Another good week!

Another good week gone by. We took our tour to Little Tobago on Tuesday. It wasn't quite what I expected. I thought we would see lots of tropical birds and flowers and going out on the glass bottom boat and snorkeling would let us view lots of different things but it really wasn't like that. The bird of paradise which the island is named for no longer exists on the island because of Hurricane Flora and there isn't any fresh water supply there and the fresh water has to be brought over for whatever birds live there so it's quite a timely maintenance issue. We did take a walk up many cement stairs that had been made to get to the high point of the island. Which I can say I handled like a champ! The view was lovely and we did see some "bully birds" otherwise known as Magnificent Frigate-bird, doing what they do best, and that is to attack other birds to give up the food they just got. It's really something to see. We had seen these birds just along one of the beaches and watched them attack other birds but we didn't know what they were. These are not the same birds that attack us on our walks. The glass bottom viewing was nice but when we stopped to snorkel, the waves were too rough to really get into very much. Dave did try to use his underwater camera but again, the waves were too rough so we'll have to try again....darn it!  :)   We did learn about "trap door" spiders. These spiders dig a perfectly round hole and then make a perfectly round cork like door with a hinge to cover it. If an insect walks by it can feel the vibration and quickly bounce out and capture the bug. Fascinating! Our tour guide pointed out a few of them and then challenged us to find them too. It was very cool. When we got back to the tour van it was discovered that it had a flat tire. We have had several flat tires, four to be exact, since we've been here but they always occur when we are parked and not while we are driving around on these steep, narrow, curvy roads for hours at a time. We again felt very protected that the flat occurred while we were on the boat. For what ever reason he didn't want to change to the spare and discovered a screw had punctured the tire. Instead, he went and asked a scuba instructor to come and fill up the tire with oxygen so he could get us to the restaurant, because lunch was part of the tour and then he would take care of the tire while we ate. The tire was filled and we jumped in not wanting to waste any time, He got us there safely and joined us later. Even though it wasn't what I expected, it was still a very enjoyable day. 

We had two lessons with Irma this week. She is just so ready to be baptized and feels like she has been waiting years to do so. We are hoping July 27th will be a good day. She came to Church today! Everyone remembers her and gave her hugs.

We also got to visit with Nadine and her son Jessie. One of his questions was: If someone passes the sacrament but you know they don't live like they profess to believe, is it still valid for the congregation? Pretty interesting questions for a 14 yr old. We told him Yes. The worthiness of a Priesthood holder is between him and God and his Bishop or Branch Pres. but whatever Priesthood duty he does is still valid because of the Power of the Priesthood, not him personally.  He had more questions dealing with people's behavior and what they confess to believe. Again, we told him that what people choose to do after they make covenants is between them and God and we just need to love them and pay attention to what we do and try not to judge. Unfortunately, it seems like the people that should be  good examples of what a member of the Church is like to this young boy, are showing quite the opposite. But we told him, He can learn by good examples and bad examples. He can choose how to be. Both Dave and I see him as a very strong future leader for Tobago. It may take some years though since he doesn't really have the transport to get him to Church right now.

We spent 5 hours at immigration on Friday. When we finally get in to the office of the official we still needed more copies of this and that but we got it completed and paid for and now we wait another 3 weeks and we should have the visa we need to come, go and stay as we need to. It was quite the exercise in patience. 

 These beautiful children are the grand children of Sister Dookran our RS Pres. The boy on the far right is Adesh. He is the young boy I talked about several weeks ago. Future great leader in Tobago. It was almost like seeing our own grandchildren again because we were 

so happy to see each other and Adesh's smile was so big and he squealed "I remember you!"

 A view of Little Tobago

 The beach getting on the glass bottom boat, unfortunately, the seaweed has invaded this beach

 Our tour guide for the boat and island tour is Randy

 We spotted a sea turtle on our way to the island

 Landing station

 Looking at Tobago from Little Tobago

 This is the home of a trap door spider

 I am amazed at how perfectly round the doors are. Our guide was trying to act

like a bug to get the spider to come out.

 There he is!

 View from one point of Little Tobago

 Path climbing up

 Still climbing on the path

 another view. You can see how bad the seaweed is right now

 There was a nest of hermit crabs on the trail

 The guy in orange is our trip tour guy, Keino. The other guy just brought his guitar and started playing and singing for us. It was great!

 There we just the four of us on the tour with Keino, the other couple is from England. 

They were very pleasant to be with.

 Jemma's Tree house restaurant 

 The view from Jemma's. The seaweed is so thick that the seagulls can walk on it on the water.

 Us waiting at immigration for the 4th and we're hoping, last time

 Dave loves to bake and made some cornbread muffins to take around to the members

 This is a fabulous restaurant we discovered.

 Just look at that beautiful food! 

 It was so yummy too!  A nice change from rice and beans

Seagulls taking a break

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!