We have heard from several of you and it always makes our day to receive updates from you. Another week has come and gone and the time is flying by. We have been in the mission field for almost two months. We had a "hump-day" ceremony for Elder Harris on Thursday which was fun for me as I had heard about them but never witnessed one.
Highlights of the week!!! We baptized a rasta man at Indian Bay Beach on Saturday. He is so excited to be changing his life and it was sweet to see his hair all in a white turban for the devotional before the baptism. He was very nervous about the water, as many of the people here are, but it went very well and he has a very humble spirit. We are also teaching a young couple who moved here from St. Lucia about 3 months ago. Their names are Brendon and Cardian and they are not married and are expecting a baby in March. Three years ago Brendon received a terrible beating in his rough neighborhood and was in the hospital. He had a near death experience and has been looking for answers ever since. Their questions and understanding are wonderful. The spirit has had a strong influence with them because of their prayers. When we were talking to them about being married last night, they both got tears in their eyes and expressed their desire to have a family different than what they both have had. Brendon's father has never had anything to do with him or his mother and Cardian's mother abandoned her when she was a baby. Being married is the exception here in the Caribbean and there is another couple that need to get married so she can baptized. We have a set a baptism date of October 24 for them. Every missionary companionship on the island had investigators to church on Sunday. We also had some members who have not been active for awhile in attendance because of our visits and committing them to come back. We are experiencing wonderful things here. We had a great P-day with the Elders on the island of Bequia, which is one the Grenadine Islands and is the closest to St. Vincent. Pres. Gamiette gave us permission and it has been a good day for all of us. We took the Rav 4 on the ferry and it made it possible for us to see most of the island; it has beautiful beaches.
We are looking forward to General Conference this coming weekend. We watched the General Relief Society meeting at the Kingstown chapel on Saturday night. We looked at each other and both were thinking the same thing. We have not seen that many "clear people" since arriving in St. Vincent. It makes us hope that the members here will be able to feel the strength of the Church because all they know is a small branch. We will be thinking of you as we enjoy Conference with you!!! May you all have a great week.
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Monday, September 28, 2009
September 20,2009
It has been an unbelievably busy but good week here in St. Vincent!!! We hope all is well with you. We love hearing from you and what is going on.
On Monday, we had a wonderful FHE for the Calliaqua branch. We had a major transfer coming in the mission and would lose all but one of the Elders here. We had a Tongan Emuu (or something like that) and roasted a pig in a pit with breadfruit and banana leaves and the works. Elder Veae and Elder Moala did a great job!!! One of the highlights of the night was an investigator that Elder Moala and Elder Veae contacted on the street and invited him to the party. He is an architect and a very bright man. Jim was very impressed with him. Since then Natha has read a lot about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and has committed to baptism. That is since Monday!!! He told us that his life is a disaster and that he wants what the gospel offers. Really golden!!!
On Tuesday, Elder Cottam left for Guadaloupe and will be speaking french and will be the zone leader there. He has been such a blessing because he has great computer skills. We spent the rest of the day moving from one apartment to another further up the gap andwhich is cheaper with a lot more room and an unbelievable view. The breeze that comes through the apartment is better than air conditioning and will help with the electrical bill. Elder Moala flew out that night to Trinidad and then on the next day to the US and home. He was excited and sad at the same time after serving a good mission.
On Wednesday morning, Elder Vi arrived straight from the MTC; he is Elder Moala's cousin. So we still have the Tongan Elders in Calliaqua with Elders Veae and Vi. Later that afternoon Elders Damm, Harris, Huntsman, Stebbing, Risenmay and Gilley arrived. They all came from Guyana and were part of the 42 missionaries that were arrested and held in the police station there. Some of them were headed to Trinidad but that country would not let them in either. So, we are being blessed to have a boost in the missionary work here in St. Vincent. We spent the rest of the day getting cell phones, drivers licenses, food, money and etc. and getting them settled in their apartments. The Kingston branch came up with a good way to remember the 4 missionaries assigned to their branch. Damm, Harris just Stabbed Huntsman. We spent the rest of the week just cleaning up details on apartment contracts moving the office and mission supplies to our new apartment and trying to orient the Elders to the island where there are no addresses. They are hard workers and have "hit the deck a running". Our new apartment is up a steep gap, quite a climb in a vehicle or especially on foot. Saturday morning, after our walk, I baked cookies before cleaning up for the day. My thought was that there was no way the Elders will climb that hill just for cookies. At 10:30 am the Calliaqua 4 came and ate a lot and about 2 pm as we were leaving the Kingstown 4 came and finished them off.
