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!

Humanitarian Service is Goodwill for the Church

On Wednesday, December 14, dignitaries from Guyana’s Ministry of Health and representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered for the official “handing over” of a semi-truck sized container filled with 235 wheelchairs, walkers, canes and crutches. Elder Lynn and Sister Sharon Angus’ efforts to help the disabled in this South American country is just one of many projects designed to spread goodwill and friendship for the Church and its members throughout the West Indies Mission.

Over the past several months, the Anguses have been involved in the donation of an X-ray machine and autoclave to a hospital in St. Lucia. In Barbados, members from two Church branches worked shoulder-to-shoulder to create 600 hygiene kits – some will be distributed by the branches and some by the Ministry of Health – for use in times of emergency. Humanitarian Service funds were also used to refurbish a neighborhood special needs school in St. Vincent. The school’s kitchen, to be used for life skills training, saw the addition of cupboards and appliances and through HS funding, the school now also has a playground and grass. In a Georgetown, Guyana neighborhood, a community center received a gas stove, 2 large folding tables, 50 chairs, kitchen wares, cots and mattresses, books and bookshelves.

In the new year, the Humanitarian Service missionaries will focus much of their time on helping to teach and train recipients of chicken coops and chicks and will help families create backyard gardens to build self-reliance among members and friends of the Church in Guyana. They will also finalize plans for delivery of computers to four local prisons to enable prisoners to develop marketable skills.

Throughout the Caribbean, government officials and agency recipients of the Church’s generosity are united in their praise: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a valued senior partner and one of our most efficient and responsive donors.”

WIM Welcomes Holiday Arrivals

In another split transfer, the West Indies Mission is pleased to welcome five incoming missionaries fresh from the MTC and excited for the opportunity to serve the Lord and His children in this part of His vineyard. Elder Robert John Palmer (Providence, Utah)and Sister Sarah Walch (Tigard, Oregon) arrived two days after Thanksgiving . . . while French-speaking Elders Tyler Kenneth Ward (No. Ogden, Utah), Justin Michael Cox (Erda, Utah) and Arnold Sosa-Murillo (St. Hubert, Quebec, Canada) arrive in mid-December - just ten days before Christmas.

These five incoming missionaries are certain to bless their respective areas of service with gifts of dedication to the church, devotion to their Heavenly Father and a deep love for His children.

Goodbye, Elder and Sister Childs

“No doubt about it, the best thing about our mission was meeting and working with the members of the Church,” say Elder Ralph and Sister Paulette Childs, returning to their home and family in early December. Their assignment as Assistant Area Auditor and Trainers required them to travel the mission where they met and worked with stake, district and branch presidents, senior couples and young elders and sisters.

High on Sister Childs’ list of best things was her opportunity to meet all the missionaries as they came in and out of the Mission Office. She enjoyed the opportunity to prepare their First and Last Wills and Testaments. Preparing these two documents enabled her to get to know them better and appreciate the growth they experienced on their missions.

The Childs’ also enjoyed the chance to watch over the Gamiette children when President and Sister Gamiette were out of town. As surrogate grandparents, they enjoyed trips with the Gamiette's five children to the zoo, 85-ft. monkey, Pizza Hut and Wendy’s. What a great family!

From a selfish family perspective, the Childs were grateful to be able to witness the baptism of their grandson, Carson and his two cousins on October 14 in St. Lucia. “It was a blessing for both sets of grandparents to witness this special event in this beautiful setting by fathers worthy to perform the ordinances."

The Childs’ spent their entire 18 months in Valsayn, Trinidad living in an apartment just behind the Mission Office, although their assignment took them to 11 of the WIM’s 12 countries.

“We will miss relationships with people we have grown to love. Elder Childs will miss President Gamiette’s doctrinal discussions on faith and repentance. Sister Childs will definitely miss hugs from sisters throughout the mission. Elder Childs wonders if he can greet sisters in our home branch with a kiss on each cheek like he did in the French Islands. Probably not!” laughs Sister Childs. The couple say they will also miss bake-and-shark at Maracas Bay and the beautiful Caribbean beaches and warm clear water.

The couple will not miss living in a walled and gated compound with bars on every window. Elder Childs, who has now become accustomed to driving on the left side of the road, wonders if he will be able to drive on the right side of the road. However, he will not miss congested traffic, cars parked anywhere in the roads, and deep unprotected drop-offs into drainage ditches . . . and, of course, crazy drivers. Elder Childs’ goal was to finish the mission without a wreck but unfortunately, he did not accomplish that goal. Luckily he only hit a fire hydrant.

