Truman and Carol's Mission

Moving On

2011-07-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

We've been home from our West Indies Mission for 16 months. We both went to work to help pay off some mission expenses and because what else were we going to do? Truman went to work at Downtown Furniture, our son's furniture store, as a salesman. I worked as an ESL assistant at Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School. Turns out my experience will be a big help for what we are going to do now.

In January we were ready to put mission papers in again, but we had heard about the BYU China Teacher's Program from a Sr. Couple we served with in the West Indies. Before their mission. the Olivers went to China as English teachers. I have always wanted to go do something like that, so we put in an application just to see what might happen. In April, we received word that we had been accepted at Shangdong University in Jinan, China.

On August 1st we will start a 2 week training session at BYU. Then, sometime near the end of August, we will leave for our new home, jobs, and adventure in CHINA! If you found this blog, please see the link in the sidebar to "Our China Adventure" and share our adventures with us.

OUR LATEST BAPTISMS IN TOBAGO

2010-03-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

On March 20th a greatly anticipated event took place.
Sister Kay Williams and her 4 daughters were baptized
over a year ago
but her husband, Ian, wasn't ready.
After learning about the temple and sealing families
Kay wanted that, too.
So, she talked to her husband again about the church.
He agreed to have the missionaries come back and teach him.
This time he prayed and read the Book of Mormon
and received his answer.

L to R: Sister Leishman, Janelle Burgess, Antonia Williams, Ian Williams, Kay Williams, Elder Gaddy (the short one)
1st row: Denzel Williams, Natalie Williams, Sister Jaipaul, Nikita Williams, Sister Mentore

Ian Williams was baptized by Elder Jensen in Courland Bay in the Caribbean Sea.

Sister Kay and her husband, Ian, are now 1 year away
from being able to go to the temple
to be sealed for eternity.

The day after Ian was baptized he was confirmed in church.
Then, after church he was ordained a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood.
After that we all traveled to Stone Haven Beach where
Ian baptized his son, Denzel, who had turned 8 in February.

This is a group shot of the Williams family
and some of the branch members
who attended the baptism.

WE'RE COMING HOME! NO FOOLING!

2010-03-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we are down to our last two weeks
in the mission field.
We are being released on April 1st
and will fly from
Trinidad to New York to Salt Lake and finally to St. George
all on that day.
This is no April Fool's joke.

We are scheduled to speak in the Green Valley 3rd Ward
on April 18th.
Sacrament meeting starts at 1:00 p.m.

We invite our family and friends to come to our home
and say "hi" after 5 p.m. that evening.
Light refreshments will be served.

BAPTISMS IN TOBAGO

2010-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

On February 27th Trevor and Claudette George were baptized in Back Bay
on the Caribbean side of Tobago.
They were our first baptisms in 3 months in Tobago and that was a long time
to go without baptisms.

Elder Linton baptized Claudette and Elder Leishman baptized Trevor.

On March 6th Trevor and Claudette's youngest son, Destin, was baptized.
The next day he was confirmed and ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood.
He is our 2nd youth with the Aaronic Priesthood
but the other one is not coming to church anymore.
So, we are really excited to have someone to pass the sacrament besides missionaries.
His dad, Trevor, who was ordained a Priest after his baptism and confirmation,
has been blessing the sacrament.
We have prayed hard for our missionaries to find strong priesthood holders.

The George family was an answer to prayers.
Also in the picture with the George family is Elders Jensen and Gaddy,
Elder and Sister Leishman, and Sister Jaipaul and Sister Mentore.

The George Family: Trevor, Destin, Claudette

MORE PICS FROM LINDEN, GUYANA

2010-03-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Don't I look good surrounded by a bunch of handsome men in suits!

This was taken right after a wedding ceremony in Linden.
I did the wedding cake. Truman was Father of the Bride.
(see an older post)

Three special men in Linden.
Mark Rodney, next to Truman, was called to be the first group leader in Linden,
Then, he was called to be the 1st Couns. in the Diamond Branch responsible for Linden.
Mark is now preparing for a mission.
Simeon Forde was the 1st Linden Branch president called when the Linden Branch was formed.
Oral McLean, next to me, was baptized by Truman on Sept. 5th
a few weeks before we left Guyana.
About a month ago the Linden Branch presidency was changed
and Oral was called to be the new branch president.

Linden church group started on Feb. 1st, 2009.
The first four members were baptized that day.
One year later, there are nearly 180 members in the Linden Branch
that was organized in November of 2009.
This picture is a portion of the people who were in attendance at sacrament meeting
when we went back for a visit in Feb. 2010.

The 2nd church group in Linden was started in July of 2009.
Approximately 40 (or more) of the 180 Linden members attend this church group.
This is a picture of the Primary children on our visit to their meetings.

One night Truma got stuck in the sand while looking for a contact.
The Emmanuel family came out in force to help dig him out.
He told them what he was doing and a little bit about the church.
They said they wanted to hear more so he and missionaries started teaching them.
Since that time about 15 family members and friends have been baptized
from the one chance encounter.
(Was it really by chance? I don't think so. That family had been prepared.)

