Utah North Area: 17 Eagles receive awards

WHITNEY, IDAHO - Continuing the Scouting tradition started in the Whitney Ward by President Ezra Taft Benson in the 1920s, 17 boys received Eagle Scout awards in one Court of Honor Feb. 26, said Franklin Idaho Stake Pres. Eudean H. Gunnell. The "court" was presided over by Idaho Supreme Court Justice Robert E. Bakes. Two attorneys presented evidence of the 17 Eagle projects.

Deliberating on, and approving the evidence was a jury made up of a foreman, Elder J. Thomas Fyans of the First Quroum of the Seventy and president of the Utah North Area. Jury members included Rep. Richard Stallings, D-Idaho; Jim Jones, Idaho attorney general; Robert Geddes, state representative; Cache County Council Scout executive Neil Butterfield; and five Scouters who have received Silver Beaver awards, one a Scout in President Benson's original Scout troop.

Among the Eagle projects was erection of a sign proclaiming Whitney, Idaho, as the "Birthplace of President Ezra Taft Benson," said Scoutmaster Rulon Winward.

North America Central Area: Branch missionary-minded

BELLE PLAINE, IOWA - Missionary zeal has reduced the attendance of the 30 active members of Belle Plaine (Iowa) Branch. Four are now serving full-time missions and three are preparing to leave shortly. Branch Pres. John Gualtier said the branch is unified in its support of the missionaries, providing a substantial portion of their funds. The sacrifice during hard economic times by youths and adults increases commitment and motivates true conversion, he said. He expects the reduction in attendance to be temporary.

North America Southeast Area: Stake's baptisms double

MACON, GA. - After the number of baptisms for 1987 in the Macon Georgia Stake nearly doubled over the 1986 total, stake leaders are now working to increase the stake's success in other areas, said King Brewster, a high councilor and stake mission president. At a recent stake conference, Elder J. Richard Clarke of the First Quorum of the Seventy and second counselor in the Southeast Area presidency inspired stake members and leaders to overcome their challenges and press forward with renewed vigor and direction in 1988.

North America Southwest Area: 50th year for Phoenix stake

PHOENIX, ARIZ. - Between 800 and 900 people, mostly visitors and many old-timers, met to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Phoenix Arizona Stake Feb. 27-28 with a barbecue, reunion, and fireside, said Terry South, 50th reunion committee chairman. Members viewed a slide presentation of historic pictures of the stake and enjoyed a fireside, addressed by Elder H. Burke Peterson, a longtime member of the stake. He is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and president of the North America Southwest Area.

North America West Area: Priesthood holders give service

KAPAA, HAWAII - Ward priesthood holders here recently completed two service projects. The first was at the Ah Wan Goo home, where tragedy struck when the house was burned to the ground and two neighborhood children died in the fire. After the fire, the men cleaned up the rubble. Later, the priesthood holders also spent a Saturday transporting, pouring and trowling cement for 250 feet of new sidewalks at the home of a bedfast member, said Ed Guthrie, Kauai stake public communications director.

North America Northeast Area: Family history library busy

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. - The Family History Center, located in the stake center here, has become so heavily used, "we frequently have to turn people away," said Jeff Kulesus, regional public communications director. "There is definitely more demand then we have the facilities for." The library, though open only four days a week, attracts more than 600 patrons a month, 95 percent of whom are non-LDS. One of those non-members recently donated microfilm and microfiche readers to the library, Kulesus said.

Utah South Area: Gala dinner dance held

PRICE, UTAH - A gala dinner-dance has been an eight-year tradition in the Price Utah North Stake. Adults attend an eight-course dinner, followed by adult dance music. Gladys Mathis, supervisor of the social, said Relief Society sisters prepare various dishes, and dinner is served by priest-age young men from the stake. Young women decorate and set the tables.

North America Northwest Area: Love follows tragedy

BUHL, IDAHO - A recent plane crash that took the lives of three prominent businessmen from this south central Idaho city, including Ronn Jones, a 34-year-old LDS father of three, has drawn the community together and sparked an outpouring of love and support. During the week before the crash site was found, financial support and help for the search came from Church members in the Buhl area.

Europe Area: LDS athlete featured

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE - On Feb. 13, a television program that features athletes not only highlighted the accomplishments of an LDS basketball player but also presented a glimpse of the Church. The program, TV Matches, interviewed Tresa Spaulding, 23, a former BYU women's award-winning basketball player who was born in Dallas, Texas, and now plays on a team in southeast France. Nice Stake Pres. Jacques Faudin told the television program's producers about the American athlete. The television program's host interviewed Tresa, and then took cameras on a tour of the Vitrolles Ward meetinghouse in order to help viewers get acquainted with her religion.

Philippines/Micronesia Area: Refugees join Church

MORON, BATAN - A special one-story meetinghouse in the Philippines Refugee Processing Center here was dedicated by Pres. Joel E. Leetham of the Philippines Quezon City Mission recently. The meetinghouse came as a result of efforts of the Mormon Christian Services, a group of sister missionaries who have been helping prepare refugees for immigration to other countries since 1980. The sisters also teach English and conduct special classes for the handicapped. The sisters just began teaching about the Church recently and have seen several refugees converted.

Pacific Area: Celebration for a century

PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA - Dates have been announced for the 100th anniversary commemoration of the official opening of the Samoan Mission. Hundreds of missionaries who served in the islands are expected to gather June 19-26 for a reunion and meetings in American Samoa and Western Samoa. A monument is to be dedicated on the island of Aunuu, where Elder Joseph H. Dean and his wife, Florence Ridges Dean, and their baby put ashore on June 21, 1888. Some 25 years before the Deans arrived in Samoa, two other missionaries had also taught the gospel in the Samoan islands. The missionary reunion committee's executive secretary, Phil Goodrich of the Orem (Utah) 57th Ward, said commemorative events on various Samoan islands are planned to include parades, a centennial ball, and music.

Mexico/Central America Area: Stake mission bolstered

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA - Missionary work in the Costa Rica San Jose Mission is flourishing largely because of a well-organized stake mission in the San Jose Costa Rica Stake, said mission Pres. Mervyn B. Arnold. More than 100 stake missionaries have been called in the past month. "The impact has been immediate," said Pres. Arnold. Roberto Moro, stake mission leader, and Dan Franksen, high councilor, supervise the stake's ambitious mission effort.