When we're helping...we're happy!

This week was a hodgepodge of things. We helped Irma plant her garden. She planted tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and different kinds of seasoning herbs. We also helped her plant several kinds of fruit trees. Irma is the live in caretaker for Mr. Roberts and he isn't a well man and she has a lot on her plate so we were happy to get to help her out just a little.

The ground was very much clay and filled with little tiny black ants. If you stand still for one second you will have ants crawling all over you. It nearly drove me crazy as I had on sandals and Capri shorts. When we were done planting most of everything I got myself out and on to the road where the ants aren't so bad. If someone wanted to have a very effective torture device, all they would need to do is make you stand still in this garden and have the ants crawl all over you. it's making me crazy just writing about it.

Another day we spent the morning in immigration for the last time with Leana. We got her final stamp for her visa extension. We got her a suitcase and the Allman's, a past senior couple here, sent her some money to help her get a few of the things she'll need in Utah especially for the winter. We are hoping Christian will receive his call this week. We completed the temple preparation class with them both today. Leana is the first missionary from Tobago! It's been such a wonderful privilege to help her get ready to serve the Lord.

Dave spent many hours on the computer and on the phone working on getting the "fleet" all identified and accounted for. He is making great progress.  I spend many hours working on the mission's newsletter that is due at the first of  November and getting other mission apartment's renewal documents generated and sent out. We did a lot of that in the quiet condo while they are still jack hammering over ours.

Saturday, we decided to try snorkeling again and drove around the island. As we were doing so, I was reminded of how blessed we are to be here in this beautiful place. Experiencing so many things and learning, changing, growing and becoming more like our Savior. That is the hope and prayer each day of why we are here.

Today after church, I overheard Sister George offer to come over to Irma's home to sing and pray with her and give Mr. Roberts a blessing. My heart was bursting! After she left, Irma turned to me and said "will you be there? I don't want to leave you out."  I thanked her and told her it would be best if we weren't because we don't get to stay and it's important for her to bond with these good people without us. I so hope they do.

 Getting to hold a sweet baby girl. Maleah

 Dave with Maleah's older brother Cadell

 The view from the quiet condo while the condo above our condo is getting jack hammered...yes, I know, it's a hard duty for us to be here... :)

 Planting...

 planting with ants....ants....ants...ants....

 progress

 Dave and Irma

 They have a very large area

 Dave helping Mr. Roberts back to the car

 We took a lovely late afternoon stroll along the beach.

 I found a set of footprints I was duplicating their stride. 

 Some of the views around the island. It is said often that "pictures do not do it justice" that is certainly the case here. 

 There are little villages in almost every cove as you go around the island. 

 This one has lots of sail boats. 

 This is a view of Scarborough. She doesn't know it yet, but I'm trying to get a good picture so I can commission  my daughter Emilie to do a watercolor painting for me.... Em...what do you think? I want a palm tree in the foreground though. I'll keep working on getting a better shot.

 I've fallen in love with pelicans. They are fun to watch as they circle around looking for fish...

 then they spot something...

 and dive straight down!

 Then they pop up and float for a while. It's great to watch. 

 a few snorkeling pictures. It's not the best camera and it wasn't the clearest visibility this day, 

still very enjoyable. 

 This is a trumpet fish

cool fish...google couldn't help me identify it....

  

Early "Thanksgiving"

We had a good week. Tuesday we flew to Trinidad to set up the new apartment for the Elders in Point Fortin. We had a good bishop of another ward bring his truck and with 4 other strong Elders we were able to load it with the fridge, washer and dryer, range, bunk bed, mattresses, two desks and various other boxes of stuff. We drove the 2 hours to Point Fortin and the Elders unloaded the truck moving everything up two flights of stairs. We treated these great Elders to lunch at Subways and they left for their district meeting which they were so kind to rearrange to help us move. We decided we were done for the day since we had all day tomorrow to shop for, buy and set up the other things we needed for the apartment. We wanted to stay in Point Fortin so we didn't have to do the drive. We found a lovely hotel high on the mountains only a few minutes away from the apartment. We had a good rest. The next morning we took a swim in the lovely swimming pool and then went into town to look for a wardrobe and other things for the apartment. We got all the things and went and set them up. We tried to get the water filtration system set up but we didn't have the right connections for the faucet. Dave has ordered those and we'll have to give them to the Elders to install. I wanted to have everything set up for them, like all the dishes in the cupboard etc. but the water hadn't been turned on yet so the Elders will have to do that when they move in. It was a busy couple of days but we accomplished a lot and feel good about our efforts. Since we got everything done that we wanted to. we managed to get a flight later that night on stand by rather than having to wait and leave the next day,

Here in Tobago, we live in the lower floor of a three story condo. The owners of the upper floors are remodeling their condo. All of the tile floors are being replaced so they need to be removed and they are removing them with a jack hammer.....do I need to say more? It's been a little unpleasant to have that noise going on all day long. We can't hear when we talk on the phone even when we are outside etc. We told the owner that it was more than we could bear and he arranged for us to stay in another condo during the day so we could do our office work etc. It's been going on for a couple weeks now but this week we got to go to the other condo and that has been really good.

