Six Say Goodbye in July Transfer

On July 27, six spiritually strong, hardworking missionaries - all who have served faithfully and honorably in the West Indies Mission - face the finality of a packed bag. Parting with companions and members. The last interview with the mission president. The knotted stomach. The plane ride home. The reunitings, and the realization . . . their fulltime service to the Lord – for which they have prepared since childhood – has ended.

Brandon Ray Ackerman (Grace, Idaho), Christian Beau Hicken (Salt Lake City, Utah), Austin Kasey Morris (Mesa, Arizona), Mathias Nathan Miranda (Riversaltes, France), Ronetla Malika Mentore (Georgetown, Guyana) and Alwin Jeffry Roepers (Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands) will leave for home this week to begin the next step of their eternal mission.

Each of you will be missed by those who have served alongside you or who were introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ through your willingness to share the gospel message. You will always be sons (and a daughter) of the West Indies!

Meet the Treseder's . . . Again!

Richard and Margaret (“Meg”) Treseder, of Queen Creek, Arizona, are returning for a second time to the West Indies Mission where they will provide shadow leadership to the saints in Berbice. They were first called to serve in Guyana in March 2009, but were transferred to St. Lucia to complete their 18-month mission, after spending what Sister Treseder describes as “a fun day in the Georgetown jail” along with approximately 30 other foreign missionaries expelled from the country in September 2009 – “a story our grandchildren love to tell to their friends.”

“We really love the people of Guyana and are excited to be back among them,” notes Sister Treseder. “It wasn’t practical for us to extend when we were here before, but we promised President Gamiette we would return.”

Calling their first mission “an incredible experience in both places” the Treseders are anxious to renew friendships with those they knew and loved in Berbice as they “madly try to remember names and places which stretch our feeble minds. But, having been there before is reassuring, although we know it won’t be exactly the same place we left. On the other hand, we are not looking forward to the bugs, mosquitoes, chiggers, and the muggy weather.”

In his working life, Elder “T” – as he was known during their first mission in Guyana - earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, a Master of Education in Counseling and Psychotherapy, served his country for almost seven years as a Navy pilot (and later in the Air Force – then retired from the Army). He then went on to serve the Lord for nearly 30 years as a seminary instructor. Sister Treseder managed a janitorial business, owned a pet store, worked in a construction office and in a Mexican restaurant while she raised “five great kids who have given us 15 wonderful grandkids, the oldest who is serving a mission in So. Carolina. We will miss them, but are anxious to be a part of the West Indies mission with the best missionaries and the greatest mission President in the church.”

Welcome back, Elder and Sister Treseder, to “the land of many waters.”

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.