Dutch Patriarch Visits Suriname

For many members of the Church in Suriname, Thursday, June 16 represented the fulfillment of a long-awaited blessing when Patriarch Han Hogervorst of the Hague Netherlands Stake arrived in Ramchandraweg for a two week stay.

Most have been members for many years. Many have been sealed in the Temple but have not been able to receive a Patriarchal blessing in their own language so they could understand fully the promises made to them by a spokesman from the Lord.

Preparations began months ago with a request to the First Presidency for consent for Patriarch Hogervorst to travel to Suriname where a total of 35 blessings were given between Friday, June 17 and Saturday, July 2. Those who did not have the opportunity on this first visit were promised the Patriarch would do everything possible to return later in the year.

Patriarch Hogervorst said of his time in Suriname, “It was a very special experience and a great privilege to serve in this way. It was wonderful to be able to feel so clearly how our Heavenly Father loves His children and to know He is so willing to guide us in our lives. What stood out for me was the humility of the members in Suriname and their gratitude for the gospel. I was very uplifted by their strong testimonies and am impressed with the wonderful way many of the members came into contact with the gospel. It reminded me once again, miracles do happen. There are many more who are looking forward to their Patriarchal blessing. I do not think that to come back once will be enough. The members in Suriname are so anxiously looking forward to what will bring them closer to the Lord and many are preparing to go to the temple when it opens in Manaus, Brazil in 2012.”

Missionwide Zone Conferences Held

Beginning in late June, President Gamiette traveled thousands of miles and held dozens of meetings in three countries in South America and the islands of the Caribbean for a spiritual and motivational mission-wide Zone Conference focusing on faith and planning!

The Mission President used Joseph Smith’s first Lecture on Faith to set the stage for a detailed discussion on planning, goal setting and effective teaching, led in part by Zone Leaders in Guyana, St. Vincent, Grenada, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Barbados, Suriname and of course, Trinidad and Tobago.

Newly created by zone leaders during the ZL Council held in mid-June, missionaries throughout the West Indies, were also introduced to a vision statement for the entire mission which will guide their efforts in the coming months: “through teaching worthy converts, supporting each other as missionaries and appropriately involving local leaders, we envision to foster a sense of togetherness that will stimulate individual conversion to Christ and His gospel leading to weekly baptisms and retention.”

To this end, missionaries participating in each Zone Conference were reminded of the power of the Ideal Funnel which involves planning and setting goals for (1) new investigators, (2) teaching member lessons, (3) Sacrament meeting attendance, (4) baptismal dates and (5) baptism!

Thirteen New Elders Welcomed

A bakers' dozen morally and spiritually strong young men – fresh from the MTC - arrived on Monday, June 14 to begin the best two years of their lives serving the Lord in the West Indies Mission. Their shirts are white, their pant legs are creased, their shoes are shiny and well-heeled and they “are numbered among those of the church of God . . . distinguished for their zeal towards God and men . . . perfectly honest and upright . . . and firm in their faith in Christ, even unto the end” (Alma 27:27).

Welcome to assignments in the islands of the Caribbean or countries of South America to Jayson Paul Kemble (Salem, OR); Bradley Dahl Wilson (Spanish Fork, UT); Austin McKay Jones (Queen Creek, AZ); Chris Anthony D’Oliveira (West Bank Demerara, Guyana); Landon Jeffrey Slaugh (Vernal, UT); Samuel Boyd Jensen (Farmington, UT); Brock Richard Hartshorn (Caldwell, ID); John Garrett Largent (Inola, OK); Nathan Allred Porter (Pleasant Grove, UT); Jarom Quinn Hartshorn (Driggs, ID); Ruita Tehoiri (West Bank Demerara, Guyana); Michael Meredith (Georgetown, Guyana) and Trevor Stewart Peck (Carey, ID).

Seven Months to LaGrange

Remember the final scene in “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” where the wooden box containing the ark was moved into a warehouse among hundreds of other non-descript wooden boxes?

