Africa Area Children's village supported
MBABANE, SWAZILAND - Missionaries in the Mbabane Swaziland District of the South Africa Johannesburg Mission have spend hundreds of their public service hours serving at the SOS Children's Village for Orphans. The village consists of 10 cottages and 120 children. Each cottage is under the direction of a Swazi mother and another helper called an "auntie."
In the service project, sister missionaries helped make clothing and toys while the elders taught the children how to till and plant a garden.
"The missionaries also combine their talents each week for a very popular activity in which they teach and play games and sports with the enthusiastic youngsters," said Sister Tina Jones, district director of public affairs.
The project was started by a missionary couple, Elder and Sister C. H. Meyer, who have since been transferred.
Philippines/Micronesia Area Young Women hold first camp
ALOHKAP, MADOLENIHMW - Eighteen young women from the Pohnpei District of the Guam Micronesia Mission took part in the first Young Women camp in the Pohnpei District, held on this South Pacific island, which is located within the district.
The young women climbed mountains, cooked outdoors, held sunrise services and shared personal spiritual experiences.
At one time while climbing a mountain, they were off course for almost 20 miles, but were able, though cooperation of each young woman, to find their way in safety.
Everyone enjoyed the camping experience, and gained a greater appreciation for the beauties of the creations of nature. Europe North Area Book featured in exhibit
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - An illustrated copy of the Book of Mormon is part of the "widest display of artifacts of world religions," presently on display at the St. Mungo Museum of Religious Art and Life. Some 120,000 people have visited the exhibit, which ranges from ancient Egyptian religions to modern faiths.
Senior curator Mark O'Neal said that the Book of Mormon was included to illustrate that Scotland has not only exported Christian missionaries to other lands, but has also been the recipient of missionary work from other countries. Brazil Area Young singles clean street.
VITORIA, BRAZIL - Young single adults from the Vitoria Brazil Stake recently completed a service project for the city of Alfonso Claudio, located in the interior of the state of Espirito Santo.
The young men and women cleaned the main street leading into the city. They also assisted in an effort to clean up the city in a fight against cholera. Their effort was officially recognized by the mayor and secretary of public works. North America Northwest Area Students serve community
REXBURG, IDAHO - Service clubs at Ricks College recently held a service week to help in the community. They cleaned streets, spruced up yards of elderly residents, carved pumpkins for nursing home residents and read to pre-schoolers.
"It's been really neat to see a lot of students grow in what they value after serving for a year in service clubs or in activities," said Brook Stoddard, student relations officer.
Service projects at the college are handled through a referral center called the Service Station, said Sister Stoddard. North America Northeast Area Service, serving in temple
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - More than 130 women from Grand Rapids Michigan Stake took part in a special weekend trip to the Chicago Temple in which they helped in the kitchen, the laundry and the nursery, as well as performing temple ordinances for their kindred dead.
At the temple, the women filled the chapel to capacity to hear remarks from temple Pres. Paul W. Wilson.
The women prepared for their trip by researching and submitting names of their ancestors for temple work. The trip was planned by the Belding Ward Relief Society presidency with the help of the wives of bishops and branch presidents throughout the stake. They are planning another such trip next year. North America West Area Ward celebrates roots
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF. - Members of the Laguna Beach Ward here recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the original Laguna Beach Branch, from which branches in neighboring cities were later established. Stakes now are organized where these branches first met.
The Laguna Beach celebration included a reunion, displays of artifacts and photos from the past, a quilt with pieces decorated by 99 families, and a comprehensive Relief Society history book with detailed clippings and pictures. A time line, on which members viewed displays portraying the progress of the branch through the years, was created in the meetinghouse. Utah Central Area Run temple wagon route
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - A group of women runners from several area stakes recently completed a special run in honor of the Salt Lake Temple centennial. The women, in ages from late 20s to their 60s, designed T-shirts with an ox and wagon wheel, with a logo that read "Temple Centennial - 20-mile Run, Salt Lake City, Utah."
The 19 women recently met at the Little Cottonwood Canyon granite rock quarry at 4:45 a.m. They then ran the 20 miles of the general wagon route used by the pioneers to haul granite to the Salt Lake Temple. After the experience, the women commented on the sacrifice of the pioneers to transport the stone by wagon over such a distance. They are members of Valley View, Mount Olympus, East Millcreek, Midvale, Canyon Rim and Bonneville stakes in Salt Lake City. Utah North Area Volunteers help harvest
JUNIPER, IDAHO - Despite some loss from a hail storm just before harvest, the Church's Juniper Dry Farm realized a good wheat harvest this fall, thanks to earlier efforts of stake volunteers, said Pres. Patrick B. Nolan of the Logan Utah Cache West Stake.
He explained that the stake's dry farm lies some 90 miles north of Logan, Utah, and about 30 miles over the Idaho border. The farm is beset with wild rye grass that proliferates and is very difficult to eradicate. This year, the wild rye came up with the wheat and had to be removed by hand. Some 271 members of the stake turned out on a Saturday during the summer to weed the farm.
"Our farm managers advised us that we had never, in the past, had so much participation on a stake basis as we had this summer. After all of our planning and preparation, the Lord certainly blessed us," said Pres. Nolan.
Readers from around the world are invited to submit news items and photos for this feature on Church events worldwide. Submissions should include a telephone number of someone who can be contacted for additional information.
Items should be mailed to Church News, "From Around the World," P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. Fax No. (801) 237-2121. Utah South Area Handicap awareness week PLEASANT GROVE, UTAH - Youth in the Pleasant Grove 19th Ward, Pleasant Grove Utah Manila Stake, recently gained greater appreciation for challenges facing the disabled during the ward's Handicap Awareness Week. One of the objectives of the week included helping youth overcome a fear of the disabled and discomfort in their presence. With that in mind, activities were designed to help the youth experience how it feels to be blind, deaf or confined to a wheelchair.
