It's hard to believe that it is almost the end of October; time is going quickly!!! We have had a very eventful week. The Sunday meetings in Calliaqua can be quite an adventure. Last Sunday we attended that Kingstown branch and when we went to Calliaqua to help with tithing etc., the Elders told us that during the Sacrament hymn the branch president stopped everyone and told them that they were singing the wrong tune and that he wanted them to try it again. He is a good good man just needs more time to know what is appropriate and what is not.
Monday was spent catching up on housekeeping, cooking for Tuesday and washing and ironing. Jim helped shuttle the missionaries between the supermarkets and the Internet cafe where they send their e-mails.
Tuesday we had district meeting even though Elders Risenmay and Harris were sick. We had the traditional lunch here at our apartment and had lasagna. We finally found all the ingredients that were needed for it (dairy products are hard to come by). It was the usual huge pan of lasagna that I make for the family at home. Well, there were no leftovers even though two elders were missing. That afternoon we went to the courthouse again and met with Mr. Pitt (great guy) to find out what we needed to do to make sure there were no surprises for the marriages that were to happen the end of the week. We found out that it was going to cost an additional $150 that we didn't know about. The couples that were preparing for marriage and baptism have very limited funds and became a major stumbling block. We fasted and prayed and the Elders decided to contribute their travel money to make it happen. So, Dominique and Albert were married on Thursday afternoon and Brendon and Cardian were married Friday morning. It was a very rewarding experience and relief to have these two couples married after teaching the law of chastity and overcoming the challenges they both met in getting it done. Now they both were ready for baptism. The rest of Friday was spent with the District leader giving baptismal interviews and us get him where he needed to go and getting the baptismal clothes gathered up and washed for Saturday's early morning baptismal service at the beach near the marina.
Saturday was a day to remember forever. We all met at the Calliaqua church and dressed in the baptismal clothes and then proceeded to the beach. There are pictures of everything so don't miss them. It was quite a sight to see the back of Pres. Robertson's pickup filled with people dressed in white. The service before and after were the baptisms was sooo good. There were 8 baptisms and all of the converts bore their testimonies after with such conviction. There was a family that all the children were baptized and the mother knows the church is true but cannot be baptized because she is not married to their father; he works on one of the small islands near here and is only home twice a year. She bore a strong testimony and is hoping to get things figured out to be baptized as soon as possible. What a wonderful white morning. We returned to the church to change and get everyone headed home. The Elders were ready to celebrate and suggested that we kick back till early afternoon and have another lasagna feed. So, they went to the store to find the ingredients and we came home to get things started. It was a fun, unplanned celebration. We all had appointments in the afternoon so it definitely was not an extended thing but much appreciated.
Got to go help some Elders teach a wonderful family, so...that pretty much tells of our week. We love ya all!!! It would be GREAT to hear from you.
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Oct. 5, 2009
We are a little late getting this written this week because Sunday and Monday were so busy. So, this is still for last week even though it is being sent on October 15.
We have found that getting Brendon and Cardian ready for marriage is more difficult that we originally thought it would be. They are from the island of St. Lucia and immigration is making it hard. We went there on Tuesday and they had everything ready we thought and they didn't like how they had formatted a letter that was required and so we went to an internet cafe and retyped it and they still said that they would have to come back on Friday to get the letter that is required at the court house so they can get a marriage license. They are still doing well with the lessons, reading and praying. He got a job and that is an answer to prayer even though it doesn't pay much.
After Kingstown's PEC meeting on Thursday night, we went with Elders Huntsman and Stebbing to Carlton"s home which is way up a gap. We walked quite a ways with our flashlights to get there. He was amazing! He has 3 boys, 5, 7 and 9, that he is raising by himself. His lady took off and he has been doing it all for several years. He works at the port and there are at least two people to every job which means that it is part time for all of them. He was on the national soccer team several years ago and loved it. He has never gone to school because his mom insisted that he be a hustler (sell whatever on the streets) from the time he was very young. He had already put his boys to bed, so we had his full attention. He was very receptive and the spirit was strong. He committed to come to church with his boys on Sunday. It rained while we were there and so it was extremely slick when we left and I could not keep my feet under me. I fell over and over again; Elder Stebbing was in front of me and was trying to help me and I would slip and nearly knock his feet our from under him. It was so steep, slick and dark but we finally made it to our vehicle. So, after laughing most of the way and getting more muddy by the minute, Elder Wheeler is calling Sister Piggy. Carlton did come to Church on Sunday and they started him with the reading class and he is so excited.
Elders Huntsman and Stebbing have also been working with Sheena Providence. She has been coming to the Kingstown branch off and on for years and has finally caught fire. She loves the Book of Mormon and reads all the time. She committed to baptism and wanted to be baptized in a river like the Savior. The Kingstown Elders went to work and dammed off the river behind Brother Jackson's home to make a pond and it made a beautiful location to be baptized. The baptism was Saturday at noon and it was wonderful.
