Tales of Trinidad: Ups and Downs

Interesting week. We have been spending a LOT of time at immigration. We need to get a multiple entry visa extension because every time we leave Trinidad and come back in we have to pay TT $800 or US $120. We don't leave very often but we do have a couple of temple trips planned and perhaps another (we can hope) senior conference to attend to before our time is done and if we get this visa, we only have to pay for it once and we're good. We have to renew the visa in January anyway so this will just take care of it for the rest of our mission. So we waited another 2 hours for the third time on Monday just to have the official say: we didn't have the right photos, and we needed to get a medical including a lung xray. You see, we have seen the very same lady two other times and each time she finds something else we need.... (DOWNER) but as we were waiting, there was a lady with a set of boy and girl twins waiting with us. She asked us if she could talk with us. We said sure. She told us she had been baptized many years ago as was her 14 year old son but neither one of them knew what they had done or what it meant. She said didn't care anymore but her son had been asking her about it and wondered if we would come and talk with him. She gave us her contact info and we made a time to go on Saturday when her son would be home.
After we got turned down again for the visa and needed more stuff, we looked at each other and we knew the Lord had planned it that way and we were pretty happy about it all! (UPPER)

When the Allmans were here last week, they kept trying to get us to meet Sister Irma but the timing never worked out, so before they left they visited with her and gave her our number so we could meet. They told us that Irma loves the Church and has been taught by many sets of missionaries only to be told she couldn't be baptized because she was unmarried, living with a man. Now she is his caretaker because he is not well and they are business partners and live under the same roof. When we told the Allmans that since there wasn't any inappropriate relationship going on, there wasn't any reason she couldn't be baptized. They were thrilled as was she, so we have started teaching her the discussions again just to make sure she is thoroughly prepared for baptism. (UPPER) She is so happy to be able to be baptized and has a very strong testimony about pretty much everything. She is just a joy! She promised she would be at Church on Sunday..... She didn't make it (DOWNER)

Friday, we had planned to go on another island outing and take a trip to "Little Tobago" which is a small island a short (glass bottom) boat ride away. It is a bird paradise and they stop at a corral reef to go snorkeling on the way. (UPPER) Well, unfortunately, since it is the rainy season, it was raining too hard to be able to go so it was postponed (DOWER) until this coming week.

Saturday: We went to Nadine's (the lady waiting at immigration) home and met her son, Jessie. He had been living with his father and grand parents who are also a members and had questions about what the Church believed since he didn't see them living the way he thought was right. Lot's of Word of Wisdom and dishonesty in getting stuff from the Church. We told him that the people in the Church aren't perfect and they have their agency. We shouldn't judge them but rather love them and then just decide how we want to live by what we believe in. His mother did most of the talking but he seems like a very sharp young man. We asked him to say a prayer before we left and we were very impressed with the sincerity of his prayer (UPPER) We get to go back this next week and talk some more. His mother says she'll have him write down his questions for us.

We felt like we needed to try to meet Alma Grey again. We have been to her home many times and she either wasn't there or she wouldn't let us in. We get to her home and knock and call her name and wait....suddenly the door opens and there she is! (UPPER) She invited us in and we talked for over an hour. She had been hurt by stories and lies from some of the Branch members and said she would never come back. The Allmans went to visit her when they were here and I think they helped soften her heart. She said she felt like The Lord was telling her "Go and worship, let things go," She said she would come to Church on Sunday but not stay for the second hour, she wasn't ready to mingle. We said that's perfect!......she didn't make it....(DOWNER)

In fact, there were only 14 of us in Church today....(DOWNER) Both counselors in the Branch Presidency were there but the President never showed up and never let anyone know why or what. (DOWNER) The 1st counselor asked if anyone had been asked to speak and when we all shook our heads, he gave a great impromptu talk and then asked Dave to take the rest of the time. He did a great job as well. The following is what he talked about:

Today I was pondering on Hebrews 8:12 where the Lord tells us "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." I am grateful for the powerful blessing of repentance in my life. Although the Lord remembers our sins and our iniquities no more, I find it a blessing that we still remember them. I feel that Isaiah may have suggested a particular application in how we might better understand why we are blessed to remember our sins and our iniquities. Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Note the Lord's use of the colors, red, white and scarlet. Then He uses the non-color imagery of "wool" for us to perhaps ponder a deeper meaning. Wool, as we know, was a primary commodity of Isaiah's day and was used extensively for clothing. It comes naturally in a creamy off-white color as well as brown, silver and black, certainly not a pure white color. Perhaps the Lord is helping us understand that, like wool, the lessons we can learn from our sins and iniquities can provide us with a warming "wool" cloak to remind us to not go down that path again. This "wool" cloak can also serve to protect and comfort us from our oft times repeated self condemnation for past repented and forgiven sins and iniquities. This "wool" cloak metaphor can aid in warming our very soul and provide the comforting reassurance that we have truly been forgiven through our Savior's infinite and Atoning grace.

I was very touched by the talks and felt the Spirit in our meeting. We did have part, 3 out of 5, of the Baynes family come to Church for the first time since we've been here! (UPPER) Since it was the 5th Sunday and the Branch Pres. is in charge of that, we decided to show a Church video and then we had a fairly good discussion after. You have to always be on your toes and have something prepared when you are serving a mission. It's a great opportunity to stretch and hopefully serve The Lord in all ways. (UPPER)