,
We are thinking of all of you with grateful hearts; Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to count our blessings. We love what is on the Church's website as they interview people on the streets of New York City. We also love the example the Bednar family set by offering prayers of gratitude only when there was a death in their ward and a visiting general authority, who asked them to offer such prayers, was visiting in their home. We are so grateful to be citizens of the United States and to have the fullness of the Gospel to guide us and help us be happy. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We have a very interesting week. We had Zone Conference in St. Lucia and their were 10 of us who went from St. Vincent. We have learned that it is a good time for the senior couples to spent some time at the beach and at the resort where we stay while Pres. Gamiette interviews all the elders. Pres. Gamiette brought his wife and three of their youngest children with them which made it fun for everyone. We had a great time for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon in the ocean and at the beach. The next day was full with meetings and preparing lunch, cleaning up and getting to the airport in time for our flight back to St. Vincent. Pres. Gamiette presented a plan for the mission to adopt which will help new members and less actives. It is called the 40 day plan. We track those with whom we are working for 40 days as to what we are teaching them and with whom and if they are reading the Book of Mormon, attending meetings, paying tithing, having family prayer, personal prayer and keeping the commandments. We feel that it is inspired and will help so much with the retention here in the Caribbean.
We also have had quite a week at the hospital. On Friday Shanet Charles passed away after a terrible fight with cancer. We have talked about her before and we know that she is in wonderful circumstances now. We hope that she will have the blessing of being taught the gospel there. She had just begun to hear the gospel here and had felt the power of the priesthood through blessings. The same day, Morel had a baby boy which they named Delroy. We love this family so much. They were the first non-members we met when we arrived here in St. Vincent. They have finally resolved Wilson's (father of Morel's children) paperwork and will be able to start the paperwork for their marriage license so they can be married and baptized. That will be such a wonderful day for all of us. Then there will be three members in that family, Wilson, Morel, and Delano 9 yrs. old.
On Saturday was another great day in the Kingstown branch. Brother Providence has been a member of the Church for 10 years and his wife has never joined. The member thought that it would never happen. Well, Elders Huntsman and Ackerman taught her and she accepted baptism. It was a beautiful sight to see Bro.
and Sis. Providence in baptismal white with their family. They are acting like newly weds and looking forward to going to the temple to receive their endowments and be sealed as a family.
We had a great Sunday in the Calliaqua branch and spent the afternoon and evening visiting and teaching new members, investigators and less active members. Got to love 'em!!!
We also have settled back into a routine here after thinking (off and on for the last month) that we would be transferred to the mission office in Trinidad. We are feeling much more relaxed as it would have been a huge challenge to learn the technology and all the ins and outs of dealing with so many countries. There are three languages, 5 currencies and I'm not sure how many different governments making the West Indies Mission one of the most complex in the world. It was quite a miracle as a couple came into the picture who wanted to serve an office mission for the full 18 months and are "computer experts". I am so grateful for miracles. We will also be having several senior couples going home the first several months of 2010 and we are recruiting any of you who think that you would like to serve in paradise. Please let us know!!!
Well, for another week.....
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
,
We are thinking of all of you with grateful hearts; Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to count our blessings. We love what is on the Church's website as they interview people on the streets of New York City. We also love the example the Bednar family set by offering prayers of gratitude only when there was a death in their ward and a visiting general authority, who asked them to offer such prayers, was visiting in their home. We are so grateful to be citizens of the United States and to have the fullness of the Gospel to guide us and help us be happy. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We have a very interesting week. We had Zone Conference in St. Lucia and their were 10 of us who went from St. Vincent. We have learned that it is a good time for the senior couples to spent some time at the beach and at the resort where we stay while Pres. Gamiette interviews all the elders. Pres. Gamiette brought his wife and three of their youngest children with them which made it fun for everyone. We had a great time for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon in the ocean and at the beach. The next day was full with meetings and preparing lunch, cleaning up and getting to the airport in time for our flight back to St. Vincent. Pres. Gamiette presented a plan for the mission to adopt which will help new members and less actives. It is called the 40 day plan. We track those with whom we are working for 40 days as to what we are teaching them and with whom and if they are reading the Book of Mormon, attending meetings, paying tithing, having family prayer, personal prayer and keeping the commandments. We feel that it is inspired and will help so much with the retention here in the Caribbean.
