First Presidency Appeals to Church Members to Help People in Haiti

Read about it HERE

Announcing......A new member in the McDonald Family!!

Kira Svetlana McDonald!!!

They granted our adoption, (admit it, you guys were all worried) so she is now our little girl!!

They could not, however, waive the 10 day waiting period. So Chris will return to CA to take care of Maddie & Aislyn waiting at home, while I stay here and get to know Kira better.

The director at her orphanage said that we can come tomorrow and bring Kira here to our hotel while we wait the 10 days since it's a 4 hour round trip drive to see her AND to try and keep her from getting sick again from the other kiddos there.

She is still around 11 lbs ( about the size of a 3 month old), but even though she does not sit yet, she is close to scooting ( yay, a mobile baby :).

She laughs a lot more, but will need to get used to close contact since she is more used to being by herself.

So, there you have it.... Our new girl.

By the time I get home with her, it will have been 2years since started our journey....With a big happy ending!!!

Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers and feel free to pass this great news on!!

Love,

Emily & Chris

Want to learn Self Defense?

Hi I am passing the word on in our community, about a women's self-defense class.
It is at Master Lee's Kung-Fu-San-Soo studio/769-2900, in Beaumont, near Food-4-Less.

It will be on the last Thursday night of each month.
7:15 pm. (About 1 hour.)
Fee: $5 January class: This Thursday, 1/28.
February: Thursday, 2/25.
March: Thursday, 3/25.

I am excited Lee Merrill is having this class for women!Women and girls of all ages are welcome.If you are interested in self-defense, come. "It is never wasted time to care to prepare!"

New Website for Youth (ages 12-18)

Enter A Brand New Year 2010

January Calendar

1/7 Activity Days (8-11 year old girls) 4:30-5:30 at the church

1/13 Relief Society Activity 7PM

1/16 Preparedness Expo 9am-Noon at Stake Center

1/17 Stake Conference

1/21 Ward Temple Day

1/21 Activity Days (8-11 year old girls)-4:30-5:30 at the church

1/26 TLC (Temple, lunch, chat) 9:30am

January Visiting Teaching Message

Becoming Self-Reliant
" 'Self-reliance means using all of our blessings from Heavenly Father to care for ourselves and our families and to find solutions for our own problems.' Each of us has a responsibility to try to avoid problems before they happen and to learn to overcome challenges when they occur. . . .
"How do we become self-reliant? We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being."

Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president