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Utah North Area

Wheat weeded, lessons learnedLOGAN, UTAH

Nearly 200 members of the Logan Utah Cache West Stake traveled 90 miles north on June 11 to weed a large field of wheat at the Church's Juniper Welfare Farm in Juniper, Idaho. They not only completed the arduous task, but also received a gospel lesson about the parable of the wheat and the tares as they did so, said stake Pres. Patrick B. Nolan.

Just as the wheat and the tares of the familiar parable grow up together, so do the wheat and wild rye. Wild rye competes with the wheat for moisture and nutrients and decreases the quality of the wheat flour. Workers must wait until the heads of both the wheat and the rye begin to mature before they can distinguish which is which. Pres. Nolan explained, "Trying to remove the rye by machine would destroy the wheat crop."

The members began at the hillside end of the field and pulled wild rye until they'd worked their way to the valley floor. They encountered and removed many thick stands of wild rye during the daylong project, said Pres. Nolan.

Africa Area

Museum inventoried

NAIROBI, KENYA

Community service by nearly 20 missionaries in the Kenya Nairobi Mission spanned 16 months and involved more than 630 hours of donated time and energy. In 1992, Elder Joseph Milton of Sierra Leone in West Africa and Elder Kory Sheen of Orem, Utah, met with the curator of the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi and agreed to begin to inventory the list of all the artifacts displayed in the museum. The missionaries began the task the same day, although they didn't understand the size of the endeavor. By February 1993, they decided to computerize the list and additional missionaries were needed to help with the project. Missionaries entered the information into the computer and double checked it for accuracy. The missionaries completed the project early in 1994, much to the appreciation of the museum staff.

Asia Area

Prime minister visits booth

SINGAPORE

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore was among 10,000 visitors at a booth sponsored here by the Church at the "National Family Day" carnival June 19. The carnival was held in conjunction with the United Nations' "International Year of the Family," and the Church was invited by the government to participate. The booth had a family home evening theme, and the prime minister was presented with a copy of the Family Home Evening Resource Book.

The Church's Homefront series of television public service announcements was shown at the booth throughout the day, and about 80 members handed out bookmarks and pamphlets. They also answered questions about family home evenings. The Church was the only religious organization invited to have a booth at the carnival. The effort was under the direction of A.C. Ho, Singapore director of public affairs and a counselor in the Singapore Mission.

Following the carnival, the government set aside $1 million for promoting of five family values identified by the Committee on the Family, of which Pres. Ho was a member.

Philippines/Micronesia Area Cemetery beautified

LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES -

Members and missionaries in the community of Famy combined forces to clean a local cemetery. They cut down trees, bushes and tall grass. Many tombstones and graves were uncovered. The cemetery, which is located on a hill above the town, had been an eyesore. The people of Famy expressed appreciation for the work that was done in beautifiying the cemetery. Mexico North Area Missionaries for a day

TAMPICO, MEXICO

Children in the Tampico Ward, Tampico Mexico Stake, volunteered to be missionaries for a day and were trained in their responsibilities by full-time missionaries of the Mexico Tampico Mission. The children were divided into companionships and, wearing name tags, were teamed with a pair of full-time missionaries of their gender to call on referrals, less-active members, tract and find contacts on streets. The children had many opportunities to bear their testimonies.

"Many doors were opened and contacts were made to be followed up later by the full-time missionaries," said mission Pres. Conwell C. McCune.

The valor and sincerity of the children impressed the full-time missionaries as well.

North America Central Area

Teachers honored DENVER, COLO.

Youth in the Parker Ward of the Willow Creek Colorado Stake and their parents recently honored some of the youths' school teachers at the second annual teacher appreciation dinner.

The junior and senior high school students expressed how thankful they are for teachers who have had a positive impact on their lives.

Wooden plaques were presented to the teachers as a token of appreciation.

North America Northwest Area

Best roses in city LAKE OSWEGO, ORE.

First place in a contest sponsored by the Royal Rosarians of Portland, Ore., was awarded this year to the Portland Oregon Temple. The temple roses won in the category of commercial rose plantings within a 15-mile radius of the courthouse of Multnomah County.

The contest has been sponsored for the past 56 years in Portland, which is known as the "City of Roses."

A silver platter was presented to the temple's head gardener, Dale Larson of the Mt. Scott Ward, Portland Oregon Stake. He is assisted by Alfred Chun of the Powell Butte Ward in the Gresham stake, and Campbell Williams of the Battle Creek Ward in the Salem stake.

The temple grounds have several areas where roses are grown, and cited in the award were two varieties of hybrid yellow roses.

"We want those who live in the area to know that the temple is part of the community," said Brother Larson. "We want all to feel welcome to come to the grounds. We are certain when they come to see the beautiful grounds of the temple, they will feel the Spirit and want to know more about the Church."

North America Northeast Area

Wards help in expo

BATTLE CREEK, MICH.

Members of the Battle Creek 1st and 2nd wards of the Kalamazoo Michigan Stake participated in the planning and exhibition of the first city-wide Emergency Preparedness Expo.

It was held at the Kellogg Arena in downtown Battle Creek on June 18. The Expo's purpose was to demonstrate to the public what preparations the city and county had made in case of natural or man-made emergencies, and to teach the people what they could do to prepare for such emergencies. The Battle Creek 1st Ward sponsored a booth showing how to store foods for long terms, how to can and use wheat, and how to dehydrate certain foods. Samples were well-received by the public. The ward also provided two computers and used a program that printed a list of food storage requirements for any size family. The Battle Creek 2nd Ward displayed a 72-hour kit with descriptions of items and how to pack and store the kit. The ward also provided a display about sources of heat, power and light during emergencies. North America West Area Enjoying diversity of stake

WAIPAHU, HAWAII

Members of the Waipahu Hawaii Stake enjoyed the diversity of their stake in a recent Primary activity, "Around the World," celebrating the theme, "The Gospel of Jesus Christ Can Bring Me Peace." In the program, children of the 12 wards in the stake participated in the ethnic cultures of 11 countries, each represented by members who came from those countries. "Here in Hawaii we are privileged to have a variety of nationalities and are blessed with countless opportunities to practice living in peace," said Leilani Debusca-Manke, stake Primary president.

"We felt a need to promote unity and saw an opportunity to fill that need and be in harmony with the purpose of our celebration."

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.

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