We also have had quite a week at the hospital. On Friday Shanet Charles passed away after a terrible fight with cancer. We have talked about her before and we know that she is in wonderful circumstances now. We hope that she will have the blessing of being taught the gospel there. She had just begun to hear the gospel here and had felt the power of the priesthood through blessings. The same day, Morel had a baby boy which they named Delroy. We love this family so much. They were the first non-members we met when we arrived here in St. Vincent. They have finally resolved Wilson's (father of Morel's children) paperwork and will be able to start the paperwork for their marriage license so they can be married and baptized. That will be such a wonderful day for all of us. Then there will be three members in that family, Wilson, Morel, and Delano 9 yrs. old.
On Saturday was another great day in the Kingstown branch. Brother Providence has been a member of the Church for 10 years and his wife has never joined. The member thought that it would never happen. Well, Elders Huntsman and Ackerman taught her and she accepted baptism. It was a beautiful sight to see Bro.
and Sis. Providence in baptismal white with their family. They are acting like newly weds and looking forward to going to the temple to receive their endowments and be sealed as a family.
We had a great Sunday in the Calliaqua branch and spent the afternoon and evening visiting and teaching new members, investigators and less active members. Got to love 'em!!!
We also have settled back into a routine here after thinking (off and on for the last month) that we would be transferred to the mission office in Trinidad. We are feeling much more relaxed as it would have been a huge challenge to learn the technology and all the ins and outs of dealing with so many countries. There are three languages, 5 currencies and I'm not sure how many different governments making the West Indies Mission one of the most complex in the world. It was quite a miracle as a couple came into the picture who wanted to serve an office mission for the full 18 months and are "computer experts". I am so grateful for miracles. We will also be having several senior couples going home the first several months of 2010 and we are recruiting any of you who think that you would like to serve in paradise. Please let us know!!!
Well, for another week.....
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
November 16 ,2009
,
Good day from paradise. We are hearing that a change of season has hit where you are and we still feel like we are in mid-August. There are more "clear people" in the last couple of weeks and a cruise ship showing up every few days now. Most of them are from England and France which makes it fun to try to guess from their appearance where they come from.
We have had another good week starting with the Elders calling on p-day and wanting to come to our apartments and cook for us and themselves of course. It was very good and we enjoyed it a lot. The next day was the Island zone conference held here also. The zone leaders did a masterful job of putting the web meeting together and having our three islands talking and setting goals from our apartments or church buildings. We had chicken enchiladas after and then all went to work.
Cardian Toubierre has been in the hospital this week with swelling and numbness; she is in here last trimester of her pregnancy and has returned home now with medication for the problem. While we were trying to find Cardian in the hospital, we found several others there from the Kingstown branch. One that has been a heartbreak to watch is Shanet whose sister is a member in the Kingstown branch. Shanet came with her sister Iteaca to General Conference. She was able to leave the hospital for a short time with her sister and was so weak that she couldn't sit up the whole meeting. Jim and Elder Huntsman gave her a blessing before she returned to the hospital. She has cancer and they operated two weeks ago. When I came into the ward she was in she immediately made it known that she wanted to see me. When they motioned for me to come close, I recognized her and was so touched by her pleading eyes. I immediately went into the walkway and motioned for Jim to come into the women's ward. We visited with her for awhile and she was asking for tonic and that the doctor needed to give it to her. We called Iteaca to find out what we could do and she said that she would find out. Iteaca called us the next morning and said that the doctor said that Shanet is dying. It was a sad time. We arrived at the hospital again that afternoon and family and friends had come to tell her good-by. Her little twin boys were there as well as a 12 year old son. When she saw us in the walkway she motioned for us again. They made room for us and Iteaca wanted Jim to give her another blessing. There was pastor there from another church and he wanted to help Jim. Amazingly they made room and were very respectful as Jim gave her a reverent blessing of comfort. She is still here and has been much more peaceful since then. We have been to see her almost every day and she is always so glad to see us. She is losing ground and we hope that she can pass soon. Our thoughts and prayers have been with her constantly; hospital and medical care are decades behind here. Everyone is in large wards and the cemetery, which is located behind the hospital, is visible from most of the wards, not very encouraging!!