Their immediate plans upon arriving home in American Fork, Utah are “to spend Christmas 2011 with all of our children and grandchildren. Elder Childs will likely go crazy with all the noise. However, that will be offset by being able to ski with them. The grandchildren are already jockeying for dates to get him on the hill before Christmas,” states Sister Childs. “We also look forward to getting acquainted with all the new members of our branch, going to the temple regularly, delving more deeply into family history, and doing whatever the Lord has in store for us. We are grateful for the opportunity to have served in the West Indies Mission and are appreciative of the many blessing the Lord has poured out on us and our family.”

WIM Celebrates Thanksgiving

Families at home can rest assured their missionaries were well-fed in the company of their mission family on Thanksgiving Day. Even though Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, elders and sisters throughout the islands of the Caribbean and countries in South America gathered for a day of prayer and thanksgiving and traditional and not-so-traditional feasting.

In the mission office in Trinidad, more than 40 missionaries – young and not-so-young – as well as Trini members working nearby enjoyed a huge traditional Thanksgiving dinner . . . even including beautiful centerpieces – one for each of 8 tables - made by Sister Andrus from flowers, leaves and dried palm fronds she had collected for more than a week on her early morning walks.

On the island of Grenada, a Thanksgiving dinner was served after zone meeting on Tuesday. According to those who enjoyed the gathering, “The Elders made the pies and the Sisters made the cornbread muffins. It all tasted very delicious!”

In Georgetown, Guyana a dozen missionaries and two senior couples sat down to dinner following the zone meeting on Thanksgiving Day. The meal included turkey and gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, cook up rice, two desserts and homemade root beer.

In Guyana's Canje area, missionaries and senior couples also shared a pleasant afternoon and lots of good food.

To quote one enthusiastic missionary, the day - whether Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday - “was SO much fun! The missionaries just loved it and had such a good time seeing each other in a non-meeting setting and just visiting. It was great!”

Ten "Return with Honor"

It is time once again to say “goodbye” to ten dedicated missionaries who have completed fulltime service to the Lord and His children here in the West Indies Mission. As you return to the arms of friends, family and a bright future, we pray – in the words of President James E. Faust – “you will always honor four sacred principles: reverence for Deity; respect and honor in family relationships; reverence for and obedience to the ordinances and covenants of the holy priesthood and respect for yourself as a child of God.”

We wish you well (from the upper left): Jordan Matthew Groff (Kaysville, Utah), Santakumar Pitamber (Georgetown, Guyana), Weslande Olysse (of the beautiful island of Martinique), Tyler Murphy White (LaVerne, California), Triston Leandro Murray and Premchand Bharat (both of Georgetown, Guyana), Clayton Jones (Beaver, Utah), Hayden George VanMeeteren (Ogden, Utah), Ted Spurgeon Bushman (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Christina Jaipaul (Georgetown, Guyana).

WIM Welcomes the Lindorfs

The West Indies Mission is the third foray into the Lord’s service for Elder Paul and Sister Kristene Lindorf of Prospect, OR (near Crater Lake) who have previously served together in Thailand and Slovenia. “We have a goal to serve 18 months on – then 18 months off,” states the senior missionary who hopes he will be able to regain some of his French language skill learned when he served a mission in France as a young man 40 years ago. “I’m hoping it will come back to me as we are immersed. I guess we'll see.”

With a BS degree in Marketing and Accounting from BYU, Elder Lindorf was employed in the Marketing Division of Shell Oil Co. in several states for 16 years in Marketing and later as the CFO of Western Wats Center in Provo, UT for 10 years. He retired at age 50 to care for his aged parents with plans to serve missions after their demise.

Calling himself “a jack of all trades, master of none,” Elder Lindorf likes computers (especially Macs) and has written an e-book.

Sister Lindorf, who loves music, plays the piano, organ, guitar and enjoys conducting, hopes to give lessons here in the WIM, if the opportunity arises. A fulltime wife and mother to the couple’s six children, became a “computer devotee” in self-defense in her family of computer geeks. As such she maintains regular communication with their large family – including 17 grandchildren – through blogging and newsletters. She also enjoys healthy cooking and sharing her testimony of the Gospel through updates on their mission activities to hundreds of family members and friends.

“Mostly, I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” says the incoming sister missionary. “My love for the children of our Heavenly Father increases each year I am in their service. I can't imagine a more delightful retirement! I'm humbly thankful for this small way of showing my gratitude to God.”

Welcome to the WIM, Elder and Sister Lindorf.