1st SISTER MISSIONARIES IN TOBAGO

2010-03-15T20:13:00.001-07:00

Sister Jaipaul (short one) and Sister Mentore from Guyana began serving in Tobago on the 9th of March. They have the distinction of being the 1st sister missionaries to serve on the island of Tobago. They served in Trinidad for a while before coming here and were the 1st sister missionaries to serve there, too. (Except for two senior sister missionaries.)

Another fun event of the last week was a surprise visit from one of our Trinidad elders, Elder Kyle Thomas, and his parents. His parents came to pick him up from his two year mission in the West Indies. We had just one day with them but were able to take them to see some of the sites on our lovely, but dry right now, island.
We also had a visit from President Claude Gamiette, West Indies Mission President, and his wife and five children. He came over to Tobago to preside at our Tobago Branch Conference and to do some training. He brought his family with him to enjoy a day of relaxation at one of our Caribbean beaches. They also were able to stay and enjoy Sunday dinner with us and the elders.

On March 3rd, we said 'good-bye' to Elder Linton, who served with us for 3 transfers (4 months). He's the one in the suit. Elder Jensen, the tall one in the middle, was his companion for 2 of those transfers. Elder Gaddy is now Elder Jensen's new companion.

Elder and Sister Leishman with Elder Linton.

TRIP TO GUYANA

2010-03-14T22:17:00.001-07:00

In February we took a trip back to Guyana for two reasons:
1. We really wanted to visit all of our dear friends in Linden one more time before finishing our mission.
2. One of our very good friends called and asked me to do a wedding cake for here.
She was one of our faithful church attenders.
After months of waiting she finally received the document she needed in order to get married to the man she had been with for over 20 years.
She wanted that and needed that to happen in order for her to finally follow her four daughters into the waters of baptism.

Truman was given the honor of being the
Father of the Bride.

There I was having to put on a few final borders after the cake was transported in three pieces across town, over the river, over a rickety old bridge,
and over a red dirt road full of potholes,
no craters.

It just so happens that when we lived in Linden we traveled down Lover's Lane everyday to get to our apartment which was on the next street over.
We couldn't resist getting a picture on this last trip to Linden.
There were six missionaries serving in Linden when we were there. Three elders from the states, one elder from Guyana, and two sister missionaries also from Guyana.

In this picture, we are with the Ramdeholl family at their home in Anarika.
Bro. Ramdeholl is the one on the right who was severely injured in a logging accident back in June 2009.
After many, many months of laying in a hospital bed waiting for his hips, legs, and bladder to heal from various surgeries, he is home now and very active. He isn't able to go back to work yet but is getting stronger every day.

SAYING GOOD-BYE IS HARD TO DO!

2010-03-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

In the transfer of Jan. 20th we lost two of our four elders. Elder Duncan and Elder Chambers went back to serve in Trinidad again. We really enjoyed having four missionaries in Tobago. They will be missed.

Downloading and exchanging pics before the transfer. Aren't digital cameras great?
On their last P-day before the transfer we took the elders to visit Argyle Falls which in just a few blocks away from where a member and her daughters and grandchildren live.

SCRIPTURE POWER

2010-01-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

We had a visit from the Trinidad Central zone leaders, Elder Cotton-Betteridge and Elder Thomas, on Jan. 5th. We had a district/zone meeting with them during their two-day visit. We held the meeting on the grounds of the Fort King George on a hill overlooking Scarborough. We found a secluded ledge that was quiet enough to hold the meeting. It was a special meeting and the spirit was very strong. I really love seeing these young men teach and motivate each other to be better missionaries.
Jan. 20th was Transfer Day. We really enjoyed having another set of elders on our island but, alas, we had to say good-bye to Elder Duncan and Elder Chambers who both were sent back to Trinidad. We had some great times with them and they are both excellent missionaries. We didn't get another set of missionaries to replace them so now we are back down to one set, Elders Jensen and Linton. This will be ther third transfer on Tobago. Don't they look handsome!

Winter brings wild and ferocious waves on the beaches.

2009-12-31T13:37:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Don't let this slideshow fool you. we really are missionaries and work hard at it each day.
We go walking on a beach every morning except Sunday.
The pictures in the slideshow were taking a few days ago.
We went for our usual walk and found wild waves crashing on the beach.

We've been here 3 months now and hadn't seen anything like it.

We asked a local about it when we saw him surfing on a different beach.
He said it is typical for the water to be wild in winter.
(Winter here in the West Indies doesn't come close to the kind of weather
we usually associate with winter.)

CHRISTMAS IN TOBAGO 2009

2009-12-29T09:06:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas day service project was visiting
a children's home in Tobago called the SylPhil House.
It is home to 26 children from ages 9 months to 18 years.
Phillip and Sylvia started the home over 55 years ago.
Sylvia is deceased now but Phil has a daughter, Susan, who helps him run it now.

This first picture is of the elders decorating sugar cookies.