We have been visiting less active members and have had some interesting experiences. One man has not been to church for a long time and knows the church is true but is addicted to marijuana. His story is a tragic one; he thinks he is in control of his own destiny. We met him in the market and he told us that he is a wild man but when he saw us he felt soft.
Well, the Elders want to go to Dark View Falls and Wallilabou Bay at 7 am so best call it a night.
We love ya,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
On Monday, we had a wonderful FHE for the Calliaqua branch. We had a major transfer coming in the mission and would lose all but one of the Elders here. We had a Tongan Emuu (or something like that) and roasted a pig in a pit with breadfruit and banana leaves and the works. Elder Veae and Elder Moala did a great job!!! One of the highlights of the night was an investigator that Elder Moala and Elder Veae contacted on the street and invited him to the party. He is an architect and a very bright man. Jim was very impressed with him. Since then Natha has read a lot about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and has committed to baptism. That is since Monday!!! He told us that his life is a disaster and that he wants what the gospel offers. Really golden!!!
On Tuesday, Elder Cottam left for Guadaloupe and will be speaking french and will be the zone leader there. He has been such a blessing because he has great computer skills. We spent the rest of the day moving from one apartment to another further up the gap andwhich is cheaper with a lot more room and an unbelievable view. The breeze that comes through the apartment is better than air conditioning and will help with the electrical bill. Elder Moala flew out that night to Trinidad and then on the next day to the US and home. He was excited and sad at the same time after serving a good mission.
On Wednesday morning, Elder Vi arrived straight from the MTC; he is Elder Moala's cousin. So we still have the Tongan Elders in Calliaqua with Elders Veae and Vi. Later that afternoon Elders Damm, Harris, Huntsman, Stebbing, Risenmay and Gilley arrived. They all came from Guyana and were part of the 42 missionaries that were arrested and held in the police station there. Some of them were headed to Trinidad but that country would not let them in either. So, we are being blessed to have a boost in the missionary work here in St. Vincent. We spent the rest of the day getting cell phones, drivers licenses, food, money and etc. and getting them settled in their apartments. The Kingston branch came up with a good way to remember the 4 missionaries assigned to their branch. Damm, Harris just Stabbed Huntsman. We spent the rest of the week just cleaning up details on apartment contracts moving the office and mission supplies to our new apartment and trying to orient the Elders to the island where there are no addresses. They are hard workers and have "hit the deck a running". Our new apartment is up a steep gap, quite a climb in a vehicle or especially on foot. Saturday morning, after our walk, I baked cookies before cleaning up for the day. My thought was that there was no way the Elders will climb that hill just for cookies. At 10:30 am the Calliaqua 4 came and ate a lot and about 2 pm as we were leaving the Kingstown 4 came and finished them off.
We have been visiting less active members and have had some interesting experiences. One man has not been to church for a long time and knows the church is true but is addicted to marijuana. His story is a tragic one; he thinks he is in control of his own destiny. We met him in the market and he told us that he is a wild man but when he saw us he felt soft.
Well, the Elders want to go to Dark View Falls and Wallilabou Bay at 7 am so best call it a night.
We love ya,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
September 13, 2009
Dear family and friends,
Well, how was the Fair? Some of you told us that you were going and this is the first time in my life that we haven't gone. We will miss two of them; they have been a marker in the year for us!