We have Elder and Sister McIntosh here the last 4 days. They are serving a CES mission and helping to establish the Seminary and Institute programs here on St. Vincent. It has been fun getting to know them. They served their first mission in India.
We also baptized Gracie on Saturday morning at the beach. It was a joyful time for all of us involved because she has come such a long way. She had a Rasta boyfriend living with her and that was a difficult thing; she finally sent him down the road and told him not to come back unless he had a ring. She is about 50 years old so this lifestyle has been very much a part of her life. Her countenance is wonderful.
We attended church in the Kingstown branch on Sunday. We had a nice lunch with the McIntoshs and then while they were visiting Seminary students we visited the Small family and taught their friend Marcella. She has been taught by the Elders before and we are excited about continuing to teach her the gospel. She is a beautiful young lady.
Well, we have had another great week and are leaving early in the morning for another zone conference with President Gamiette in St. Lucia. We love you all and appreciate your news to us.
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
Good day from paradise. We are hearing that a change of season has hit where you are and we still feel like we are in mid-August. There are more "clear people" in the last couple of weeks and a cruise ship showing up every few days now. Most of them are from England and France which makes it fun to try to guess from their appearance where they come from.
We have had another good week starting with the Elders calling on p-day and wanting to come to our apartments and cook for us and themselves of course. It was very good and we enjoyed it a lot. The next day was the Island zone conference held here also. The zone leaders did a masterful job of putting the web meeting together and having our three islands talking and setting goals from our apartments or church buildings. We had chicken enchiladas after and then all went to work.
Cardian Toubierre has been in the hospital this week with swelling and numbness; she is in here last trimester of her pregnancy and has returned home now with medication for the problem. While we were trying to find Cardian in the hospital, we found several others there from the Kingstown branch. One that has been a heartbreak to watch is Shanet whose sister is a member in the Kingstown branch. Shanet came with her sister Iteaca to General Conference. She was able to leave the hospital for a short time with her sister and was so weak that she couldn't sit up the whole meeting. Jim and Elder Huntsman gave her a blessing before she returned to the hospital. She has cancer and they operated two weeks ago. When I came into the ward she was in she immediately made it known that she wanted to see me. When they motioned for me to come close, I recognized her and was so touched by her pleading eyes. I immediately went into the walkway and motioned for Jim to come into the women's ward. We visited with her for awhile and she was asking for tonic and that the doctor needed to give it to her. We called Iteaca to find out what we could do and she said that she would find out. Iteaca called us the next morning and said that the doctor said that Shanet is dying. It was a sad time. We arrived at the hospital again that afternoon and family and friends had come to tell her good-by. Her little twin boys were there as well as a 12 year old son. When she saw us in the walkway she motioned for us again. They made room for us and Iteaca wanted Jim to give her another blessing. There was pastor there from another church and he wanted to help Jim. Amazingly they made room and were very respectful as Jim gave her a reverent blessing of comfort. She is still here and has been much more peaceful since then. We have been to see her almost every day and she is always so glad to see us. She is losing ground and we hope that she can pass soon. Our thoughts and prayers have been with her constantly; hospital and medical care are decades behind here. Everyone is in large wards and the cemetery, which is located behind the hospital, is visible from most of the wards, not very encouraging!!
