June 10th, 2018

Dear Family and Friends

We have begun the last tour of the mission before departing for home June 30th. It has been difficult to anticipate the emotions, as we are always traveling in and out of the same countries every six weeks for Zone Conferences, so the routine seems the same. The missionaries and members have been so thoughtful and expressed their gratitude in such touching ways. 

In Guyana, the missionaries sang God Be With You Till We Meet Again...complete with harmony!

Dad held a temple fireside for the all the members in both Berbice and Georgetown. There was a great spirit at both meetings and the attendance was a testimony to President Nelson's admonition for all of us to "Stay on the covenant path." Many of the members had to travel 2 hours to the building and they made the sacrifice.

One member painted us a picture of the famous Kaiteur Falls in Guyana. She had the members sign the back of the canvas for us. Others brought food, jewelry and little souvenirs of the country. They don't even know where tomorrow's meal may be coming from, yet they share what they have today.

In Suriname the missionaries presented us with a wooden journal filled with all their testimonies. Since it was Dad's birthday, they also sang Happy Birthday to him and Sister Vermeeren made a black forest cake for all to enjoy. After the temple fireside, the members presented us with matching plaid pangi's. The native people wear this fabric wrap proudly and embroider fun designs on it. They also gave us a wooden plaque with the coat of arms for Suriname.

Tot Ziens Suriname!

Trinidad has been in transition since the pending move, but we enjoyed our last zone conference in the old mission office with the missionaries and the William's, our new senior couple. They also gave us a book of their testimonies and some chocolate for the road.

Our next goodbye's will be in Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Then we will have our last transfer of missionaries and the arrival of President Baird and his wife.

We love you and are counting the days,

Trini and Dad

May 13th, 2018

Dear Family and friends,

It's official...the mission home and office contents are on a ship headed for Curacao. They predict a 6-8 delivery and we are praying that we will be able to unload just in time for the new mission president and his wife. It has been bittersweet to see a mission home that has been used by nine mission presidents come to an end. It was a wonderful home for us for the past three years and always held a special spirit as we welcomed and said farewell to over 200 missionaries. Even though we were seldom at the mission home for more than a week a month, we looked forward to sleeping in our bed and enjoying the wonderful mangoes, bananas, birds and iguanas.

We were so tired after readying our personal items for one crate and then immediately getting the items earmarked for the mission home shipping to Curacao, that I took a moment for a therapeutic and well-deserved cry. Sister Melville, who has worked at the mission home for the past four presidents helped me with the final clean up once everything was out the door. She had a hard time seeing the home completely. I will really miss her. She is such a humble, sweet, Guyanese woman who has taught me so many things. I would like to put her in my suitcase and bring her home with me. 

Just as the last of the items were being placed in the moving van, Dad received a call from our immigration liaison in Trinidad, stating that 26 Overseas Missionary Permits had been granted. It was ironic to say the least, since we were leaving Trinidad because we had not received an OMP in about a year and our missionary force in Trinidad and Tobago was at five companionships. In a matter of three years, we had gone from fifty-six missionaries to ten. I guess the proof of the pudding will be if there is any consistency to the approvals moving forward. 

We have one more tour of the mission and then we will wrap up in Curacao, just in time to greet the new mission president and his wife. Today was the last Sunday spent in Trinidad and the members were so kind to us. Somehow we are still standing and we know it is a direct blessing of trying to serve with all our heart, might, mind and strength.

Thank you for your prayers. We can feel your love and support and it continues to sustain us as we approach the finish line.

Love you all,

Trini and Dad

March 30th, 2018

Cam, Tiffany, Nic, Heather, Jon, Jenny, Marielle, Conner, Julianne, Garrett, Marissa and Greg,

Londyn, Dylan, Harper, Blakely, Luke, Paige, Liam, Rylee, Bo, Britton, McCrae, Hannah, Heidi, Paityn, Kamden,and babies yet to love....

We are thinking of each of you this special Easter week. We love you and are looking forward to enjoying General Conference this weekend. We will miss Pajama Sunday and breakfast together, but are grateful to be able to listen prophets and apostles and their inspired counsel. So grateful to have answers to questions and guidance in a world with so much confusion. We testify that He lives!

Happy Easter,

Mom and Dad

PS Please remember Cam in your prayers this week as he prepares for another back surgery on April 5th. We will be fasting that day, if you would like to join us. 

March 25th, 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

This month has probably been the busiest month of our mission, at least from a travel standpoint. So far this month, we have been at home in Trinidad 22 hours...Just enough time to wash and repack our suitcases. We have not only been traveling through the mission for Zone Conferences, but added to that, have been District Conferences. They are held with the Districts in our mission just like Stake Conferences. So twice a year, Dad basically is responsible for conducting 4 Stake Conferences and the associated meetings. Auxiliary training sessions, youth and YSA firesides and the Saturday and Sunday sessions have kept us very busy. The youth and YSA fireside was a question and answer session that went very well. These youth are amazing and living gospel standards was the focus of the majority of their questions. It is hard to be such a small religious minority in Caribbean countries that have so little regard for gospel standards.

