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)

 Enjoying the sunshine when we can

 More scenery of the island. We are constantly amazed with how and where they build their homes 

 That curb you see on the left is right next to the front door

 Cashew. The red fruit is eaten. It's kind of spongy but sweet

 Dave decided to roast the nuts

 The shells are incredible hard to crack giving us understanding of why they are a very expensive nut

 The broken one was first. He got better as he continued to crack them. 

 They were pretty yummy!

 Pigeon Point Beach, one of the more famous beaches in Tobago

 They offer wind sailing and water crafts

 Part of the scenery at the Beach 

 This fisherman cleans and guts his fish on the beach. He was amazingly fast at it. 

 Meet Irma. She just sparkles!

 We went to the Botanical Gardens here in Scarborough. This is one of the tree trunks.

 Pretty mean looking. 

 These are the seeds

 Look how long and huge the roots are!

Nature fascinates us!

Falling in Love with Tobago

I had a sweet realization this week. I've fallen in love with this little island and it's people. We have a large framed picture of Tobago on the wall in our condo and I realized as I look at it, that, I KNOW it and I love it! We have become more familiar with the roads and the places to go. We still have a lot more to explore but that's exciting to look forward to. I realized as we are driving around from place to place that I'm not even as nervous as I used to be, I'm not totally at ease but I'm not scared stiff either. I feel a respect rather than pity or curiosity when I see some of the homes because I know they are doing the best they can with what they have available. I love the people I've never met. Strangers are not strangers anymore and we feel at home here. We feel like we have developed some very tender, mutual feelings with the members here as well. It felt like a long time in coming because Guyana just has a different feel about it but it is coming along and I feel like it can only get stronger and better as time goes by. Such is the miracles of missions!

The Allmans, who served here as a senior couple were here this week so we got to go out to lunch with them and then went with them to visit a few members. We were able to meet some we hadn't seen yet so that was great!

We handed out most of the ministering assignments and got quite a few positive responses about them. Our prayer is they will desire to watch over each other and bond together.

We started teaching Girley David to read this week. She can read fairly well already but I think her comprehension isn't great so we have been reading the lesson in "Come Follow Me" and dissecting almost every word to help her gain some understanding. It's been very powerful and sweet for us. The lesson was on Christ's Atonement.  I will never read the scripture about "charity is not easily provoked, suffereth long and is kind, seeketh not her own, beareth all things, endureth all things etc." without applying it to our Savior and His life and sacrifice for us. For some reason I had never connected that before. Yes, it's what we are striving to achieve but Jesus lived it and showed us how to do it in such an amazing way. Nothing we go through can even compare to what Christ went through, so it is possible to overcome false judgments, rejection, unkindness, pain, loneliness....all of it with love. What a blessing to be able to "help her read"

We had teaching appointments set for Angie but she cancelled twice and we finally got to teach her on Saturday. She said she wants to get baptized which is GREAT....but she hasn't been to Church once and so we will see how that goes in the next few weeks.

 The Allmans are from Norway and served an eighteen month mission here 

which they finished in June 2017. Brother Allman is from Trinidad.

 This is the picture of Tobago in our condo. It's like I can picture in my mind

 all the coves and beaches now as I look at it. 

 Sister Allman and Sister Henry. We take the Sacrament to Sister Henry every Sunday.

 Sister Girley. We are teaching her to read and she decided to come to Church!

 Enid Roberts is a member and has an amazing talent of crocheting. 

She made this lovely skirt.

 Sister Williams is a member and she got married to this man on June 11th

 Dave had to park in this space because is kind of had his name on it

 The rainy season is upon us! We only had one day of sunshine this week.

The view I see every morning outside of our bedroom. I know, it's a tough duty!

There is truth and there is Truth!

