Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Welcome Home- June 30th, 2018
"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." 1 Nephi 3:7
The Final Entry
Dear Family and Friends,
How do you sum up three years in one last journal entry? Our last tour through the mission was tender and bittersweet as we said goodbye to missionaries, members and investigators that had become a part of our very souls. What a blessing it was to experience the cultures, languages, and testimonies of these wonderful children of God. Although it was the hardest fun we ever had, it was also immensely rewarding and testimony building.
How do you sum up three years in one last journal entry? Our last tour through the mission was tender and bittersweet as we said goodbye to missionaries, members and investigators that had become a part of our very souls. What a blessing it was to experience the cultures, languages, and testimonies of these wonderful children of God. Although it was the hardest fun we ever had, it was also immensely rewarding and testimony building.
We learned more about our Savior by serving his children in Trinidad, Tobago, Suriname, Guyana, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. They will forever be imprinted in our hearts and we are better for having known them. They taught us the meaning of meekness, humility and willingness to consecrate all they had for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our missionaries were the best of the best and it was a joy to watch them mature and spiritually change, through exact obedience and dedication to their calling as a disciple of the Lord. The blessings of the atonement became obvious in their countenances and blessed the work in the Trinidad Port of Spain Mission.
As each missionary returned home, they were given a temple recommend holder with our mission scripture.
“Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness… then is His grace is sufficient for you.” Moroni 10:32
We saw His grace in action daily and will never forget our mission experience. It was a privilege to serve and we pray that we may all stay true to the covenants and promises we have made, so that He may say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord." Matthew 25:21
We are grateful for our six children and 15 grandchildren whose prayers were tangibly felt as we were away serving. We want them to know that we can do hard things and so can they, especially when called by the Lord.
"And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands, for my namesake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life." Matthew 19:29
May our family continue to stay strong in our testimonies of a loving Heavenly Father, of His son Jesus Christ, and in His atonement, so that we can be together eternally.
We love you so much,
Trini and Dad
The Lasts
Goodbye dessert from the staff at Guyana Marriott.
Friday, June 15, 2018
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
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