We also had a baptism for two brothers who are 10 and 12. They have been coming to church with their neighbors, great boys. There are quite a few neighborhood kids that have been attending church and family home evening with the Adams family. The branch president agreed to their baptism if Brother Adams would continue to make sure they attend church regularly. It was a very touching baptism with the branch family there to support them. Their mom gave permission for their baptism but didn't come. Good, good people here!
The Adams wanted to feed the missionaries but their home is so small that it was not possible now that we have 10 of us. So, we had the dinner here on Sunday night. Sister Adams is originally from Guyana; they made us curried rabbit (which they raised) and bakes. I made a cake and we had a wonderful time.
Another great week here in St. Vincent!!! We love hearing from you and updating us on our corner of the world; keep the e-mails coming!!!
We have found that getting Brendon and Cardian ready for marriage is more difficult that we originally thought it would be. They are from the island of St. Lucia and immigration is making it hard. We went there on Tuesday and they had everything ready we thought and they didn't like how they had formatted a letter that was required and so we went to an internet cafe and retyped it and they still said that they would have to come back on Friday to get the letter that is required at the court house so they can get a marriage license. They are still doing well with the lessons, reading and praying. He got a job and that is an answer to prayer even though it doesn't pay much.
After Kingstown's PEC meeting on Thursday night, we went with Elders Huntsman and Stebbing to Carlton"s home which is way up a gap. We walked quite a ways with our flashlights to get there. He was amazing! He has 3 boys, 5, 7 and 9, that he is raising by himself. His lady took off and he has been doing it all for several years. He works at the port and there are at least two people to every job which means that it is part time for all of them. He was on the national soccer team several years ago and loved it. He has never gone to school because his mom insisted that he be a hustler (sell whatever on the streets) from the time he was very young. He had already put his boys to bed, so we had his full attention. He was very receptive and the spirit was strong. He committed to come to church with his boys on Sunday. It rained while we were there and so it was extremely slick when we left and I could not keep my feet under me. I fell over and over again; Elder Stebbing was in front of me and was trying to help me and I would slip and nearly knock his feet our from under him. It was so steep, slick and dark but we finally made it to our vehicle. So, after laughing most of the way and getting more muddy by the minute, Elder Wheeler is calling Sister Piggy. Carlton did come to Church on Sunday and they started him with the reading class and he is so excited.
Elders Huntsman and Stebbing have also been working with Sheena Providence. She has been coming to the Kingstown branch off and on for years and has finally caught fire. She loves the Book of Mormon and reads all the time. She committed to baptism and wanted to be baptized in a river like the Savior. The Kingstown Elders went to work and dammed off the river behind Brother Jackson's home to make a pond and it made a beautiful location to be baptized. The baptism was Saturday at noon and it was wonderful.
We also had a baptism for two brothers who are 10 and 12. They have been coming to church with their neighbors, great boys. There are quite a few neighborhood kids that have been attending church and family home evening with the Adams family. The branch president agreed to their baptism if Brother Adams would continue to make sure they attend church regularly. It was a very touching baptism with the branch family there to support them. Their mom gave permission for their baptism but didn't come. Good, good people here!
The Adams wanted to feed the missionaries but their home is so small that it was not possible now that we have 10 of us. So, we had the dinner here on Sunday night. Sister Adams is originally from Guyana; they made us curried rabbit (which they raised) and bakes. I made a cake and we had a wonderful time.
Another great week here in St. Vincent!!! We love hearing from you and updating us on our corner of the world; keep the e-mails coming!!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
October 5, 2009
October 5, 2009
Inbox X
Reply
|
James Wheeler
to Alyssa, Austin, Bobbi, Brenda&Justin, Brittney, Caleb, cass&mindy, Cheryl, Chris, Debbie, Don, Emily, Ferrall, Heather, Jane&Rick, John, Katharine, Kathy, Kory, Kylie, Megan, Mitchel, Neil, Neil&Carla, Pat, Paula
show details 8:40 PM (1 minute ago)
Dear Family and Friends,
General Conference was wonderful. It wasn't as convenient to watch as it was 6 months ago but we were extremely grateful to be able to watch it at the Kingstown chapel. Our new members were there and for the most part soaked it up. We also had a surprise, the young mother we found a week ago at the TOP of a gap who hadn't been to church for years came. She was less than cordial when we found her, no she was rude; but gradually warmed a little. She loved Elder and Sister Amos who served her years ago and I have had quite a few people tell me that I remind them of her and she thought so too. Hopefully we can encourage her because of that coincidence--no coincidences right? We had lunch with Meezan and Gary Adams between sessions, we have become very good friends.