What a great week we have had!!! Yesterday we had three baptisms at different times of the day. We started with Sherwyn and Kyle's (baptized a week ago) mom, Mavis. What a great lady and here countenance was beautiful. Her baptism was in the Kingstown church at 8 a.m. and there was a great spirit there with wonderful testimonies from branch members. At 10 a.m. we went to the beach for Dexter's baptism. I think that we mentioned him in another e-mail. The first time he came to church in Calliaqua, he sat by me and was just like a sponge soaking everything up. He is 18 and will be a great member of the church and a good example to his friends. As we were getting in our cars after the baptism, a couple were headed to the beach and stopped and talked to us. Elder Vaea took the lead and found out that Anthony had joined the church in Canada a decade ago and had not been active for years. We invited him to come to the Calliaqua branch on Sunday. The timing couldn't have been better and he did attend church today and found that he knew quite a few of the members.
Then, the missionaries went to work finding an 8 year old boy's parents to get permission for his baptism. His mom has been deaf and dumb since birth and has done well with her limitations. She is a single mom, lots of them here, and the dad is involved just enough to make things interesting. Solomon was baptized in the ocean about 4 p.m. He acted very afraid of the water to begin with and after his baptism we couldn't get him out of the water. He didn't know what he was feeling but we did. Elder Cronin had learned sign language earlier in his mission and was able to make the baptism understandable for Solomon's mom by signing for her. A very memorable day on St. Vincent!
We have been busy finding apartments for four more missionaries and in the process found another one for us that is farther up the gap with an unbelievable view and a breeze that cools things off nicely. It is also bigger and less money; so we will be moving along with the Elders this week. Transfers are this week and we will lose Elder Moala (going home) and Elder Cottam (has been a great trainer for us on the computer etc. and will be going to Guadeloupe where he will learn French). Elders Cronin and Vaea will stay and we will get six new elders on Wednesday. We have gotten very attached to these young Elders and will miss them greatly.
We also had zone conference in St. Lucia on Thursday and Friday. St. Lucia is a beautiful island with white sand beaches and more conveniences available. There are more resorts, restaurants and shopping. We stayed in a beautiful resort on the beach. The elders stayed in an apartment that is in the basement of one of the branches. There are quite a few perks for the senior missionaries. It was great to meet some of the other couples in the mission. Elder and Sister Collins and Elder and Sister Faux are serving on St. Lucia and Elder and Sister Rasmussen are serving on Grenada. The Collins received a surprise transfer (they thought they would be staying on St. Lucia til their release) to Guayana. Elder Willford Anderson of the Second Quorum of the Seventy was with Pres. Gamiette and it was a great experience being taught by them. We shared breakfast and dinner with them as well as rides to and from the church and it was wonderful to hear their perspectives about what is happening in the Church. Elder Anderson didn't use one note as he taught us for an hour and a half.
We had 45 to Church today!!! We also start seminary in the branches this week. Things will happen with more missionaries here and on several of the other islands. A miracle has happened in Guyana; 12 perspective missionaries from that country have been interviewed and will soon be serving in their home country. Do you think the Lord has his hand in this great work? Trials turn into blessings!
Well, we are calling it a day or should we say a week!!! You are in our prayers!!!
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Well, how was the Fair? Some of you told us that you were going and this is the first time in my life that we haven't gone. We will miss two of them; they have been a marker in the year for us!
What a great week we have had!!! Yesterday we had three baptisms at different times of the day. We started with Sherwyn and Kyle's (baptized a week ago) mom, Mavis. What a great lady and here countenance was beautiful. Her baptism was in the Kingstown church at 8 a.m. and there was a great spirit there with wonderful testimonies from branch members. At 10 a.m. we went to the beach for Dexter's baptism. I think that we mentioned him in another e-mail. The first time he came to church in Calliaqua, he sat by me and was just like a sponge soaking everything up. He is 18 and will be a great member of the church and a good example to his friends. As we were getting in our cars after the baptism, a couple were headed to the beach and stopped and talked to us. Elder Vaea took the lead and found out that Anthony had joined the church in Canada a decade ago and had not been active for years. We invited him to come to the Calliaqua branch on Sunday. The timing couldn't have been better and he did attend church today and found that he knew quite a few of the members.