Sandwiched in the minutes in between, we managed to spend time with our wonderful senior couples and grab a few photos. We saw some children headed home after school and Dad couldn't resist their best Ninja imitation. We also heard about a jaguar that had been shot because it had entered a neighboring village and was terrorizing livestock and poultry. Josh, our leather crafter friend, acquired the hide and Dad couldn't resist a photo op. We had also been trying to capture a picture of rice being dried on the road before bagging for shipping. For a few Guyanese dollars, the rice farmer let Dad take a picture. 

We are "EGG"cited for Easter and General Conference. What a blessing to sustain a new prophet and 2 new apostles. 

Love you all,

Trini and Dad

March 4th, 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

If we are not in the doghouse, we should be, for not writing in so long. Much has happened in the last few weeks. I know you thought we might be laying on the beach in the warm Caribbean sun, sipping our pina coladas and listening to the waves lapping the sandy shore, but we assure you that has not been the case.

Our last round trip of the mission had some definite highlights; our favorites being time spent with our missionaries and their investigators. One night in Bonaire, Dad was teaching with the Dutch sisters and I was teaching with the Spanish sisters. Both of us had memorable experiences that strengthened our testimonies.

I was privileged to meet a recent convert Nurys. When we arrived, the sisters introduced her to me as the Mission President's wife. She said that made her nervous and she was happy that I would visit her humble home. As the lesson began, the sisters asked her how she had enjoyed her reading in the Book of Mormon. She jumped up to get her scriptures and came back clutching them to her heart. She began sharing how much she loved the Book of Mormon and the prophet Alma's teachings. Then she raised her hands in the air and began tearfully thanking the Lord for the Book of Mormon, her decision to be baptized and the gratitude she had for the restored gospel. It was a sacred experience. I felt like I was intruding on her private conversation with the Savior. I want to be her when I grow up!

These new converts are so pure and clean and I want to ride their coat tails into heaven.

When we were in Aruba, we were able to attend both the Spanish and the English branch. After church, Dad took some pictures of street art. They were amazing wall murals and were really beautiful. I'm not sure the photos will do them justice.

In Curacao we were able to witness a baptism and also look for a mission home and office. The Area has been by to look at our suggested properties and the real estate powerpoint should be in SLC by now awaiting decision. We will probably relocate the mission home and office within 2 months, due to the lack of missionary permit approvals in Trinidad. It is sad since the mission home has been home to the last 8 mission presidents.

We were also privileged to have Elder Kearon and Elder Zivic and their wives visit Trinidad for a day. They are both in the First Quorum of the Seventy and took the time to have a devotional and lunch with us and our missionaries. It was wonderful to meet them and listen to their inspired counsel. Elder Kearon actually lives in our Stake. He and his wife bought the Mecham's home in the Ashley Park ward. Small world!

Last week we held a mission-wide Mission Leadership Council in Trinidad. Dad flies the missionary leaders (Assistants, Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders) in from all the areas of the mission three times a year. We enjoyed hearing about each of their areas, their goals and challenges impacting the work. I taught about leadership qualities and Dad focused his remarks on Joseph Smith, the restoration of the gospel and conducted a question and answer period that the missionaries really enjoyed.

Our plate is full and so are our hearts. We are grateful for the gospel and your support and prayers.

Love, Trini and Dad

January 12th, 2018

Caroni Swamp

January 7th, 2018

Dear Family and friends,

We hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are looking forward to the blessings and challenges that a New Year has to offer. As Dad and I reflect on the past year, we realize how much we have grown in this missionary calling. It has been humbling to see converts enter the waters of baptism leaving behind such colorful and burdening pasts. They are humble, meek and teachable and are grateful for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and spiritual experiences that continue to fuel their desire to follow the Savior. 

As we have fasted today with each of you in mind, we have been filled with the spirit of comfort and the knowledge that each of you are trying to do your part, as you raise your children to be kind, forgiving and understanding of others. We  admire each of you for loving and spending time with each other. Life will always be fragile and unpredictable but we cannot do it, without each other and the Lord. Thank you Jon for reminding us to follow the promptings of the spirit. Thank you for listening to the still small voice. 

Today in fast meeting one of the sisters said "I have learned to Let go and let God lead." Another sweet man remarked, "We don't have to wait for a New Year to decide to be better. Every day we can make a decision to be better than we were the day before. Every day is a new day, and every day is a gift from the Lord." It has been a sobering experience to see how much we take for granted. A church within walking distance, a calling that allows us to serve others,  temples we can see from our kitchen window and a living prophet who speaks with God. 

We are grateful for this experience that has tried our souls and tempered our steel. 

We don't usually get to spend much time at the mission home and in Trinidad, but it has been a blessing to be here the last two weeks. We have enjoyed the roadside fruit stands, bananas from our own backyard, but mostly the fruits of our labors as we have helped bring others unto Christ. 

Happy New Year

Trini and Dad