We took 3 dozen cookies along with two boxes of food items

and a laundry basket filled with a gift for each of the children.
We purchased crayons and coloring books, reading books, and journals to give to the children.
On Christmas Eve, the elders helped us wrap each of the gifts.

Christmas morning the elders came over for breakfast.
In this picture Elder Chambers is trying to beat Elder Jensen in a contest of
"Let's see who can eat the most pancakes".
Elder Jensen outdistanced Elder Chambers by two pancakes.
The picture below is Elder Duncan doing the dishes while the other are still eating.

After breakfast and the cleanup we headed over to the SylPhil House
to take our gifts and to sing them some Christmas Carols.
Turns out, we were the ones entertained by a small band made up of some of the children.
There were actually about 10 playing instruments which included recorders,
bass guitar, drums, keyboard, clarinets,
and the star of the show, the steel pan.

On the porch of the house are Santa's helpers -
Elder Duncan, Elder Linton, Elder Chambers, and Elder Jensen.

After entertaining us, the children went outside to have fun in the sun.
They had a blow-up swimming pool that could hold about a dozen of the smaller children.

They were shoulder to shoulder in the pool, but they didn't care.
It was a HOT day, so, as long as they were wet and cool, nothing else mattered.
You can see the pool getting fuller and fuller behind Elder Linton.

The elders were tempted to join them
but they obeyed mission rules and stayed out of the water.

Going there was a WONDERFUL experience for us and we look forward to going back soon.

10th Transfer - Oct.28 to Dec09

2009-12-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

This was our 2nd transfer in Tobago. (For those of you who don't speak the language of missionaries, a transfer is 6 weeks. Missionaries think in terms of transfers not months.)

In this picture are Elders Ackeman and Larson at their last baptism before the transfer ended. They baptized the neices of a couple who had been baptized in August. Kerron and Natasha are guardians of the girls since the death of their parents.

Two new elders were placed on the island, Elder Jensen and Elder Linton. Elder Jensen had been serving in Chaguanas, our first mission area. Elder Linton was in Guyana at the same time we were and was among those of us 'detained' in the police station.

In this picture with Elder Leishman are our daughter, Jacquie, and our grandson, Dan, with Elders Linton and Jensen with Beverly Pantin, who was their first baptism on Tobago.

Jacquie, Dan, and Helaman came to Tobago for a week at Thanksgiving time. We had a great time showing them around the island and playing in some of the many beaches.

We had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Jacquie, Dan, and Hela were still with us and so were Elders Jensen and Linton.

We were joined also by Tim and Lizzie Gattin from Oregon who were vacationing on Tobago during the holiday. Tim was a missionary in the West Indies 15 years ago having served in Trinidad and Guyana but had visited Tobago with his parents when they came to pick him up after his mission. When they came to church the Sunday before Thanksgiving after seeing the elders walking around downtown, we invited them to share Thanksgiving dinner with us. (Tim was the one taking the picture.)

A NEW ASSIGNMENT

2009-11-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

By Sept. 30th, thanks to the government of Guyana,
Elder Leishman and I,

along with 36 other missionaries,
found it necessary to leave Guyana.
It was a very emotional time for us.
We had grown to love the people in Linden so much.

We were re-assigned to the island of Tobago,
just north of Trinidad,to replace Elder and Sister Ross
who were leaving to go home.
The first set of missionaries we worked with on Tobago was
Elder Larson from Logan, Utah and
Elder Ackerman from Grace, Idaho.

We are standing on the beach at Courland where we
had just attended our first baptism in Tobago.

Fayola Ctitchlow was baptized on Oct. 10th by Elder Ackerman.
We had her baptismal service in a large grove of trees
just a few feet from the beach.

Take a look at the big wave ready to hit the shore.
This was taken just after it nearly knocked both of them over.
The next picture is from our 2nd baptism a few weeks later.

Leana and Diana were baptized on Oct. 25th at Stone Haven Beach.
The baptismal service was held among the rocks and
trees right on the shore.
It was attended by Branch President Kissoon,
some other branch members,
and their guardians, Kerron and Natasha Regis.

Diana, 13, is the oldest sister.

Leana, 9, is the younger sister.
The girls are living with their aunt and uncle,Kerron and Natasha,
because their parents are both dead.
Kerron and Natasha were both baptized in August.
We've been to FHE at their house several times.
They are a very special family.

Antonia Williams and Adelline Wiltshire are two of our seminary students.
They are actually the only two that are coming right now
but we are determined to get more coming.

2009-10-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My How You Have Grown

2009-09-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

My slideshow still isn't done but here are some more wonderful pictures of the people we love.

My darling Young Women and their leaders.
Pictured with them is Sister Collins, the new Senior Sister.
She is in the upper right hand corner. I guess she's easy to find, she's the only red-head there.

There were over 80 who attended Sacrament Meeting on Sept. 27th, our last Sunday.
Elder Leishman insisted on a group shot outside.
What a special group of people they are -
faithful, loving, and dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Linden has over 20 students in seminary

with an average attendance of 13 or 14.

