On October 9, 2011, a congregation of 35 Saints gathered to watch general conference—and to hear it in their native Georgian for the first time. Prior to October, the approximately 50 active members in the country had the option of listening to conference in either Russian, Armenian, or English. However, there were many who spoke only Georgian, so interpretation being offered in that language was a significant event.

“I was so happy to be able to hear President Thomas S. Monson’s address to us in Georgian,” said Lela Tsnobiladze. “It makes such a difference when you hear conference in your native tongue.”

Following Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae in the Philippines in late September, which affected nearly 200,000 people, the Church Area Welfare Department initially responded with 600 sacks of rice, which were delivered in Pampanga. The Social Action Center of Pampanga of the Archdiocese of San Fernando Pampanga, a partner nongovernmental organization, handled the distribution of the donated rice.

Catholic and LDS volunteers worked hand in hand to repack and distribute the rice donation to the 352 affected villages in Pampanga.

For the fifth consecutive year, members in Africa participated in All-Africa Mormon Helping Hands Day, a cooperative effort between the Africa Southeast and Africa West Areas. On one day each year, the members in these areas perform service of various kinds in their local communities. This year’s event was held on August 20, 2011; reports of some of the projects are available at news.lds.org.