Christmas Zone Conference...Katowice

Yes, this is what we are traveling in! We keep thinking we are going to take the train....but we have too many things that need to be taken to the missionaries. Maybe next time! The drive early this morning took 4 hours from Kielce to Katowice. Most of the roads were not cleared from the snow and it is next to impossible to pass the trucks that are slow. So, the roads we travel look like this.............

or this.......yes, this is a highway running through a little town. These little towns slow us down considerably! Or we often find ourselves behind....

this! It's our own private parade! We finally made it to Katowice and were met by some very excited Missionaries that are wearing their "festive' Christmas ties.

Elders Siebert, Guthrie, Murphey, Turley, and Buckner are all ready for the special Christmas Zone Conference being held today in Katowice.

There is a lot of activity in the kitchen. Part of celebrating today will be a special lunch.
L to R: Sister Brown, Elder Loosli, and Sister Kimball.

These marvelous 'bread bowls', which I think resemble polish pots, were a great find by the Neimans. Good work!

We all sat down to hot potato soup in a bread bowl, salad, and texas sheet cake. Clockwise: Elders Turley, Buckner, Murphey, Sisters Brown and Smith, Elders Guthrie, Smith, Hannemann, Loosli, Hinckley, Curtis, Sheridan, Berry, and Siebert.

The Adult (?) table....Clockwise: President Nielson, The Neimans, Sister Sheets, The Moons, Sister Kimball, Elders Hillyard and Allred.

As is our tradition, we celebrated our birthdays with a boistrous rendition of "Sto Lat", the Polish Birthday song. Our December birthdays: Elders Leimer, Guthrie, Allred, and Sister and Elder Neiman.

After lunch, President Nielson introduced a Book of Mormon reading program our Mission would be participating in starting January 1st. We will be reading 2 chapters or 4.5 pages a day as a mission, and finishing the Book of Mormon by April 30, 2011. In the back of every Book of Mormon is the attached reading schedule (as shown in the next photo) and also the colors for marking scriptures.

Then came the Christmas Program.....starring everyone in attendance! It was a program made up of scriptures and songs recounting the Savior's birth. What a great spirit was in the room. What a great time of year to be on a Mission serving the Lord and bringing his gospel to the world.

And of course......the Zone Picture! Featured in front are five of the missionaries that will be going home on the 30th of December. It was a great conference. We left for home, a 5-hour drive because of the snow, so can be ready for the rest of the week-- Bydgoszcz Zone Wednesday and Warsaw Zone on Thursday. Tuesday will be the airport day as new missionaries are arriving. Friday and Saturday are Branch and District/Mission Presidency Christmas Socials.