They are wonderful, eager-to- learn youth. They are the future leaders of Linden.

Nice looking bunch of Priesthood holders
looking sharp in their Priesthood uniforms, white shirts and tie..

Here we are at the Guyana airport.
Smiling on the outside but crying on the inside.
We will miss Guyana.
We will be going back to visit before we go home.

Don't Give Up On Me

2009-09-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a slideshow for over a week now. It's almost done but I just don't have time to finish. We are leaving Monday morning for Tobago, an island just above Trinidad, where we will finish our mission. We're so sad to leave Guyana. We really love Linden and the people of Linden, especially the members of our church groups.

This is "Farmer" Elder Leishman talking to his good friend, Oral, and Oral's donkey. Oral farms on 35 acres.

This is my very good friend, Alice. We are like sisters and I'm really going to miss her.

More Baptisms in Linden

2009-09-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

I call this picture "Angels in the In-field".
Elder Leishman and Elder Brenkmann walk through a grassy field
to the place where the baptisms will take place.

We had four baptisms in Linden at 8 o'clock this morning, Sept. 5, 2009
L to R in the front are Simeon, Chris, Ashley, and Oral.
L to R in the back are Elders, Harris, Tupou, Brenkmann, and Leishman.

Sister Leishman, Oral McLean, Elder Leishman after his baptism.
Oral is a farmer in Linden.

Elders Harris and Babbel found and taught Simeon
who is a drug and alcohol counselor in Linden.

We had a really nice group at this morning's baptismal service.

Baptism by Moonlight

2009-09-04T13:31:00.001-07:00

I'm afraid I'm not very expert at using my new digital camera. So, this shot of the full moon just before Malika's baptism leaves a little to your imagination. Can you see the shadow of the palm trees in front of the moon? The light at the bottom of the picture is the moon's reflection in the blackwater creek where Malika Culpepper was baptized on Sept. 3rd, 2009.

Malika's mother, Juliet, was baptized earlier this summer. We were all very happy when Malika called the elders Thursday morning to say that she was ready. We had a sweet service in the moonlight on the rocks by the creek with songs, talks, and testimonies. We don't have a font in Linden. All of our baptisms are in the river or a tributary of the river.

Young Men's Camp in Linden, Guyana 2009

2009-09-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

We had 24 young men from the Linden Church Group attend Young Men's Camp this year. We also had two of our sisters volunteer to go spend the week with the boys and be part of the cooking staff. (What's up with that? Shouldn't the boys be doing their own cooking?) They had a great time playing volleyball, fishing, going on 5K runs every morning, studying the scriptures, swimming in the nearby creek, and, of course, eating.

The highlight of the camp for the Priest age boys was a service project in Anarika which is a small village about 10K from where the camp was held. A member family lives in Anarika. You might remember about the man who was seriously injured in a logging accident. It was at their house that they did the service project.

The Ramdeholls had a garden spot that they used each year to plant vegetables for their family's use and to sell. They had already planted 50 pepper plants in pots earlier in the year. Shortly after that he had the accident that has prevented him and Sister Ramdeholl from clearing the garden spot and planting the vegetables. So that's what the Priests did for a couple of hours during their camp experience.

The Ramdeholls were very grateful for the help. The garden spot was cleared and planted expertly by the boys with the help of Elder Leishman's many years of experience.

FYI - Brother Ramdeholl is scheduled to finally have the pins removed that have held his pelvis in place for 3 months. When that is finished and he has healed, he still needs to have surgery to repair his ureter. This sweet family has suffered much pain and sorrow in the last 4 months but their faith and testimony of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer has not wavered. They are a special family and we know that Elder Leishman was inspired to make Anarika part of his mission in Linden.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR LINDEN, GUYANA

2009-08-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

GIRL'S CAMP

On Tuesday, August 11th, we took 10 girls and their leader to Summerville Camp where we met the rest of the girls from various branches in the Georgetown District.
Check out those smiling faces.

Sister Juliet Culpepper in pink on the far right volunteered to be our girls' leader for the 4 days and nights they would be at camp.
Of the 10 girls in the picture, 5 of them are her family members.
One is her daughter, one is her granddaughter, and three are her neices.
Sister Juliet was baptized in May but as yet, no one in her family has been baptized.
None of her 5 girls have been baptized as yet but I think that will change soon.
All the girls had such an amazing spiritual experience and her 5 girls were especially touched. Each of the girls who went, including the 5 who aren't members, bore their testimony in church the following Sunday.

Doesn't this look like a refreshing way to spend a summer afternoon?

This is our group of girls catching up on camp gossip under the shade of a big tree.

Experience the Light

2009-08-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Our deepest fears concern the unknown.
Some of us walk in darkness not knowing the power of light.
There are those of us who fail to search, to stretch or reach for their destiny when it is within their grasp.
Those not willing to find the height to which they can rise will fall short of their greatest aspirations.
Light overcomes fear,
experience overcomes doubt,
knowledge overcomes the unknown.

by Elder Truman Leishman

Have you ever see a more picturesque spot for a baptism?
The water is actually called 'blackwater'. It's not dirty water, it's water that has been darkened by minerals and from the dyes in the leaves and bark of trees in the rainforest where the water starts. It's like a mirror the way it reflects the blue and white from the sky and clouds.