We went to the island of Bequia last Monday and it was fun. There is a turtle farm there and beautiful beaches. Elder Harris talked to a young man who was diving for shells and he got a big conch shell from him for me. It is beautiful. Good day!!!
We have also had a good week with the lovebirds(couples who are living together but not married). We were discouraged but we received good news from two couples in the past two days. Albert and Dominique will be married this Saturday and she will be baptized the next Saturday. Elders Risenmay and Gilley were ready to give her the drop lesson and she surprised them. The couple we have been teaching were going to put off getting married until December; we gave them the Chastity lesson again and talked about how they knew the Lord was guiding them. At the close of that lesson, Brendon gave a wonderful prayer. They told us at Conference that they would keep their first goal of getting married on the Oct. 20 and baptized on Oct. 24. We are being so blessed. They told us that they are going to name their baby Chastity
We also had two baptisms on Wednesday. Sister Johns who is 66 years old and the best little lady was baptized in the morning and stood on the beach after her baptism and bore a strong testimony. She hummed and giggled all the way home. We went back to Calliaqua and watched the Joseph Smith film with Nathan Daniels, who was baptized later that afternoon, and Elders Vaea and Vi and Brother Phillips. The spirit was so strong. We all bore our testimonies after and there were tears of joy all around. Brother Daniels is a very special man and will do much to build the Church in St. Vincent. His baptism was exceptional!!! He loved Conference and was thrilled by the Tabernacle Choir and the messages that just made things more clear and answered his questions. He can't learn fast enough; he attended all five sessions of conference and couldn't wait to get home to read his notes and ponder.
We are enjoying great relationships with all the Elders. Our apartment is a great place to meet and share what is happening with "the work" on the island and eat of course. Elder Wheeler says, "They are all bottomless pits." Six of the eight Elders experienced being incarcerated in the police station in Guyana and then deported.
We have tender feelings about home and the fall season. It is still hot here; it was 95 on Saturday. We had rain and wind today so it was only 90.
We love ya all,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Reply
Reply to all
Forward
Mail Delivery Subsystem
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification Delivery to t...
8:40 PM (1 minute ago)
Reply
|
Mail Delivery Subsystem
to me
show details 8:40 PM (1 minute ago)
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification
Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
jdbyrum@cableone.net
Technical details of permanent failure:
Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the recipient domain. We recommend contacting the other email provider for further information about the cause of this error. The error that the other server returned was: 550 550 No such user - psmtp (state 17).
- Show quoted text -
----- Original message -----
MIME-Version: 1.0
Received: by 10.101.89.5 with SMTP id r5mr822156anl.69.1254789630942; Mon, 05
Oct 2009 17:40:30 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 20:40:30 -0400
Message-ID:
Subject: October 5, 2009
From: James Wheeler
To: "Alyssa De St. Jeor", "Austin & Bonnie Moses" ,
"Bobbi Jo & Rex Young", "Brenda&Justin Patten" ,
"Brittney De St. Jeor", "Caleb & Sarah Wheeler" ,
"cass&mindy Baldwin", "Cheryl & Duane Williams" ,
"Chris & Stephanie Jensen",
"Debbie & Jessie Byrum", "Don & Vicki Weeden" ,
"Emily & John Melander", "Ferrall &Tammy Wray" ,
Heather Hunt, "Jane&Rick Tew" ,
"John & Carol Crilley", "Katharine &Daryl Thompson" ,
"Kathy & Richard Polatis",
"Kory & Heather Wheeler",
"Kylie De St. Jeor", Megan Wheeler ,
"Mitchel De St. Jeor", "Neil & Deonna Fuller" ,
"Neil&Carla Murdock", "Pat & Brent Byrum" ,
"Paula &Kent Hansen", "Rhonda&Barry Bollwinkel" ,
Seth Wheeler, "Sharon& Dennis Campbell" ,
"Stacey & Calvin De St. Jeor", "Steve & Becky Reeder" ,
"Steve & Linda Williams", "Ted & Billie Bollwinkel" ,
"Terry&Marilyn Hatch", "Wade & Kim Wheeler" ,
"Will&Kathy McBride"
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001636ed7177385e5e0475397ab5
--001636ed7177385e5e0475397ab5
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Dear Family and Friends,
General Conference was wonderful. It wasn't as convenient to watch as it was
6 months ago but we were extremely grateful to be able to watch it at the
Kingstown chapel. Our new members were there and for the most part soaked
it up. We also had a surprise, the young mother we found a week ago at the
TOP of a gap who hadn't been to church for years came. She was less than
----- Message truncated -----
Reply
Forward
Invite Mail Delivery Subsystem to chat
Inbox X
Reply
|
James Wheeler
to Alyssa, Austin, Bobbi, Brenda&Justin, Brittney, Caleb, cass&mindy, Cheryl, Chris, Debbie, Don, Emily, Ferrall, Heather, Jane&Rick, John, Katharine, Kathy, Kory, Kylie, Megan, Mitchel, Neil, Neil&Carla, Pat, Paula
show details 8:40 PM (1 minute ago)
Dear Family and Friends,
General Conference was wonderful. It wasn't as convenient to watch as it was 6 months ago but we were extremely grateful to be able to watch it at the Kingstown chapel. Our new members were there and for the most part soaked it up. We also had a surprise, the young mother we found a week ago at the TOP of a gap who hadn't been to church for years came. She was less than cordial when we found her, no she was rude; but gradually warmed a little. She loved Elder and Sister Amos who served her years ago and I have had quite a few people tell me that I remind them of her and she thought so too. Hopefully we can encourage her because of that coincidence--no coincidences right? We had lunch with Meezan and Gary Adams between sessions, we have become very good friends.
