Baptisms, birthdays and bienvenu...

A very full couple of weeks. New missionary, the last of the branch conferences and 4 baptisms last Saturday.

We welcomed Elder Maker to the New Caledonia part of the Fiji-Suva Mission. Elder Maker comes to us from Tahiti. He is a calm, mature young man and is serving with Elder Styles in Bourail in the northern part of the island. Pictures nearby show him with his district as well as with his companion.

Last Thursday brought a service day at the Noumea wildlife refuge. In tropical settings large plants grow quickly. In this case, we were removing for the 'zoo' woody-leafed plants. Their root systems were large tubers from which the upper part of the plant had to be freed, then hauled up a hill to a refuse point from which they would be hauled away. Under one of these we found a resting local peacock who didn't seem to be disturbed by our chopping. And when we removed one set of cover, this bird calmly walked over to another. The day was hot and the work heavy and dirty. But service to the community here. What a contrast to the daily routine of the work 40 years ago. Pictures nearby will show some of our elders and sisters in the middle of the work as well as a shot of our bird friend if you can find her.

Ward conferences continued in our largest branch with a 'ball' as the Saturday evening branch activity. A dance with a member DJ and a great collection of music. Sister Mautz couldn't resist

The twist and a few other foot stompers. We had a great time and could even walk the next day.

Tuesdays each week bring missionary district meetings. This week we slipped up to Tontouta to attend a district meeting. These missionaries are a little further away and don't see the rest of us very often. And it was birthday week for two of their missionaries. We also wanted to see how Elder Maker was getting along with his new companion.

In addition to the last of the branch conferences last Saturday, we had two baptismal services with 4 new members of the Church. A busy and delightful day. The first were the three daughters of Sylveste who was baptized just a few weeks ago. His daughters have now followed him . Following the service, he had quite a party along the lines of a local 'coutume' or traditional tribe/family gathering to celebrate such events. We missed the event as we had a second service to attend in a neighboring branch.

Bella Lean is a student in the local college. A pair of our sister missionaries found her walking across a park in the opposite direction enjoying music through a headset and not at all welcoming. however a quick hello opened a conversation which interested her since she is largely without family having lost her father at a young age. She is now quite at home in her new branch family.

We close our blog this week with Christmas holidays in view as well as a short zone conference with our Area President and our Mission President and their spouses. The weeks are full. We are grateful to be busy and to see the joy and peace that come into the lives of new members of Christ's Church.