Friday, was our movie night activity. We were showing the "Princess Bride" We had announced it in church and I messaged, texted and whatzuped every one I could to remind and invite them to come......there were two people that came to the movie night....Dave and me.....but,  In response to the invite, we got invited by Jessie's Mom, Nadine to come to their "Thanksgiving" We were touched with the invite which included a service and lunch. Jessie is the young man that was baptized in Trinidad and he has had lots of questions and his mom met us at the immigration office. We would go out and chat about the gospel but they don't come to church. It was really a kind invitation from them.

The feelings we have been struggling with on this mission are getting rid of the phrase "success" or what could appear to be considered success and look at things from a value point of view. We could continue to get discouraged as we see things we try to do flop left and right...like our Thursday night mission meetings, movie night, etc but we have decided that we are going to look at things differently. All the things we have done have value in the Lord's eyes because they are opportunities and we have felt like we were supposed to do them so we did. It doesn't matter that they weren't "successful" in getting people to hear the gospel or getting people to come to church. They had great value regardless of the outcome of the event. even if that value was just that we were obedient. That just feels good to us! 

Saturday we went to the "Thanksgiving". Nadine said the service would start at 11 am. We got there at 10:45. We were warmly greeted and introduce to all the family.We were introduced to a gentleman who was the punjari or puja leader. Puja, is a worship service,usually done in a temple, where Hindus pray to and offer up gifts to each god. He was wonderful to explain to us all that was happening. When we arrived, The family was busy making up plates of food on the table. Each plate was for a different deity. They had prepared many different kinds of sweets with flour, sugar and milk. They also had fruits on each plate. I think there were nine different gods. We had no idea what we would be experiencing but we felt very honored to be there. After all the plates were prepared, the leader went and bathed and came out in the Hindu Indian ritual clothing. We got seated on the porch where the alter was prepared with all of the figures and pictures of the gods. Nadine, her husband and three children were the ones performing the ceremony with the leader. The whole service was very complicated and symbolic as each god was addressed and flowers (an expression of love) leaves or grass and rice were placed at their feet by the family. Each diety has different powers to bless the devotees. This service is done once a year and it lasted 2.5 hours and at the end all nine gods had been individually worshiped, prayed to and given flowers, leaves, rice and plates of food.  One of the gods is given a chalice full of rice symbolizing the thoughts of man and a small red dot is placed on the forehead of the devotee called a "Tilak" which symbolizes the prayer to ask god to sit in the mind, to control our thoughts and feelings and make us a peaceful soul. I loved that, actually, it's a very thoughtful and peaceful service. I couldn't help thinking about our Heavenly Father, Savior and Holy Ghost through it all because They (as one God in purpose) have all power and they desire to bless us with all things as we pray and worship Them and the only thing They ask of us is obedience and a broken heart. Both Dave and I really enjoyed the service. I believe most religions have goodness in them and Hindu teachings if fully embraced make a very good, honest, and peaceful people as does being a true follower of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, Hindu beliefs do not have the power, authority and saving ordinances of making and keeping covenants to get them back into the presence of God.  I don't believe they know or understand the true nature of God but there is still the spirit world and the millennium to gain that enlightenment if they don't find it here yet. It really was rather a beautiful thing to experience.

 The punjari (Hindu Priest) Me, Dave, parents of Nadine, after the service.

 Strapping young Elders ready to take on the move!

 The fridge

 the stove

 unloading..

 these were heavy desks

 up the stairs

 They did a great job and deserved a good meal! 

Elders Findlay, Christensen, Curtis and Pingel

 The pool area of the hotel in Point Fortin

 The view from the balcony

 another beautiful bloom

 The hotel

 This was on the way to Point Fortin. It's just cool looking

 The condo under construction. They are redoing inside and outside.

 The have to bring in crane equipment to carry these away. 

They are filled with broken tile and cement.

 Preparing the plates of foods for the deity

 Preparing food for family

 More food prep

 Nadine twins in front and Jessie in the back

 9 plates of food with names on them

 The beginning of the puja with the punjari and the altar 

 Each god got a flower, a bit of rice and some leaves or grass

 The clay pots are called dyas and they are lit during the service

Nadine is in blue then her son, husband, daughter and son Jessie

 offering the food to the gods

 the punjari was so very kind and gentle and very wonderful with his explanations and teachings

 We didn't know til the very end but Nadine and her husband were then married.

This is the altar before...

 This is after, with all the flowers, leaves, food, flags, dyas etc.