Then, the missionaries went to work finding an 8 year old boy's parents to get permission for his baptism. His mom has been deaf and dumb since birth and has done well with her limitations. She is a single mom, lots of them here, and the dad is involved just enough to make things interesting. Solomon was baptized in the ocean about 4 p.m. He acted very afraid of the water to begin with and after his baptism we couldn't get him out of the water. He didn't know what he was feeling but we did. Elder Cronin had learned sign language earlier in his mission and was able to make the baptism understandable for Solomon's mom by signing for her. A very memorable day on St. Vincent!
We have been busy finding apartments for four more missionaries and in the process found another one for us that is farther up the gap with an unbelievable view and a breeze that cools things off nicely. It is also bigger and less money; so we will be moving along with the Elders this week. Transfers are this week and we will lose Elder Moala (going home) and Elder Cottam (has been a great trainer for us on the computer etc. and will be going to Guadeloupe where he will learn French). Elders Cronin and Vaea will stay and we will get six new elders on Wednesday. We have gotten very attached to these young Elders and will miss them greatly.
We also had zone conference in St. Lucia on Thursday and Friday. St. Lucia is a beautiful island with white sand beaches and more conveniences available. There are more resorts, restaurants and shopping. We stayed in a beautiful resort on the beach. The elders stayed in an apartment that is in the basement of one of the branches. There are quite a few perks for the senior missionaries. It was great to meet some of the other couples in the mission. Elder and Sister Collins and Elder and Sister Faux are serving on St. Lucia and Elder and Sister Rasmussen are serving on Grenada. The Collins received a surprise transfer (they thought they would be staying on St. Lucia til their release) to Guayana. Elder Willford Anderson of the Second Quorum of the Seventy was with Pres. Gamiette and it was a great experience being taught by them. We shared breakfast and dinner with them as well as rides to and from the church and it was wonderful to hear their perspectives about what is happening in the Church. Elder Anderson didn't use one note as he taught us for an hour and a half.
We had 45 to Church today!!! We also start seminary in the branches this week. Things will happen with more missionaries here and on several of the other islands. A miracle has happened in Guyana; 12 perspective missionaries from that country have been interviewed and will soon be serving in their home country. Do you think the Lord has his hand in this great work? Trials turn into blessings!
Well, we are calling it a day or should we say a week!!! You are in our prayers!!!
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Monday, September 7, 2009
September 6,2009
Dear family and friends,
It has been another good week in St. Vincent. We hope that you all have had a good week also. It is great to hear from home; how is that for a gentle reminder?
We had our first ever zone meeting on the web on Tuesday. Elder Cottam and Pres. Gamiette are both unbelievable on the computer. Elders Cottam and Cronin are the zone leaders and over three island nations, which makes having a zone meeting a bit of a challenge. It worked great as we were able see all the other elders with a program like Skype and also met the other couples on the other islands. Pres. Gamiette and his APs were also with us. It turned out great and then we had Mama Jan's fajitas for lunch with guacamole of course. The elders had not had Mexican food for quite awhile and Elder Vaea had never had it. They ate a lot. The avocados here are unbelievable!
On Wednesday we received word about the trouble in Guyana and immediately knelt and prayed for the safety of the elders there. Pres. Gamiette immediately went to Guyana to try to work things out with that government. It is complicated politically as the ruling party is Hindu and they want the Mormons out. We received word tonight that we need to find more apartments here in St. Vincent for elders who will be coming here from Guyana. It will be interesting to see how the Lord will turn this all into a blessing. The people in Guyana are so ready for the "Good News" that it is hard to think about over 40 elders being deported. They will organize the first stake there this month.
The sunset from the Calliaqua branch was amazing. Pictures on the blog.
