We decided that each week we would post a picture of a sunset or a sunrise as the first picture of our blog. It just never gets old to see these beautiful scenes. It reminds us of the handy work of God not only in the beautiful world that we live in but in our lives. He is definitely in the details of our everyday.......
This is a picture of the young single adults that we get to teach every Sunday evening in Tortola. They are each so unique and are so sincere in their devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the world that we live in today, that is no easy task. We couldn't be more proud of them for the choices that they make each day.
On Thursday Elder Howe (center) finished his mission here in St. Thomas and will be returning to his home in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He has been just the best Elder to work with and we are so grateful that we got to know him. He will be greatly missed here. BUT! We now have Elder Shah (on the left) and he and Elder Robinson will be great too! It is a privilege to work with these young men. They are so diligent, dedicated and faithful to their calling. These Elders even learn French Creole while they serve here, which is unbelievable!!! Oh to be young again!
Earlier this week, the Elders had a call from some missionaries in Houston, Texas. They were teaching a lady that was ready to be baptized but she was moving to St. Thomas, so they felt that it would be better for her to be baptized here! So she came on Sunday, and she will be baptized on Saturday. Lamira will be a great addition to our Branch here and we are thankful that she is here. It has been fun to get to know her and see how quickly she fits in with the people here. After all, we are her family now!
This is a picture of Gina and Wilma. Gina is from the Dominican Republic and had been gone to see her family until this week so the is the first time we had met her. Wilma is on the right....she is a long time member of the church here and everyone LOVES her. She helps us so much by helping us find people and introducing us to them. She also comes with us when we teach and has the strongest testimony of the Book of Mormon. We call her our secret weapon.
Here is a picture of a souped up safari. They are all over the island and really they are the main way that people get around. There are tourist safaris and regular safaris.....this one is definitely made for the tourists. On some days on this island there are 20,000 extra people because of the cruise ships that come in. These safaris take them all around the island to see the various sites.
One morning about 6:30am when we were on our normal walk around the neighborhood, there appeared on the side of the road this little pony! Such a surprise to see! We have no idea where he came from.......this same house has about 20 ducks, so maybe it is a mini farm and we just didn't now it!
This is Valerie...she is my age and she cooks over 100 meals each Monday thru Friday for the soup kitchen for the Salvation Army. She does it with a smile on her face. This particular day, we teased her that the pot was as big as she is!
Early Saturday morning we had the baptism of Lamira. She was taught about the church in Houston but was going to be moving to St. Thomas, so they told her that it would be better for her to be baptized here! So at 7AM. we went to Magen's Bay and had a little service for her. Look at the beautiful double rainbow that showed up right before the baptism! She is really a joy to be around and will add so much to the Branch Family here in St Thomas......
One more picture of the beautiful morning.....
After the baptism we went to volunteer at the Catholic Charities. They have a free medical clinic and lunch every second Saturday.....we met a lot of wonderful people there that serve in this community and they gave us some snazzy vests to wear.
When we got done, I happened to see a picture of President Nelson with Pope Francis. I loved what President Nelson had to say about that historic meeting: "We talked about our mutual concerns to relieve human suffering as well as our desire to strengthen families. We also discussed the increased secularization of the world and the stability that faith in Jesus Christ brings. We found that we have much in common. The differences in doctrine are real-and they're important -but they're not nearly as important as the things we have in common. We can build bridges of friendship instead of building walls of segregation. He and I agree that ministering is an important part of life for all who follow Jesus Christ. After all, the good that's done in this world is person-to-person--not President to Pope."
I love that!!!! Certainly as we have met people of other faiths that are working to relieve suffering and strengthen families, we have found much that we have in common. So thankful for our Prophet Russell M. Nelson. Even though he is 94 years old, he is full of life, and wisdom and energy. He is certainly the prophet for our times.
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