She had also invited a member of the Baptist faith and Seventh Day Adventist faith. 

We are hoping we are building bridges with all of these other faiths. 

 The family require all the guests to eat before everyone else.

    Drivers swerve constantly to avoid potholes... so this is a great sign!

Repentance

Repentance is kind of a weird post title but hopefully I'll be able to express the feelings that I have so it makes sense. When you go to another country with a very unique culture there will always be an adjustment of sorts. I was going to speak generally for Americans but I really should only speak for myself. There were times when we would think, " why are they doing it this or that way?" or  "It's so much better to do it this way..." and we would be judgmental and critical, and become frustrated and impatient. When really, it's just an ideal schooling to become more like our Savior. Our Prophet has told and shown us that we can be different but still love and care for each other deeply. We do love and care deeply for the people of Tobago, especially the branch members.

While we are learning to do that, I know we have offended people and I feel very sorry to have done that. I have either said or done something that was hurtful and wasn't culturally appropriate. I truly do not want to do that! I am grateful for the feedback that I have received to help me be more culturally sensitive. I am repenting of that way of being and hoping to continue to learn and become a better, kinder, more loving person to everyone.

In Zone Conference this week we listened to a talk by Elder Bednar on the Character of Christ. It was very powerful! We were taught that a good character is developed by doing good and right things consistently and intentionally. It may be thought that character is developed during trials and adversity but in reality, that is when your character is revealed. For example. Christ went about doing good and was always obedient and loving. When it came for Him to be tried, mocked, suffer in the garden and on the cross, His character was revealed in that He did all things out of love and always looked outside of Himself to ease suffering, like healing the soldier's ear when it was cut off just after having gone through His suffering in the garden, or asking John to look after His mother as He was hanging on the cross, for example.

Learning this has caused me to look at myself and do some inventory and introspection. For me, being on this mission has reveled parts of my character that I am not particularly proud of. Missions can introduce trials and adversities that are unfamiliar and difficult thus reveling parts of your being that need some repentance. I love repentance! I love knowing that it is available to me because of my Savior's Atonement and my baptismal covenant with Him. Repentance means to change from our natural man/woman tendencies to being more holy and Christlike. Certainly, it is a lifelong endeavor.
I am grateful for this incredible opportunity to learn more about my character and work on developing a more sturdy, consistently positive and joyful one. We may be out striving to help the Lord build the Kingdom of God but in doing so, He is building our kingdom by building us to be our very best selves!

Elder and Sister Williams, who have been serving in Trinidad are returning home at the end of October. They were involved in so many things. With them leaving, Dave has become the account administrator for the 10 smart phones for Trinidad and has shown the Elders how they can pin locations and if they are given an assignment as stake missionaries they will be able to input that info into LDS tools so all the members will be able to be located. He was just given the assignment to be over all the cars in the whole mission. There are 28 cars in 6 different countries. 9 senior couples driving and 19 sets (38) young missionary drivers. He is very skillful in organizing and is working on his spread sheet to be able to identify the cars, the countries and the drivers to keep track of all of it. It may take many hours, lots of calls to the other country's missionaries to identify what and where all the cars are but when he is done it will be easy to manage. He tweaked the spread sheet that Sister Thackery passed on to me when I was assigned the housing and it has been quite simple and manageable as well. The ability to organize is truly a gift and not everyone has that gift. Dave surely does. Probably helps to have an engineer brain too!

President Baird is opening up another area in Trinidad, a two hour drive from Port of Spain, so after zone conference, we went and looked at an apartment that some Elders had located in the area and we are signing a contract to lease the apartment. We will be going back to Trinidad this coming week to move all the furnishings into the apartment so the Elders can move in and get to work. When we were there, we were very happy to feel quite welcomed by the community. They were very friendly and helpful.

 Us, Sister Atkins and Sister and Elder Williams. 

This was their last zone conference of their mission. They will be missed tremendously! 

 Zone Conference

 These truly are some of the most amazing missionaries! 

We are so grateful we get to rub shoulders with them.

 Sister Williams' departing testimony. She spoke about wondering if she had made any difference in the 18 months they have been serving. She then told us that their kitchen faucet has a small drip, almost un-noticeable. One day she left a large bowl in the sink and when they came back from whatever their activities were that day, the bowl was over flowing. She realized that even little drips can add up to something remarkable. They may have been adding a drip here and a drip there of service and in the end they can know they truly did something remarkable! In my opinion and to the Elders in Trinidad, and to the Lord, their service was way more than little drips! 

 Elder Williams' departing testimony. They will be sorely missed!

 The Elders gave the roll of tissue to her before they sang, knowing she was going to cry.

 These great Elders singing "God be with you" to the Williams'.  I cried too!

 Part of the beautiful drive to Pointe Fortin. The new area opening up in Trinidad.

    This is for Dave's sister Celia!