This is a closer picture of the man who is in the first picture. Elder Leishman just baptized him last Sunday, Aug. 1, 2009. His name is Lee Almond Darrel.

On the weekend of the July 17th & 18th, we had a big SPLASH! There were 16 new members of the church added to the Linden church group (soon to become a branch).
In the picture above is a family of seven. This baptism was held on July 17th.

This picture is of the baptism held on Sunday, July 18th.
Six people were baptized members of the church. So the grand total for the weekend was 16. Now comes the job of keeping them active and working in the church.

1
MIB or MISSIONARIES?
They're handsome enough and smart enough to be MIB but they are, of course, hard-working missionaries - 24/7.
Missionaries in the West Indies are not required to wear a suit coat. They were wearing theirs to attend a funeral of a member of our church group.
L to R: Elder Tupou, Elder Babbel, Elder Harris, Elder Packer.

Wedding in Linden

2009-07-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

4th of July in Linden

2009-07-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

We had 3 baptisms on the 4th of July.
I wore a red blouse and Elder Leishman wore a red tie in honor
of the birthday of our great country.

Four children of the sister in the middle of the picture were baptized two months ago. Sister Holder had just had a new baby so she wasn't able to get baptized until now.

I love this shot of Elder Clark taken just as he dunked Nathaniel Giddings in the water.
(We just got a new camera and it takes amazing pictures.)

With the start of the last transfer on June 24th
we now have 4 missionaries working on the northern side of the Demerara River and
4 missionaries working on the southern side.

The southern side is where almost all of our members are right now.
Because the chapel we are using on the southern side is more than full to capacity
and because of travel time and expense for people living on the northern side of the river,
we are now having sacrament meeting in the elder's apartment for all of their investigators.

They now have two new members, both young men, in their little church group.

This is Elder Vance, Nathaniel, and Elder Clark.
Nathaniel was their first baptism in Linden and
is the first Priesthood holder for their group.

Saturday, July 11th, Elder Houchens, who arrived as a 'greenie' at the start of this transfer, had his first baptism since coming into the mission field.
He and his companion, Elder Brenkmann, found and taught Carl Arthur.

Elder Houchens baptized Carl in a beautiful little cove in a blackwater creek that feeds into the Demerara River.

Carl was confirmed the next day and ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. He is 20 years old and will eventually be the first Melchizedek Priesthood holder in the new Linden church group.
This group of people who attended Carl's baptism are some of his family and friends.

The young girl on the far right is being taught by Elders Brenkmann and Houchens
and plans to be baptized this coming Saturday.

Because her brother is a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood, he will be able to perform the baptism.

Elder Packer is just getting ready to dunk Edwin Gordon in the Demerara on July 4th.
Edwin was confirmed the next day and ordained with the Aaronic priesthood.
He now has been interviewed by District President Goodluck and
was ordained Sunday, July 12th, to the Melchizedek priesthood.
He is the 3rd Elder in the original church group.
The man in the slide show on this site, Ian Greene, was the 2nd Elder in Linden .
Here are men HARD at work - the best work of all, the Lord's work!
Elder Harris, President Mark Rodney, Elder Packer, Elder Tupou, and Elder Babbel.
President Rodney, 19 years old, was just baptized in June, was the first Elder ordained in Linden since it opened in February, and was called and set apart to be the 2nd counselor to President Simmons in the Diamond Branch Presidency.

His assignment is the Linden church group. Because it is an hour and fifteen minute drive from our home branch of Diamond, Guyana, the Linden group was formed.

We now have a Guyanese member as its leader instead of the missionaries who will now start taking more of a shadow leadership role.

This is Elder Babbel with his first baptism.
He is also a 'greenie'; he came from the MTC with Elder Houchens in June.

He baptized Sabrina Bethune on July 11th in the Demerara River.

Since our last email to family and friends many of you have asked about
Brother Davenand Ramdeholl.

This picture was taken last week. He is still in the hospital. He has had some rough days during his recovery. Unfortunately some of it was caused by medical practices in Guyana.
He is on the mend now.

What you see on his abdomen is a halo of metal rods connected and tighten to keep his pelvis immobile while the bones heal. He has to wear that for another month. When it is removed, he will then be able to have surgery to repair the damage done to his bladder.
It's been over a month since his accident.

Brother and Sister Ramdeholl joined the church in Georgetown 14 years ago but have since moved to a small village 25 miles away from Linden called Anarika. He and his son, Ryan, are Elders. Ryan is preparing his papers to go on a mission.

Be Baptized and Live

2009-07-05T19:27:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A New Creature in Christ

2009-07-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

This poem was written by a recent convert. She shared it with Elder Leishman and I at church today. I wanted to share it with you.