We went to the island of Bequia last Monday and it was fun. There is a turtle farm there and beautiful beaches. Elder Harris talked to a young man who was diving for shells and he got a big conch shell from him for me. It is beautiful. Good day!!!
We have also had a good week with the lovebirds(couples who are living together but not married). We were discouraged but we received good news from two couples in the past two days. Albert and Dominique will be married this Saturday and she will be baptized the next Saturday. Elders Risenmay and Gilley were ready to give her the drop lesson and she surprised them. The couple we have been teaching were going to put off getting married until December; we gave them the Chastity lesson again and talked about how they knew the Lord was guiding them. At the close of that lesson, Brendon gave a wonderful prayer. They told us at Conference that they would keep their first goal of getting married on the Oct. 20 and baptized on Oct. 24. We are being so blessed. They told us that they are going to name their baby Chastity
We also had two baptisms on Wednesday. Sister Johns who is 66 years old and the best little lady was baptized in the morning and stood on the beach after her baptism and bore a strong testimony. She hummed and giggled all the way home. We went back to Calliaqua and watched the Joseph Smith film with Nathan Daniels, who was baptized later that afternoon, and Elders Vaea and Vi and Brother Phillips. The spirit was so strong. We all bore our testimonies after and there were tears of joy all around. Brother Daniels is a very special man and will do much to build the Church in St. Vincent. His baptism was exceptional!!! He loved Conference and was thrilled by the Tabernacle Choir and the messages that just made things more clear and answered his questions. He can't learn fast enough; he attended all five sessions of conference and couldn't wait to get home to read his notes and ponder.
We are enjoying great relationships with all the Elders. Our apartment is a great place to meet and share what is happening with "the work" on the island and eat of course. Elder Wheeler says, "They are all bottomless pits." Six of the eight Elders experienced being incarcerated in the police station in Guyana and then deported.
We have tender feelings about home and the fall season. It is still hot here; it was 95 on Saturday. We had rain and wind today so it was only 90.
We love ya all,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Reply
Reply to all
Forward
Mail Delivery Subsystem
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification Delivery to t...
8:40 PM (1 minute ago)
Reply
|
Mail Delivery Subsystem
to me
show details 8:40 PM (1 minute ago)
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification
Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
jdbyrum@cableone.net
Technical details of permanent failure:
Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the recipient domain. We recommend contacting the other email provider for further information about the cause of this error. The error that the other server returned was: 550 550 No such user - psmtp (state 17).
- Show quoted text -
----- Original message -----
MIME-Version: 1.0
Received: by 10.101.89.5 with SMTP id r5mr822156anl.69.1254789630942; Mon, 05
Oct 2009 17:40:30 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 20:40:30 -0400
Message-ID:
Subject: October 5, 2009
From: James Wheeler
To: "Alyssa De St. Jeor"
"Bobbi Jo & Rex Young"
"Brittney De St. Jeor"
"cass&mindy Baldwin"
"Chris & Stephanie Jensen"
"Debbie & Jessie Byrum"
"Emily & John Melander"
Heather Hunt
"John & Carol Crilley"
"Kathy & Richard Polatis"
"Kory & Heather Wheeler"
"Kylie De St. Jeor"
"Mitchel De St. Jeor"
"Neil&Carla Murdock"
"Paula &Kent Hansen"
Seth Wheeler
"Stacey & Calvin De St. Jeor"
"Steve & Linda Williams"
"Terry&Marilyn Hatch"
"Will&Kathy McBride"
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001636ed7177385e5e0475397ab5
--001636ed7177385e5e0475397ab5
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Dear Family and Friends,
General Conference was wonderful. It wasn't as convenient to watch as it was
6 months ago but we were extremely grateful to be able to watch it at the
Kingstown chapel. Our new members were there and for the most part soaked
it up. We also had a surprise, the young mother we found a week ago at the
TOP of a gap who hadn't been to church for years came. She was less than
----- Message truncated -----
Reply
Forward
Invite Mail Delivery Subsystem to chat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