We have Elder and Sister McIntosh here the last 4 days. They are serving a CES mission and helping to establish the Seminary and Institute programs here on St. Vincent. It has been fun getting to know them. They served their first mission in India.
We also baptized Gracie on Saturday morning at the beach. It was a joyful time for all of us involved because she has come such a long way. She had a Rasta boyfriend living with her and that was a difficult thing; she finally sent him down the road and told him not to come back unless he had a ring. She is about 50 years old so this lifestyle has been very much a part of her life. Her countenance is wonderful.
We attended church in the Kingstown branch on Sunday. We had a nice lunch with the McIntoshs and then while they were visiting Seminary students we visited the Small family and taught their friend Marcella. She has been taught by the Elders before and we are excited about continuing to teach her the gospel. She is a beautiful young lady.
Well, we have had another great week and are leaving early in the morning for another zone conference with President Gamiette in St. Lucia. We love you all and appreciate your news to us.
Much love,
Elder and Sister Wheeler
November 9 ,2009
,
We were saddened with the news of Frank Transtrum's passing away. I will always be grateful for the influence Dr. "T" was to me as a young women. He was a good example of so many characteristics and Dianne was kind and gracious also. And now we share grandchildren who mean so much to us.
We went to Trinidad for a conference to train branch presidents and all of us so that we will be able to work well together and know what each of our responsibilities are and which ones we share. It was an inspired conference and Pres. Gamiette, Pres. Hymas, and Elder Alvarado (member of the Seventy) definitely taught with the Spirit. It was touching to see men step up to the plate and accept counsel about their responsibilities when their culture has been so much different. They are used to going to Church as an observer and now they are what makes it all go, with support of course. There were two times when Pres. Gamiette was touched to tears. Once when he talked about the missionaries and again when he expressed his dream. He talked about being a lost boy in Guadeloupe and the change the gospel has made in his life and in turn the life of his family. He said that he is accused of being a dreamer and he said I am and I can see a time when my family will live here without all the evil that now exists. It was an experience that we will cherish and always remember. We also met more Senior Couples and that is always so much fun. We have wanted to meet the Meyers and have communicated with them a lot this past week and we finally met. They are unbelievable in their ability to keep the mission office running smoothly. This mission is one of the most complicated with 5 currencies, 3 languages, and I'm not sure how many different governments to deal with.
We loved seeing another country also. The island of Trinidad has a million and a half people and has a totally different feel than St. Vincent. The island is quite flat and has a lot of East Indian people. Elder Meyers told us that it is about 40% black, 40% East Indian, and 20% mix. We went to a huge mall and you could see the mix of different cultures. There was a Subway, Burger King, their local curry food and a KFC of course. KFC is very popular in the Caribbean; St. Vincent is building their third. The people here in St. Vincent give directions starting from KFC. There are parts of Trinidad that are very modern and then as you get away from the more populated areas you find very humble conditions. We stayed with the Meyer's and they were wonderful hosts. We also enjoyed the Treseders who are serving in St. Lucia who also stayed with Meyers. We had a good flight home with Liat (the only Caribbean airline) leaving early and arriving early. A very pleasant surprise.
We had a wonderful Sunday ending with good meetings with the Tobierres, the Morris orphans and the Williams family who are waiting to get paperwork done so they can be married and baptized. They have been waiting a long time which is not unusual here. "Just now" which is a common phrase here means everything except now. Moral and Wilson Williams have a 9 year old boy (Delano), a 3 year old girl (Melissa) and they are expecting a new baby any day. Moral was one of the first investigators that we met and she touched our hearts then. It will be a wonderful white day when they finally are able to be baptized.
We love you all and hope that this finds you enjoying the blessings that are ours when we strive to keep the commandments. We see everyday that it is not how much you have but how you are living that brings happiness.