Shattered by the long, lonely days of darkness,
A soul that wandered away from the glory of God,

Knowing not who or where to turn

or rest my weary bones.

I lingered day and night near the book of

Truth, Prosperity, and Love.

I felt like a locked box inside a cave with no escape -

for all have come short of the glory of God.

Faith has brought me thus far.

As I read the book of hope for many days,

turning page by page,

Pondering upon what is being read,

I learned the facts of being wise,

and obtaining wisdom,

and understanding in Christ.

I felt the confidence of hope

that a broken heart and a new soul was seen in Heaven's eyes.

Heaven rejoices over one sinner that repents.

Touched by an angel,

Delivered from the enemies concave,

Cleansed by the Holy Spirit,

Putting on the whole armour of God -

Yeah! I can rejoice!

For I am clean, washed in the blood

and sheltered under the golden branches of love, peace, and joy,

and, most of all, covered under God's wings.

I am blessed, sanctified, and purified by God's hands.

I have become a new creature in Christ.

(2nd Cor. 5:17)

God save me.

written by Shevonne Canzius

THE NEW LINDEN BAND OF BROTHERS

2009-07-02T18:48:00.001-07:00

We started a new 6 week transfer on June 24th. The Linden Zone that was created last transfer grew by one set of elders. We now have 4 sets of elders in Linden and one set that works in the Diamond/Grove area. Two work on the west side of the Demerara River and two work on the east side. Elder Harris, the bald one in the middle is the only elder from last transfer to stay here. He had a bit of trouble with the clippers and ended up with no hair. Elder Harris is our District Leader. His new companion is to the left of him behind Elder Leishman. His name is Elder Babbel, he is straight from the MTC, and he is from Corvalis, Oregon. Behind Sister Leishman is Elder Damm who was one of our elders in Trinidad. He worked in Couva Branch. To the right of Elder Harris' head is Elder Vance who was also one of our elders in Trinidad. He worked in West Chaguanas. Behind Elder Damm is Elder Clark who was transferred from another area in Guyana. Elder Vance and Elder Clark are now companions working in East Linden. Opposite Elder Clark is Elder Tupou, a Tongan from Australia. He was one of the elders who opened Linden in February. He left us for one transfer but is now back. He is our Zone Leader. His companion, Elder Packer, is standing right behind him. To the right of Elder Tupou is Elder Brenkmann who also was transferred from another area of Guyana. To the right of him is Elder Houchens who is also straight from the MTC. He is from the Green Valley area of Henderson, Nevada. Elder Houchens and Elder Brenkmann are companions. Elder Nielson just arrived from Trinidad to serve with Elder Damm in the Diamond/Grove. We've got a good-looking, hard-working bunch of elders to continue finding souls to bring unto Christ.

LINDEN IS "the WATERS OF MORMON" and ELDER LEISHMAN IS "PARLEY P." LEISHMAN!

2009-06-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

Baptims in the Demerara River in Linden, Guyana.May 24, 2009 A heavenly day! A little camera effects makes this baptism of 11 people look angelic. I'm sure there really were angels attending that day, very excited to know that someone from their family was finally baptized.

May 31, 2009 Elders Fillerup, McDaniels, Harris, Powers, and Leishman baptized 7 sweet people into the Linden church group which is an outreach group of the Diamond Branch in the Georgetown District of Guyana. The sister in the middle of the picture is now our Relief Society president.

June 7, 2009 Elders Powers, Jestice, Harris, Fillerup, and McDaniels baptized 9 beautiful people into the Linden church group. The primary grew by 4 that day. The Priesthood grew by 2, a teacher and a priest.
June14, 2009 Elders Powers, Fillerup, Leishman, Sorber, and Jestice baptized 7 new members into the Linden church group. The 2nd sister from the left is so anxious to learn as much as she can about the church that she comes to our seminary class that is held 3 days a week. She is a teacher in the YW's organiztion.
History was made in the church in Linden on June 14th when four of the seven members of our first family were baptized. Father, Joseph Outar, mother, Ingrid, and their two daughters, Salli and Shania, were baptized together as converts. Shalika, Shanica, and Joshua will be baptized when they are 8 years old as children of record. Elders Sorber and Jestice were the elders that taught this wonderful, loving family.

June 20, 2009 This was our 2nd Sunday since coming to Linden that we had 11 people baptized on the same day in the Demerara River. That makes a pretty big splash. It was a history-making day once again because a young man who was just baptized on June 7th was able to perform his first baptism. So he was the first Guyanese to baptize in this part of the Demerara. He is 3rd from the left next to Elder Leishman. It was a special day, too, because it was the last baptism for 4 of the elders in the picture. Elders Sorber, McDaniels, and Fillerup left the next day to go home. Their two years was over. Elder Jestice went back to Suriname for his last transfer. He spent most of his mission there which is a Dutch-speaking country. Elder Harris, on the right end, is the only one of our six staying with us in Linden. Elder Powers, not pictured in this pic, was transferred to another area near Georgetown. Stay tune next week for pictures of our 7 new elders.

