All will be well even if it isn't for a while.
We hope we have given the Lehmans enough information and training to help them run the office. We feel like they have a very good handle and understanding on most of it. Some things we just didn't get to but they can call and there are other resources they can get help from. They are wonderful people! The Bairds are remarkable extraordinary people and have kept their sanity and pleasant natures through this whole ordeal. It's been a privilege and blessing to serve with them.
This week we cleaned out two missionary apartments, packed up all the food storage they had just bought and took it to the mission home. Sister Lehman and I created 37 mission release certificates, (which President Baird signed) and cleaned out the files of those missionaries and mailed each one of them their certificates along with all the important documents in their files. I had thought all the missionaries had gotten home last week but none had left from Suriname. Dave and Elder Lehman took care of making sure there was enough money on the cards to get the remaining 28 Suriname missionaries home. Each ticket cost $1,200 US. Eastern Airlines made one flight available for all US citizens to get out of Suriname. I'd say they, the airlines, certainly took advantage of a bad situation. It was a very stressful and intense couple of days hoping and praying that the missionaries all got home safely. The rest of the week they paid most of the rents for April among many other things. Dave has been working with a contractor to get his bid on some repair work that needs to be done on the mission home and then getting the money gathered to pay him half up front.
Yesterday we took a break and drove to "tugboat" beach. It's called that because there is a sunken tugboat in the cove. We had plans to go back and snorkel around it but that won't be happening.
We want to express our gratitude for all of you who have been reading this, sending responses and feeling your prayers. It was so helpful to know that the people we love were interested and curious about what we were experiencing. It has been an adventure of a life time and like I said last week, already feels like a dream.
We have gotten to experience three different types of missions. Our first area had very little to no modern conveniences such as indoor wiring and plumbing and a lot of hardship and scarcity but the people were kind, loving and strongly committed to living the Gospel.We got to teach seminary, work with the young adults, work in the branch, do lots of ministering visits, teach with missionaries and see lots of baptisms. We have loved ones there that will never be forgotten.
The second area was a little more modern but we were completely by ourselves with no other missionaries and working with a branch that really struggled to keep people active. We did ministering visits, mentored leadership, we taught discussions and had some wonderful baptisms. We got to be involved in preparing two young people for their missions. They were the very first missionaries from Tobago in the history of the Church. We also have loved ones there that will never be forgotten.
Our last area was very modern, good roads and nice buildings. You could buy just about anything you could want. We didn't get to know the members cause the language spoken was Spanish or Papiamento and we worked everyday in the office helping to run the mission. We did get to see the young missionaries often and President and Sister Baird and had a short time with two other senior couples. We fell in love with many of the young missionaries and other senior couples and hope our associations will not be ending with the mission. Office missions are a breed of their own and we got to be there when the missionaries were all sent home and the mission basically shut down. So not even a normal "office mission" experience either.
We are grateful for these experiences even though some of them were pretty hard to manage at times. We are grateful for the joy we have felt as people we love embraced God's plan for them and continue to make efforts to follow Jesus Christ. We are grateful to have the privilege of living in three different countries and learning about the people and the cultures of each one. We are grateful to have a sure knowledge that our Heavenly Father loves all His children deeply no matter where they are or what their life is like. We have an AWESOME God as well as an AWESOME Savior and we are so grateful we got to help in our small way to build their Kingdom, which is actually all. for. us. YOU and ME.
What's our next adventure?!
There was no sign so we no nothing about this fort other than it's here
President and Sister Baird at a Zoom meeting
Technology is pretty amazing!
all the missionaries still in Suriname (28) Trinidad (2 Elders and one senior couple) Guyana (2) Aruba (2) Curacao ( 2 senior couples and the Bairds) we are the top row 2nd from the left
Scenery at "tugboat" beach
The fort. No date or name
friendly coconut
turtle made from coconut shell and drift wood
pinball machine made from junk
on top of the fort
a little house just my size
looking toward "tugboat" beach from the fort
Dave along the path to the fort
and of course, flowers.
this is only dime size
more of the fort
Mechanical engineers are curious about such things
wall around the fort
close up of the brick work
Lots of cacti in Curacao
They made a little playground by the fort
I've never seen a fallen cactus tree until now
Aloe Vera growing wild