- Show quoted text -
We were saddened with the news of Frank Transtrum's passing away. I will always be grateful for the influence Dr. "T" was to me as a young women. He was a good example of so many characteristics and Dianne was kind and gracious also. And now we share grandchildren who mean so much to us.
We went to Trinidad for a conference to train branch presidents and all of us so that we will be able to work well together and know what each of our responsibilities are and which ones we share. It was an inspired conference and Pres. Gamiette, Pres. Hymas, and Elder Alvarado (member of the Seventy) definitely taught with the Spirit. It was touching to see men step up to the plate and accept counsel about their responsibilities when their culture has been so much different. They are used to going to Church as an observer and now they are what makes it all go, with support of course. There were two times when Pres. Gamiette was touched to tears. Once when he talked about the missionaries and again when he expressed his dream. He talked about being a lost boy in Guadeloupe and the change the gospel has made in his life and in turn the life of his family. He said that he is accused of being a dreamer and he said I am and I can see a time when my family will live here without all the evil that now exists. It was an experience that we will cherish and always remember. We also met more Senior Couples and that is always so much fun. We have wanted to meet the Meyers and have communicated with them a lot this past week and we finally met. They are unbelievable in their ability to keep the mission office running smoothly. This mission is one of the most complicated with 5 currencies, 3 languages, and I'm not sure how many different governments to deal with.
We loved seeing another country also. The island of Trinidad has a million and a half people and has a totally different feel than St. Vincent. The island is quite flat and has a lot of East Indian people. Elder Meyers told us that it is about 40% black, 40% East Indian, and 20% mix. We went to a huge mall and you could see the mix of different cultures. There was a Subway, Burger King, their local curry food and a KFC of course. KFC is very popular in the Caribbean; St. Vincent is building their third. The people here in St. Vincent give directions starting from KFC. There are parts of Trinidad that are very modern and then as you get away from the more populated areas you find very humble conditions. We stayed with the Meyer's and they were wonderful hosts. We also enjoyed the Treseders who are serving in St. Lucia who also stayed with Meyers. We had a good flight home with Liat (the only Caribbean airline) leaving early and arriving early. A very pleasant surprise.
We had a wonderful Sunday ending with good meetings with the Tobierres, the Morris orphans and the Williams family who are waiting to get paperwork done so they can be married and baptized. They have been waiting a long time which is not unusual here. "Just now" which is a common phrase here means everything except now. Moral and Wilson Williams have a 9 year old boy (Delano), a 3 year old girl (Melissa) and they are expecting a new baby any day. Moral was one of the first investigators that we met and she touched our hearts then. It will be a wonderful white day when they finally are able to be baptized.
We love you all and hope that this finds you enjoying the blessings that are ours when we strive to keep the commandments. We see everyday that it is not how much you have but how you are living that brings happiness.
- Show quoted text -
Sunday, November 1, 2009
November 1,2009
We are watching another glorious sunset; the sun going down out our front door and a full moon out our back door with beautiful golds, reds and white. We know that you are experiencing the golds and reds also in the fall colors. We have had such a good week hearing from you and are so grateful for your news. We live in such a marvelous time; to be able to see and talk to family live is a miracle and makes what we are doing so much easier. We loved seeing the grandkids who were set up for Skype on Halloween. We love you all so much!!!
Our week has been a lot different than the last few. We have been so busy getting people ready for baptism and etc. and this week has been a slow down. We went with the Elders to La Soufriere on Monday morning. La Soufriere is the volcano that formed this island and is about 4000 feet. We arrived at the trails head at 7:10 a.m. and all 8 Elders headed up. We decided that we would take a nap, study and then take and hour walk ourselves and be back about the same time as the Elders. We have heard from everyone that it takes about 3 hours to get to the top. Well, were studying away and I heard voices and they were back. They had made it in two hours flat; a record I would think. They were wringing wet and out of breath but they had the pictures to prove that they had been there. They said the wind was blowing really hard and it was cold so they didn't linger. I will get some of the pictures for the blog. These Elders are really in shape as they tramp these mountains every day. They still experienced some muscle soreness for the next couple of days.