2009-05-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Sisters in Zion - Robin Bullock, Jeralie Hymas, Carol Leishman

From leishman

What a bunch of babes!

From leishman

These boots are made for stomping!

From leishman

Show me those weeds!

From leishman

HELLO from Guyana, South America

2009-05-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

I loaded the following three pictures and realized that once again I hadn't included any pictures of me. So I thought I'd better add this one to the blog as well. My children have gotten after me for not giving someone else the camera once in awhile. I found this picture with both of us in it but I can't remember who the young man is. We met him one day when we were visiting another senior couple's area.

News from the missionaries in Guyana

2009-05-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

We have just completed our first month in Guyana. We are in some very beautiful country. Linden is the second largest city in Guyana. Georgetown is the largest. Most of the other cities in Guyana are along the coast and get more wind, rain, and cool breezes than where we are. Linden is inland near the interior of Guyana about an hour and a half drive from Guyana. There is little rain right now and hardly any cool breezes making it very hot. We are told that the rainy season will start again in June. We are praying for that day. Despite our discomfort, we are anxiouly engaged in missionary work.

Linden has only been open to missionaries since February of this year. Since that time the elders have been working hard. As of last Sunday when there were 4 baptisms, we now have 54 baptized members. There are younger children though who increase the attendance. Of course, not every member comes every week, but we do have a good active attendance plus every week there are many investigators.

The four elders we have been working with are Elder Fillerup, Elder Harris, Elder Tupou, and Elder Powers. Elder Fillerup has only one more transfer (6 weeks) in his mission. Elder Tupou will complete his mission in August. Elder Harris was in the MTC with us and got here two days after we did. Elder Powers in the new kid on the block. This was his first transfer in the mission field. They are such powerful missionaries and we have learned so much from them and love to go out teaching with them.

Elder Leishman has baptized a few people since we have been here. His first baptism was Joycelyn Archibald Semple. Interestingly enough, Elder Leishman's grandfather was Thomas Archibald Leishman. Most of our baptisms are done in the Demerara River which is a short walk from our chapel. The water looks black but is actually clean water. It's much cleaner here than it is in Georgetown where it begins at the ocean. There it is the color of the Virgin River, muddy reddish brown.

One of our major accomplishments since arriving in Linden is getting a post made for the sign that the elders had made to go out in front of our chapel which is the bottom floor of a two story building. This is a picture of some of the church group under the new sign. Linden is not a branch yet because we lack the number of Melchizedek Priesthood brethren required. We are part of the Diamond Branch which is about 85 km away.

Pictures from Guyana

2009-04-14T03:45:00.000-07:00

The Three Amigas - Sister Bullock, Sister Hymas, and Sister Leishman! I met Sister Bullock from Oregon and Sister Hymas from British Colombia in February when they stayed with us for almost a week during the week of our Couple Conference. Sister Bullock and her husband were serving in Guyana, Sister Hymas and her husband were serving in St. Lucia, and we were serving in Trinidad. Sister Bullock told us wonderful stories about falling in dirty trenches, hiking in to houses in gumboots in mud half way up the boots, frogs in the kitchen drawers, eating cayman and iguana, dirty brown river and ocean water for baptisms, mosquito bites despite the mosquito nets for sleeping, and many more exciting adventures. Her and her husband were very persuasive with their argument about how we should ask to come to Guyana to serve and that we would have such a good time. We both very politely declined saying that we would prefer our own special islands. No, actually, we both said, "There is no-o-o-o-o way we will ever come to Guyana!" Not too long after that, Elder Hymas got called to serve in the mission presidency to fill a spot created when the stake was formed and he would need to move to Georgetown, Guyana to oversee the part of the mission that is is South America. Also because of the stake creation, we were in a position to be transferred out of our area because it now falls under the direction of the new stake. For a while there seemed to be several choices - moving to a more remote location in Trinidad, going to the island of St. Vincent, or going to the island of Tobago. Guyana was one of those choices but quickly dismissed. Eventually, we were determined to go to Tobago and had an apartment already picked out when Elder Mundy began to work his magic on us. He's good because within days we had cancelled our Tobago apt. and committed to come to Guyana. We're here now and happy to serve. I'll put some pictures of our area on this blog as soon as I get a new printer for my laptop. My laptop won't read the chip I am using in my camera just now. It didn't get formatted right, I guess.

Footwear Fashion for Guyana! Within days of arriving in Guyana, it was necessary for President Hymas to take a trip to New Amsterdam where the Bullocks are serving. They live a 2 hour drive away from Georgetown down the coast, while we live a 2 hour drive in a different direction going more into the interior of Guyana. Elder Leishman and I were invited to tag along which we decided to do since we weren't able to move into our apt. at that time. Of course, when we got there, Sister Bullock had to show us the sights. Part of the gear for going into Cow Dam on a rainy day are gumboots. Thank goodness it wasn't a rainy day, so we didn't really have to wear them but she managed to convince us to put them on for this picture. Cute, huh?

