We had a GREAT weekend!  On Saturday morning, the 8 YW in our branch and their  YW leader came over to learn to make chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!  We had a blast! The power was off from 8:30 a.m. to about 5:30 p.m. so I didn't get to bake it until Sat. night.  So while we were waiting they helped me make pasta salad for lunch and Meheret braided my hair Ethiopian style!! We played "What if?" and listened to Christmas music. They stayed from 10 a.m until 3:00 p.m.!  Then we went to the Church to teach our Institute class and Bob interviewed the Lemma family for baptism! They are a WONDERFUL family! The Dad was baptized recently and was able to baptize his wife and teenagers, age 12, 15, and 18 on Sunday. The 15 yr. old daughter was here with the YW.

Yesterday, I played for Sacrament meeting, did music in Primary, taught YW, played for the baptism and took the chocolate cake for the YW to eat after Church.  Elder Wold taught Gospel Doctrine. We were invited over to dinner with Ayele's family. Here is a picture of me with my Birthday Bread! (They do that instead of cake here. Not many sweets in Ethiopia...) They didn't have any candles so they stuck a bread knife in the middle and took my picture!  We also had a planning meeting with the Elders last night. We LOVE our Elders and our Debre Zeyit Branch members!!

L-R: Debebe, Meti, Meheret, Gebrella, Salem,
Rediet, Yetmwork (YW Pres.) Tigist and Yordanos

Meheret is doing my braids.  You can see the braids in Salem's hair too.
Meheret had hers in all last week and wore her hair in a ponytail.
(I am getting Christmas music on my laptop! )  

My Ethiopian braids!! I wore them to Church yesterday and the
YW and RS sisters LOVED it! 

Eating pasta salad with Elder Wold

My BIRTHDAY BREAD!!

Meheret and Tigist Ayele
We LOVE these AWESOME girls!!

We have had a chance to visit a few YUMMY places in the past few days.... Today, here in Debre Zeyit we had a "Special" at Mercy Juice for our first time. Mmmm!!! Different juices all blended together (strawberry, banana, mango, pineapple....)  In Addis, when we went on Tuesday to get our work permits and residency paperwork done, we visited a NEW place called Allebany near the Meganagna Chapel that has a bakery (with "REAL" cakes and cookies) and "REAL" ice cream!! It was SOOOO good! Ü  The Elders we were taking to Kaliti talked us into stopping at Burger Shack in Beklobet and we had the BEST hamburger and chips (fries)  in Ethiopia. (Sorry, no picture...)

At Mercy Juice in Debre Zeyit
We sat on little LOW couches to drink our drinks.

Delicious juice!

We were headed to lunch so just got ice cream here and I didn't get a
picture.... but here are the cakes!  Check out the "frosting" on
 the cakes on the bottom.  Ü

A wedding cake in the window!?

I was sitting up in our office at the Debre Zeyit
Chapel while Bob was in a Priesthood Mtg.
downstairs in the chapel last night....

There was an AMAZING sunset right out our window!
This is with my phone.... the colors were unbelievable but
this doesn't do it justice at all....  Wow!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Ethiopia!!

We have had a lot of people asking for our address.  We would LOVE to hear from you ~ our family and friends!  Our address here in Ethiopia is:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Robert Wold and Sister Joyce Wold
P. O. Box 25876
Code 1000
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

(If sending with any other mail service but the USPS,
above the P.O. Box add:

         Bole:Sub City
         Kebele 08/09 Worda 5  House number #162

I decided to post some photos I have taken of interesting trees, bushes and flowers here in Ethiopia!  There is SUCH a variety!  Some I have never seen before and others are like what we have in our own yard but SO much BIGGER!!  It is the DRY season now through about April or May so things are not as GREEN and pretty as they were when we arrived in the RAINY season. (There are just TWO seasons in Ethiopia.... It is usually very nice and warm most of the year.)