Happy Sabbath! As I was sitting in Church today with this little band of Saints on a beautiful island in the Caribbean called Tobago, I was touched by the power of the Truth. Our building is a termite infested cinder block building, tile floors, space for 60 stack-able chairs that if we are lucky are almost half full, only a small keyboard, no grand organ with many pipes for music. Nothing of the building has much beauty or grander to draw people in.  Our speakers were a 16 year old young man and a 94 year old man. Both of them spoke Truth. They both shared scriptures from the revealed Truth of the Book of Mormon and living Prophets. The hymns we sang (I lead the music so I can see that everyone sang) filled the small room with the Spirit of Truth. The administration and passing of the Sacrament by those who have the True Priesthood authority to do so caused me to reflect and ponder on the great sacrifice of our Savior who is the author of all Truth. No one looking in would sense that something powerful was going on with this little group. All of us who were there, were recommitting ourselves to our Savior and remembering His love, mercy and cleansing us from sin. The Spirit of God was filling our hearts as we listened to the words spoken and the hymns sung. Testimonies were strengthened and hearts and desires changed to align them to God and strive to love and serve our brothers and sisters. I guess I can't speak for everyone there, but I surely felt God's love and knew that all that was done in that room was the result of the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel of Truth and I was and could become a "new creature" because of it.

Yesterday, Saturday, we went visiting members and we came upon a Seventh Day Adventist meeting. The windows and doors were open and you could hear the preacher woman nearly screaming her sermon. You could actually hear it from quite a distance. I told Dave I wanted to go and listen for a while. So, I stood outside the building to hear what she was saying and she spoke truth. She quoted Romans 8:16,17 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified." With out restored Truth, that beautiful scripture doesn't give the powerful, saving information we all need to become those joint-heirs with Christ as beloved children of God and leaves men to their own understandings ,(or misunderstandings, as the case may be) I didn't listen for long and she went on to another subject but my feelings were that there is truth (small t) available for everyone but there is more Truth (capital T) to be had as well. 

I am profoundly grateful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints!

This week we taught two discussions with Angie and Rocky, invited them to Church but unfortunately they did not come. This of course means that baptism is not happening as soon as we were hoping.  No worries though, This is not a pressure situation. She needs to be ready and committed. She is reading and praying so that is good. 

We were able to pin 3 more homes this week and we got the Ministering assignments for the RS and the Elders all figured out with both Presidents. Every sister has been assigned and all but 6 brethren 

(because we haven't found them yet) have been assigned. As far as we know, this is the first time this has happened in the history of this little branch. They mostly just associated with members they knew. Hopefully, they will catch the vision of ministering and grab hold of this opportunity and unite and enlarge the Saints in this area. I know it has been attempted by past missionaries but things tend to fizzle out when the missionaries leave. We desperately don't want that to happen again.

It's been a good week!

 Happy Father's day! 

The RS had an activity Saturday and we made these fern boutonnieres for the brothers in the branch. It was the first time we had seen the two men on the left at church since we got here! 

Niccoli, Andre, Bro. Murray, Pres. George, Tyreese, Bro. George, Dave. 

 I don't know what this bird is but it loves to sit and spread it's wings thus. 

Perhaps it is drying out because we see these birds diving into the water.

 Egret. Really a lovely bird

 It appears to be drying itself

 Another cool bird creature

 K. There is a lake in the middle of the golf course and we see these dark spots 

and then Dave zooms in with his camera and this is what we see.  So cool!

 We think they are approximately 6 feet long and we saw two swimming towards us.

 Really zoomed in...

 another shot of that beautiful flowering tree

 Dave climbed on these craggy rocks by the ocean which I didn't want to climb on 

but wanted a picture of so hence the selfie by the craggy rocks

 Dave caught something in our bathroom

 Can you even believe this?! 

We had to look up if lizards are born live or from eggs cause this looks like a brand new baby lizard. We found out that they can be born either way. 

 Honestly! Everything that is a baby is CUTE!

 Elizabeth, our newest baptized member had a school program that we went to. We were so enthralled with the different cultural dances they performed. I wish I could send some videos of them.

 Another group

 Elizabeth is the last person in the back on the far left.

I think she was pleased we would come and watch her

 I felt like I was watching an old time musical with an island twist, with this young lady

 We really enjoyed the whole program even though we knew only one child....

kind of like being a grandparent at a school program. It felt really good!

Making Father's day boutonnieres and learning how to crochet flower pins.

starting left: Sis. Dookran (RS Pres.) Sis. Mary, Sis. Camillie, Sis. Winchester, Sis. Geroge, me 

 Sister Dookran and Sister Winchester

 Me and Sister Camillie. It was her first time crocheting and she was left handed. She did amazing!

Sister George. She is the rock of this branch! I think it would fizzle out and die if she wasn't around. Love and admire her so much! Her son is the Branch Pres.