Week 72 - My trip to Barbados this week is gonna be a little longer than planned...
Hello!!
So yes, as I mentioned in my last email, this week my companions and I are going to Barbados this week for a Mission Leadership Conference. It was only supposed to last a few days. BUT we got a call from my mission president today that I will actually be TRANSFERRED to Barbados in 2 weeks probably for the rest of my mission to replace a sister who is going home! It'll be quite the adjustment because the English islands are pretty different from the French islands, but I'm really excited for the opportunity to discover and come to love Barbados even more!! My companion will be Sister MacDonald and I'm excited, I know her a little bit from exchanges a few months ago and it'll be a blast! BUT I really have to profit from this last little bit I have speaking French in Guadeloupe, because I'm reaallyy going to miss it!
Anyways, this week was really incredible. On Monday we taught a family home evening to a family that has been coming to church for years, but the kids had never gotten permission from both parents to be baptized until this week! So we scheduled a baptismal date for this Saturday, which'll be a bit crazy trying to organize since we'll be off the island for half this week but we'll be getting lots of help from the branch and other missionaries to make it happen!
Funny note about that, on Saturday for their baptismal interview, the kids weren't all there, so us and the Elders (they conduct the baptismal interview) drove over to this park trying to find this kid at night time, which was kinda creepy but turns out he went back to the house haha. It was stressful but they all got done and they're all good!! :)
We also set a baptismal date with the son of one of the recent converts, Junie! He's nine, and the most classic nine-year-old you can imagine at that haha :) We've been working with him for awhile and he was always nervous about getting baptized, but he just brought up out of nowhere during a lesson this week, "Sooo if I get baptized, could I do it at noon?" and we were just like, "ummmm yeah! You want to get baptized?!?!" Hahaha so he's apparently getting baptized at noon on November 9!!
I love all the people we're teaching and all the people I've taught in this area. I love this place SO much and it'll be hard leaving it!!!
Some highlights of the week...
-One of our friends, a sweet older man, gave us and a member a little tour of these houses he has for rent (even though we aren't really looking for a place to rent out, he said we could use some of the space for a church!!)
-ME playing the guitar (no, I do not play the guitar, but he thought I did so I kinda just strummed random chords) as we all sing "Je suis enfant de Dieu" (I am a Child of God) with the same older man friend . He also played the guitar (actually played it this time unlike me haha) and we sang "Jesus reviendra... Hallelujah!!" (Jesus is coming back, Hallelujah) over and over again hahaha. It was a good moment :)
-I got to see STANLEY, he's one of the people I've kinda been teaching in this area for MONTHS but I hadn't seen him in awhile!! It felt good to reconnect and see that he still has a desire to come closer to Christ (however I was disappointed to hear that he no longer makes comedy videos in Haitain creole on YouTube lol. Not that I could watch them but I was looking forward to it when I got home!)
-One night, we wanted to stop by the house of a less-active member I love a lot in this area. As we drove past and walked up we noticed a man sitting out there with her (it's like night time, seven at night) and it turns out to be President Eclar, an iconic member here who's in the mission presidency and counsels us to "stay fresh for Jesus." He was over there fulfilling his ministering duties, so we got to join in impromptu on a little lesson with them!
A huge miracle that came from this though, is that Pres. Eclar mentioned another less-active woman who lives just close by that we had never even heard of before. We dropped by after our first lesson and drove to this woman's house. She was a really sweet older woman who was on
e of the first members of the early branch in our area, but for years she hasn't been coming. Pres. Eclar told her quite boldly, but with a lot of love (that's the key) that Heavenly Father NEEDED her to be back at church THIS Sunday and that he'd be there at 9 am to pick her up. She was quiet for a second, but then went into a story from earlier that day, that she had felt she needed to return to some church, but wasn't sure which one. Us and Pres. Eclar stopping by and inviting her back was the answer she was seeking to that question, and she accepted his offer. And on Sunday, she was there!!! And it was beautiful!! She shared wonderful insights in the lesson and loved sacrament meeting because we had the Primary Program this Sunday, which always is just amazing haha :)
e of the first members of the early branch in our area, but for years she hasn't been coming. Pres. Eclar told her quite boldly, but with a lot of love (that's the key) that Heavenly Father NEEDED her to be back at church THIS Sunday and that he'd be there at 9 am to pick her up. She was quiet for a second, but then went into a story from earlier that day, that she had felt she needed to return to some church, but wasn't sure which one. Us and Pres. Eclar stopping by and inviting her back was the answer she was seeking to that question, and she accepted his offer. And on Sunday, she was there!!! And it was beautiful!! She shared wonderful insights in the lesson and loved sacrament meeting because we had the Primary Program this Sunday, which always is just amazing haha :)
-We were given a gigantic avocado this week! My mom will be proud that I put that in as a highlight because I haven't always been the biggest avocado fan, but I'm warming up to them!
-As a zone we hiked a volcano this morning! It's the highest point in Guadeloupe so let me tell ya it wasn't easy going up but man, honestly it was worth it!! It was so beautiful I feel like fairies could live there... plus there was a rainbow at the top so pretty much it's a very magical place!!! I'm trying to get pics sent but they're not loading except for two afterwards of the zone and of me and my companion Soeur Watling eating fries from McDonald's after the hike hahaha xD So there's no proof we actually did hike a volcano but maybe look up "The Souffrière" on google and you'll find some cool pics! Those pics will be in another email.
-Welkens, in Abymes, got baptized yesterday!!! Soeur Herrera and I met him last transfer, and the new elders in Abymes have been preparing him for baptism these last couple weeks!! I didn't get to see him get baptized because we were still in church in Lamentin, but I did get to take a picture with him from afterwards. I'm so happy for him!!
Basically, this week was great and now I feel like the rest of my mission is just going to be really bittersweet all the time... which I guess is just how it is. But I send you all lots of love and bisous from the islands!!
Love,
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