November 16 ,2009

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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