Friday night was the YW talent show in Calliaqua and the Kingstown branch was invited. It was to start at 6 and Elder and Sister Wheeler and Bro. Jackson and his daughter were the only ones there at 6. It started at 7 and was wonderful. The YW president, Sister Quetelle had done a great job of getting the program and the girls ready and had written some wonderful poetry and skits for them. It was all gospel oriented and everyone involved sang and danced there hearts out. Pres. Robertson played his guitar for several of the numbers and sang his favorite hymn, Does the Journey Seem Long. It was fun to see how proud he is of his little flock. Great night in Calliaqua.
Megan had responded to a ASAP request for my chocolate cake recipe and I stirred it right up. The elders had been taking turns being sick (happens during the rainy season I guess), but felt better when invited for cake and ice cream after the talent show. Amazing how much better they felt!!!
We are preparing for Seminary to start in a week here. They are having difficulty wrapping themselves around the idea of early morning seminary 5 days a week. It will be interesting to see what finally happens to accommodate their culture. Pres. Gamiette and Elder Alvarado are determined that it will be a success. Sister Meezan Adams and I made up the Seminary kits tonight. She is a convert from Guyana and a great member of the church. Her husband's name is Gary and he is a good, good guy.
Well, that is the news for another week. We get tender when we pray for you all. Thanks for all you do!!!
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
It has been another good week in St. Vincent. We hope that you all have had a good week also. It is great to hear from home; how is that for a gentle reminder?
We had our first ever zone meeting on the web on Tuesday. Elder Cottam and Pres. Gamiette are both unbelievable on the computer. Elders Cottam and Cronin are the zone leaders and over three island nations, which makes having a zone meeting a bit of a challenge. It worked great as we were able see all the other elders with a program like Skype and also met the other couples on the other islands. Pres. Gamiette and his APs were also with us. It turned out great and then we had Mama Jan's fajitas for lunch with guacamole of course. The elders had not had Mexican food for quite awhile and Elder Vaea had never had it. They ate a lot. The avocados here are unbelievable!
On Wednesday we received word about the trouble in Guyana and immediately knelt and prayed for the safety of the elders there. Pres. Gamiette immediately went to Guyana to try to work things out with that government. It is complicated politically as the ruling party is Hindu and they want the Mormons out. We received word tonight that we need to find more apartments here in St. Vincent for elders who will be coming here from Guyana. It will be interesting to see how the Lord will turn this all into a blessing. The people in Guyana are so ready for the "Good News" that it is hard to think about over 40 elders being deported. They will organize the first stake there this month.
The sunset from the Calliaqua branch was amazing. Pictures on the blog.
Friday night was the YW talent show in Calliaqua and the Kingstown branch was invited. It was to start at 6 and Elder and Sister Wheeler and Bro. Jackson and his daughter were the only ones there at 6. It started at 7 and was wonderful. The YW president, Sister Quetelle had done a great job of getting the program and the girls ready and had written some wonderful poetry and skits for them. It was all gospel oriented and everyone involved sang and danced there hearts out. Pres. Robertson played his guitar for several of the numbers and sang his favorite hymn, Does the Journey Seem Long. It was fun to see how proud he is of his little flock. Great night in Calliaqua.
Megan had responded to a ASAP request for my chocolate cake recipe and I stirred it right up. The elders had been taking turns being sick (happens during the rainy season I guess), but felt better when invited for cake and ice cream after the talent show. Amazing how much better they felt!!!
We are preparing for Seminary to start in a week here. They are having difficulty wrapping themselves around the idea of early morning seminary 5 days a week. It will be interesting to see what finally happens to accommodate their culture. Pres. Gamiette and Elder Alvarado are determined that it will be a success. Sister Meezan Adams and I made up the Seminary kits tonight. She is a convert from Guyana and a great member of the church. Her husband's name is Gary and he is a good, good guy.
Well, that is the news for another week. We get tender when we pray for you all. Thanks for all you do!!!
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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