Happy New Year - Our District President - City Monkeys - Firefighter Stair Challenge - President Nelson's 100th Birthday celebrations-

Yes, it's now 2017 in Ethiopia. Happy New Year!

We had a nice lunch with our district president after visiting the office that sets up new NGO's. We wanted to verify the office was open, previously thought to be closed which has slowed down our humanitarian work here. If the paperwork gets done soon we'll be able to accelerate humanitarian projects before our time runs out here. 

The government office building we visited.

Adwa victory memorial was nearby.

Sister Martin took this picture that represents the warriors that defeated the Italians that invaded Ethiopia, intending to colonize it. The Italians did not succeed. 

We were waiting for the other senior couples to arrive at a restaurant and several monkeys one after another strolled by on the wires above.

Hope they don't come down and try to take something from us...

The Firefighter 9/11 stair climb challenge.

Our daughter challenged us to do the 9/11 memorial stair climb while she and her husband (current firefighter), were doing it. It was our late afternoon and their early morning.

Our son-in-law did it with full firefighter gear, oxygen tank and all. Wow.

The challenge was 2,200 steps representing the 343 firefighters who died during the 9/11 terrorist attack. They did it in a stadium, 2,200 stairs, half up and half going down. We only made it to about 850 stairs up, using the elevator to go down in our building.  

Happy Birthday President Nelson from the University Branch Primary, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 

Enjoyed a wonderful show associated with President Russell M. Nelson's 100th Birthday. All of it was amazing to say the least. 

My favorite part was President Nelson's Family singing, "I will Be What I Believe."  

Here's a link President Nelson's 100th Birthday Event

All of the other extra's that are available online to celebrate his birthday are amazing. 

Link to another wonderful performance  Bonner Family - Prophet's Medley

I love it, I love it!

Link to Tabernacle Choir at Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel - Morehouse College

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra joined a beautiful Morehouse College Glee Club in Georgia. They sang a couple of songs together that were amazing.

Always wonderful to have our lovely Sister Missionaries over for dinner. This time I made hash brown with curry chicken.

These two sisters that live upstairs in our building are from the same stake, one of 72 stakes in Nigeria, Africa. We're still working to get our first stake in Ethiopia. (A stake is comprised of about 7 separate church congregations)

The longer I live in Ethiopia, the better the food seems to taste here. Perhaps I'm getting used to it or perhaps the food is just getting better?

If you want to see an amazing adoption and reunion story meeting birth parents, this next link is a fireside featuring one of our Ethiopia Missionaries, Elder Williams and his twin brother who both met their Ethiopia relatives for the first time.  

Williams Adoption Fireside