Friday, December 21, 2018

Curacao Branch Christmas Party (21 DEC 2018)


Curacao Branch

Christmas Party












Elder & Sister Parr, Elder McBride, Elder Richards, Elder Groenendijk, Elder Naef, Sister Melendez, Sister Davidson, Sister Anderson, Sister Meyer, Elder Durfee, Elder Buxton
Missionaries Singing "Must be Santa"
The Branch Loved it Especially when "Santa" threw Candy During the Chorus






The Story of the 10 Virgins




The Primary

The Young Men




The Young Women

The Elders Quorum








It was such a fun night and great to see so many participate!!

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Aruba (15-18 DEC 2018)


More Christmas Decorations at the Airport

Since we arrived at the end of June, the Curacao airport has undergone some major renovations.  They have really done a beautiful job and President Baird and I have been very impressed at how they have gone "all out" in decorating for Christmas.  This Christmas Scene is right before you go through Security. 

 This time to Aruba we took our two APs with us.  Elder Durfee and Elder Buxton - they really help the mission run smoothly.






Elder Durfee, President Baird, Elder Buxton

(Just a funny little story I want to share right here.  Elder Buxton was transferred up just this last transfer to be an AP.  He is a remarkable missionary with a Love of our Savior and His Gospel that is contagious.  He is one of our Spanish speaking missionaries and is from Washington D.C.  He has served in many parts of our mission but most recently in Guyana.  In Guyana our missionaries are constantly being called "white boy" by people on the street.  Elder Buxton said to me, "Sister Baird, they would even call me "white boy".... I would just look at them like....really? "😂  I told them they must have been referring to his smile.)



Elder Richards & Elder McBride

In the Islands you are allowed to stay 180 days per year.  Elder Richards did not have enough days to finish out in Curacao so we had to have him come over to Aruba for a week.  He and Elder McBride worked so hard.  They got over 75 contacts that will keep the Aruba missionaries busy for awhile following up on.  Hot....tiring work but these two make it fun.  

Sister & Brother Lane Christensen
Here Visiting Aruba on a Cruise
He worked with Elder Jones & President Baird's Brother Brad
at Dominion Energy
another Small World story


Aruba Zone Conference




Back: Elder Buxton, Elder Jones, Elder Flynn, Elder Garcia, Elder Weiss, Elder Durfee
Front:  President Baird, Sister Baird, Sister Didier, Sister Poulson


Back: Elder Jones, Elder Flynn, Elder Garcia, Elder Weiss
Front:  President Baird, Sister Baird, Sister Didier, Sister Poulson, Sister Lindley, Elder Lindley



Elder & Sister Lindley always do such a wonderful job
with the Zone Conference Lunch!!  We were spoiled
this time with a full Christmas Dinner

Sister Poulson, Elder Weiss, Elder Jones

Elder Buxton, Elder Durfee

Elder Garcia, Elder Flynn, Elder Buxton, Elder Durfee

Elder Durfee, Elder Lindley, Sister Lindley

Sister Didier, Sister Poulson

Elder Weiss & Elder Jones


Elder Garcia & Elder Flynn

Elder Buxton & Elder Durfee


This Zone Conference we centered it around building Christlike Attributes.  One of my favorite quotes is one given by Elder Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:  "Christlike attributes are gifts we receive they are not something we "earn".  They only come by serving.  It is never about perfecting ourselves, it is ALWAYS about helping in the work and serving others.  It will never come by isolation.  Accepting and following the doctrine of Christ leads to receiving His attributes - pray for these gifts.  Combine faith and work....It is powerful!!  The more we become like Him the more we are able to help Him in His work."  We also talked a lot about setting and working for goals.  This will help in the mission as well as help our missionaries develop skills that will help them the rest of their lives.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Transfer Week (10-15 DEC 2018)




Arriving Missionaries


Elder Richards, Sister Meyers, Sister Anderson, Elder Peterson, Elder Durfee, Elder Findlay, Elder McBride

New Spanish Sisters and English Elders




Elder Findlay & Elder Peterson

Sister Meyer & Sister Anderson
Elder McBride, President Baird, Elder Richards, Elder Durfee


Sister Baird, Sister Mergenthaler, Elder Huntsman, Elder Newton, Elder Karssen, President Baird, Elder Richards, Elder Durfee, Elder McBride

All New Dutch Speaking Missionaries
















Late night dinner!  They arrived hungry

MT CHRISTOFFEL HIKE......



Elder Newton, Elder Durfee, Elder Huntsman, Sister Mergenthaler, Sister Anderson, Elder Karssen, Elder Peterson, Elder Richards, Elder McBride, Elder Findlay, Sister Meyers











Orientation and Study....


Sister Mergenthaler, Sister Meyer, Sister Anderson



Elder Petersen, Elder Huntsman, Elder Newton



Elder Findlay & Elder Karssen


Sister Anderson & Sister Meyer

Elder Karssen

Elder Huntsman

Elder Peterson, Elder Huntsman & Elder Newton
Elder Newton

Sister Mergenthaler

Our Morning Walk




On to their assigned areas.....

Both new missionaries and a few transfers.  It's always nice when some of the more experienced missionaries can travel with the new missionaries.  It takes some of the anxiety out of going through immigration, customs and finding out where you need to be.  




Elder Durfee & Elder Groenendijk




Elder Brockbank
Sister Mergenthaler






Elder Newton
Elder Groenendijk





Elder Huntsman
Elder Peterson






Elder Findlay

Elder Bigelow





Sister Spencer

Elder Stott





Elder Karssen

Elder Groenendijk & Elder Karssen
Both Netherlanders

Sister McGuire, Sister Campbell & Sister Watkins
(Sister McGuire is getting transferred to BonAire and Sister Campbell and Sister Watkins are going home)




Departing Missionaries.......

Elder Andrews, Elder Keller, Elder Norton, Elder Talbot, Elder Hill, Sister Watkins, Sister Campbell





Watching Elder Jones pack the van with the luggage was truly a thing of beauty....like watching someone play a game of Tetras. 😲😄






 Downtown Willemstaad.....


Children preforming in the Renaissance Mall




Sister Jones, Elder Andrews, Elder Hill, Elder Talbot, Elder Norton, Elder Keller, Sister Watkins, Sister Campbell, Sister Baird, Sister Garcia

(It's always fun getting our outgoing missionaries together.  Because of the logistics of our mission, many of them have never met before.  It's great to hear them interact and share the experiences they have had in the various countries of our mission.  As we have gone around our mission it has been a very tender thing to hear them each pray for each other.  Recently President Baird has started some combined "Skype" district meetings on occasion so they can get to know one another.  This is really helping to create more unity in our mission as well as putting faces to the people they are praying for.  It is also proving to be very useful as they share experiences with each other about how the things they are learning in zone conferences are helping them in their missionary work.  We love to hear how they are learning from each other.  There is great power in teaching and testifying!)











Elder Andrews, Elder Keller, Sister Garcia, President & Sister Baird, Sister Watkins, Elder Talbot, Sister Campbell, Elder Norton, Elder Hill
































two anaconda skins that came from Guyana.
(I can tell you one thing....I would not want to run into a snake that large)



Elder Norton, Elder Keller, Elder Andrews, Elder Hill

Sister Parr & Sister Jones

Elder Parr & Elder Talbot


Elder Talbot, Elder Norton, Sister Watkins, Sister Campbell, Sister Garcia, Sister Baird, President Baird
Elder Hill, Elder Andrews, Elder Keller