That scene is not unlike what Elder and Sister Angus have dealt with in trying to get their container, filled with emergency supplies, off the dock and through customs in Georgetown, Guyana where it has sat, buried among many other similar looking containers, for more than seven months! On Saturday, June 11 - "an historic day" according to Sister Angus - the patience and determination of these hardworking WIM Humanitarian Services missionaries paid off when the container was finally located, released and stopped traffic on both sides of the Demerara Harbor Bridge as it was being transported to its permanent location on the grounds of the LaGrange Branch building.

The trailer, which was provided through donations from all over the world to the Church’s Humanitarian Services Division, contains dozens of tents, tarps and blankets, hundreds of hygiene kits, a large supply of water filter systems, rope and the famous yellow "Helping Hands" t-shirts until a time when these potentially life-saving provisions are needed to help relieve the pain and suffering caused by natural or manmade disasters in the area.

Mini-youth Conference a Success in Berbice

“Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also” was the theme for a mini-youth conference in the Berbice area on Thursday, May 25 - a beautiful Guyana Independence Day.

According to organizers, Elder and Sister Young, the event “surpassed our expectations” when nearly 120 young people between the ages of 12-18 gathered at the East Canje Branch where President Ramnarine introduced the theme for a day filled with fun, food and spiritual instruction, including their choice of one of two classes during each of four hours . In the first hour, conference participants made the choice to attend “Called to Serve (a Mission)” and “Preparing for the Temple” taught by Yohann Pooran and Rupa Munro or "Establishing a Righteous Heritage through Temple Marriage” with Brother and Sister Bennie as the instructors. In the second hour, the choices were "Evils and Designs of Conspiring Men" (Word of Wisdom) taught be Brother and Sister Kirton or "Joseph and Potiphar's Wife" (Law of Chastity) taught by Brother and Sister Moses. In the third hour, President and Sister Samaroo spoke on "Preparing to Compete in the World" (Education) and Elder and Sister Harris addressed the topic of “Something You Can Take With You" (Seminary & Institute). The day concluded at about 4:30 p.m. with a testimony meeting.

In the end, organizers and local leaders wished they had started a little later in the day and had planned some outdoor games to allow the kids to work out their wiggles, but overall everyone was very pleased with the turnout and content of the event and look forward to seeing the fruits this effort will produce in this outstanding group of young people.

June Transfer Says Goodbye to Ten

They have served with honor through two rainy seasons to "bring souls unto Christ" in the West Indies Mission. They have worn out shoes and the seat of their pants, transferred several times from any of numerous Caribbean islands to the South American continent and back again; and now they are returning to family, friends and the rest of their lives! A fond farewell to Nathaniel James Park (Aberdeen, ID); Dawson Park Lake (Bountiful, UT); Nathan Broadbent Morris (Murray, UT); Brock Martin Beeson (Sammasish, WA); Forrest Alexander Plaster (Orem, UT); Carson Quentin Ence (Ivins, UT); Benjamin Jared Babbel (Corvallis, OR); Tobin Lucas Prince (Murray, UT), Ralph Rodney Wehl (Paramaribo, Suriname) and Freda Toussaint (Abymes, Guadeloupe).

Thank you for your service, and remember always the Lord's promise to his servants when He said, “I, the Lord, delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and truth unto the end.”(D&C 76:5)

June 1 . . . the First Day of Guyana's Future!

Today is the first day of the future for worthy and ambitious young church members (ages 16-30) in Guyana. On this day, the “new and improved” Perpetual Education Fund application goes on-line for those who meet the criteria for financial help to further their education.

PEF - a “bold initiative” which this year celebrates a decade of helping more than 50,000 young men and women in developing areas around the world - currently has nearly 750 students in schools throughout the Caribbean, including 17 in Trinidad . . . but only 1 in Guyana!!!

The Guyana Country Committee is committed to moving PEF forward in their country desperately in need of people educated in the fields of accounting, medicine, technology, education, computers and in management and administration in all these fields.

The Lord is mindful of Guyana’s needs and is poised and ready to fulfill President Gordon B. Hinckley's prophesies when in 2001 he introduced this modern miracle and a catalyst for growth in the Church, saying PEF would be the means whereby members in the West Indies Mission and the world will:

“. . . become leaders in this great work in their native lands”
“. . . pay their tithes and offerings which will make it possible for the Church to expand its work across the world”
“. . . step out of the cycle of poverty they and generations before them have known”