Goodbye, Elder and Sister Young

Just in time for Christmas, Elder Verrol and Sister Helen Young will say goodbye to their mission experience which they call “the best thing we have ever done aside from our baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

As they prepare for a future which will likely include “visiting our family in the UK, taking a cruise, then serving a six-month mission in the London Temple” they reflect on time spent together in the West Indies Mission.

The Young’s will miss meeting people and are grateful for the challenges they have overcome and which have given them strength. “We have done what we could to help others and have learned to accept that some can only be helped by the Lord. Elder Young’s service as a branch president – twice during their mission – was not easy and we felt we didn’t get enough training in the beginning, but it’s all part of mission work!”

“There was the joy of seeing a family of five baptized – a new experience for me because I had not ever seen so many people baptized at the same time,” states Sister Young. The couple will also never forget the youth conference in Canje which drew 125 participants. “We were overwhelmed by the turnout. They all had fun, made friends with one another and enjoyed learning more about the gospel.”

The Young’s are grateful, too, for the opportunity they had to be part of the Humanitarian Service project at the New Amsterdam Special Needs School. “The Church’s contribution was fantastic. The children and staff now have water in the toilets and in their kitchen. They have writing desks and air conditioning in the computer room to make learning more comfortable. These are experiences we will always keep in our hearts,” states Sister Young.

Surprisingly, the thing they will miss most about life in the mission field is “transfer. I just love transfer even when we had to leave home at 4:30 a.m. to drive to the airport. It was sad to say goodbye to those going home, but exciting to see the faces of new missionaries fresh from the MTC and anxious to begin their work of bringing souls to Christ.”

Thank you for your service, Elder and Sister Young. You will be blessed for your dedication and hard work and missed by us all!