Around the Church

First Conference Held in Ethiopia

During July 2009 some 160 youth and young adults gathered for a day of friendship, workshops, dancing, and testimonies at the first youth conference held in Ethiopia.

Because the four branches are widely separated many members were not aware of other branches and Church members in Ethiopia. The conference allowed them to interact with their peers while being spiritually uplifted.

Wondwossen Amanuel, 23, who was submitting his papers to become the first missionary from the Awasa Branch, said: “Our branch is small, but [at the conference] we felt like family.”

The participants traveled by bus for up to five hours to attend the conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. More than half were nonmembers and investigators.

Romanian Young Women Hold First Camp

Six young women and their leaders from the Bucharest Romania District took part in the first Young Women camp in Romania from August 24 to 26. District Young Women president Dina Cojocaru led the camp with the help of senior missionaries Elder Don and Sister Edie Van Noy.

The young women and leaders held morning and evening devotionals, and Elder and Sister Van Noy taught workshops on virtue and how to give effective talks in church.

Alina Mateescu, one of the young women, said she felt assured she could become the exemplary woman God wanted her to become.

Romania, a country in southeastern Europe, has about 2,736 members in 17 branches.