morton.

Sister Bowthorpe and Sister Yoro are a thriving companionship.  Sister Bowthorpe is the trainer and says that the training is going very well.  They love each other.  Can you tell?

Elder Jesse (He is back!!), Elder Ramos, and Elder Butler are glad to have it be time to eat!...After 3 1/2 hrs. of teaching & training!!

Some our senior missionaries enjoying there meal.  Sister & Elder Packer are on the left.  Elder and Sister Howell on the back right side and Sister Walker & Sister Montegue in front on the right.

Now...for the entertainment!  Here is Elder Hurst and his companion, Elder Mayla introducing their vignette in their zone's skit.  Each vignette was about a different situation the missionaries encounter with their investigators, etc.  It was all actually very creative and funny.

This is Sister Bowthorpe, playing the part of someone hiding when she heard the missionaries at the door and she hides and sends her son to the door to tell them she was busy.  As the missionaries persist, she finally has his tell them she is not there.  As they call out their good-bye, she stands up and says, "Good-bye, Elders!"

This is another zone, the Santa Cruz Zone, their own version of the realy Christmas story!  Elder Edvalson is the angel bringing word to the shepherds...in case you couldn't tell. :-)

The Siniloan Zone are showing their talent with beautiful singing of Christmas Carols.

More beautiful singing from the San Pablo Zone!

Now the Presidents office staff and senior couples sing Oh Holy Night.

Now the real fun begins...the games!  This is the Cops and Robbers game.  We are all standing in a big circle.  It starts out with the robber having a necktie that he has to tie around his neck with two loops.  The cop has a tie and has to only tie one loop.  Each, then, unties the tie and passes it to the next person going in the same direction.  The cop should eventually catch the robber, because he doesn't have to do as much.  If you end up with two neckties you have been caught and you come to the center and perform something.  You can imagine that President will do anything to NOT get caught!!  It was a fun game!

The missionaries loved passing their gifts RIGHT & LEFT as read the "Right Family Christmas Story"  They are now opening the gifts they ended up with!

Some of the fun gifts that were received!