The next day was Independence day here and we spent most of the day with the Toubierre's. We went to the inner part of the island which is the breadbasket where a lot of the food is grown. Elder Wheeler loved it! We drove an unbelievable road to Montreal Gardens which is 7 acres right out of the Garden of Eden. It was a most pleasant day. That evening the Kingstown Elders came to our apartment to use the computer and send some reports to the mission office. It was Elder Stebbing's last night here; I was feeling bad about not having any goodies for them to eat and said that it would take me about an hour to make some cookies and they said, "Oh, we will wait!" So, it turned into a fun night of sharing experiences and sending Elder Stebbing off for home.
We are doing a lot of new member lessons now and we had our first with the Toubierre's. We talked about the temple and temple marriage; it was great to see their enthusiasm for preparing for those ordinances!
I already talked about being able to talk to family on Halloween!!! We have had a wonderful Sunday!!! We set a new record for people attending Sacrament meeting and they all stayed for the rest of the block. It was fast and testimony meeting and there were no breaks in between the testimonies and they were strong, powerful witness of the Savior and how the gospel has changed their lives for the better. Wonderful!!! We spent the rest of the day with members and we will end the day ready for the "napas and the pillas".
We hope that you all have a good week; we pray for you every day!!! We love the gospel plan and teachings and we have a strong testimony of atonement of the Savior which makes forgiveness and mercy possible. For another week---we love ya!!!
Mom and Dad
Our week has been a lot different than the last few. We have been so busy getting people ready for baptism and etc. and this week has been a slow down. We went with the Elders to La Soufriere on Monday morning. La Soufriere is the volcano that formed this island and is about 4000 feet. We arrived at the trails head at 7:10 a.m. and all 8 Elders headed up. We decided that we would take a nap, study and then take and hour walk ourselves and be back about the same time as the Elders. We have heard from everyone that it takes about 3 hours to get to the top. Well, were studying away and I heard voices and they were back. They had made it in two hours flat; a record I would think. They were wringing wet and out of breath but they had the pictures to prove that they had been there. They said the wind was blowing really hard and it was cold so they didn't linger. I will get some of the pictures for the blog. These Elders are really in shape as they tramp these mountains every day. They still experienced some muscle soreness for the next couple of days.
The next day was Independence day here and we spent most of the day with the Toubierre's. We went to the inner part of the island which is the breadbasket where a lot of the food is grown. Elder Wheeler loved it! We drove an unbelievable road to Montreal Gardens which is 7 acres right out of the Garden of Eden. It was a most pleasant day. That evening the Kingstown Elders came to our apartment to use the computer and send some reports to the mission office. It was Elder Stebbing's last night here; I was feeling bad about not having any goodies for them to eat and said that it would take me about an hour to make some cookies and they said, "Oh, we will wait!" So, it turned into a fun night of sharing experiences and sending Elder Stebbing off for home.
We are doing a lot of new member lessons now and we had our first with the Toubierre's. We talked about the temple and temple marriage; it was great to see their enthusiasm for preparing for those ordinances!
I already talked about being able to talk to family on Halloween!!! We have had a wonderful Sunday!!! We set a new record for people attending Sacrament meeting and they all stayed for the rest of the block. It was fast and testimony meeting and there were no breaks in between the testimonies and they were strong, powerful witness of the Savior and how the gospel has changed their lives for the better. Wonderful!!! We spent the rest of the day with members and we will end the day ready for the "napas and the pillas".
We hope that you all have a good week; we pray for you every day!!! We love the gospel plan and teachings and we have a strong testimony of atonement of the Savior which makes forgiveness and mercy possible. For another week---we love ya!!!
Mom and Dad
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