NEWEST APOSTLE

2009-04-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

Elder Neil A. Andersen was in Trinidad on March 1st to organize the first stake in Trinidad. He was the President of the Seventy at that time. He was sustained as the newest apostle this last conference. Scroll down to my March 12th entry to see a picture of Elder and Sister Leishman with Elder Andersen.

2009-04-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Elder Damm is baptizing Lester from Couva. He and Elder Stratton met Lester and started teaching him. They invited him to come to church that week but they didn't think he would. He was at church for two weeks in a row and was taught every lesson. He gave us smoking and drinking immediately and was baptized after his 2nd time at church. He now goes with the Elders on teaching visits and wants to go on a mission. Elder Stratton was transferred to a new area which is about 30 minutes away from Couva but Lester rides on the Maxi buses to Marabella so he can still go teach with Elder Stratton. Lester's is a wonderful success story.

These are five of the last six elders that we worked with in Chaguanas. Elders Kippens, Payne, Leishmans, Stratton, Thomas, and Endemann. Elder Damm was missing when this picture was taken because he had just baptized Lester and was getting dressed.

We are now on our way to Guyana.

Elders Thomas, Damm, Stratton, Payne, and Kippens are breaking in to get to their last Sunday dinner at the Leishman's house. A few days later Elder Thomas was transferred to the San Fernando area, about 30 miles south of Chaguanas. Elder Damm was on his way to Guyana. Elder Stratton was transferred back to the are he had just come from, Marabella. Elder Payne was the only one to stay in Chaguanas and he got a new elder from Marabella. Elder Kippens was transferred way down south to an area called Saparia. Elder Endemann had already left for St. Lucia when this was taken.
During Washington County School District's Spring Break Jacquie brought Dan and Helaman to Trinidad for a visit. We had a blast. We took them to as many scenic places as we had time for and spent 2 days in Tobago. We are having dinner at a Chinese restaurant on our last night in Tobago.

While Jacquie and the boys were with us, they were able to attend church in our Chaguanas Branch and at Caparo with our group out there. We had a good attendance that day. There were 11 investigators, 3 of our newly baptized members, plus members from the Chaguanas Branch who come out to help pass the Sacrament and give the talks. Dan is in the front row. I am right behind him. Jacquie and Hela were up the lane looking for the resident cayman (small alligator) who lives in the creek and talking to Cayman George. That's why they aren't in the picture.

WE'RE BEING TRANSFERRED!

2009-03-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

Since there is now a stake in Trinidad our role as shadow leadership/proselyting missionaries is no longer needed in Chaguanas, so we are being reassigned to Lindon, Guyana. Guyana is a country in South America bordered by Venezula (Spanish-speaking), Brazil (speak Portuguese), and Suriname (French-speaking).

The most amazing part about where we are going is that we will be teaching the Amerindians who are actual descendants of Lehi. Isn't that awesome! We have a chance to be part of the message of Mormon to the Lamanites in Mormon 7. See the April scripture of the month in the next column.

It will be very hard to say good-bye to our good friends in the church in Chaguanas. They have been so good to us. We look forward to all the new friends we are going to make in Guyana.

First Stake in West Indies Created

2009-03-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

The first stake in the West Indies was created in Trinidad on Sunday, March 1, 2009. We were privileged to be in Trinidad at this historical time. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Presidents of the Seventy came to organize the stake. He gave some very powerful instructions to the saints in Trinidad so as to keep the fire of the gospel lit in their hearts.

On our way to Zone Meeting one morning, the Elders spotted an iguana trapped behind the gate. They caught it and asked me if I would curry it for them to eat. I said absolutely not. Anything with such a beautiful, flourescent green color didn't deserve to die. Then I asked a few of the ladies in the branch if they ever curried iguana. They said they had and that it tasted real good. Pictured is Elder Endemann with Elder Leishman. In case any of you have noticed, Elder Endemann has been with us since we came into the mission field. Many elders have come and gone in the 5 months we've been here, but Elder Endemann has been with us through good times and bad. We will miss him when we move to Tobago.

Elder Thomas and Elder Anderson just after the stake was created at the first stake conference in Trinidad. Elder Thomas and Elder Endemann are in their 2nd transfer as companions serving in East Chaguanas.

Our latest baptism was Doolarie Jaikaran from Caparo. She was baptized by Elder Endemann on March 7th and confirmed by Elder Thomas on the 8th. It was only E. Thomas' 2nd confirmation but he did such a beautiful job.

Elder Cody Stratton from St. George, Utah is one of our new elders. He was transferred to Couva last transfer. We have enjoyed having him at our house on Sunday for dinner and going on teaching visits with him and his companion. In the picture with Elder Stratton is President Claude R. Gamiette who will take over as president of the West Indies Mission in July. He is from the island of Guadeloupe.

This is Elder Stratton with his new companion since last transfer, Feb. 18th, Elder Damm. Elder Damm in not in his proselyting clothes because this was taken at Carnival time when the Elders were told to stay inside for 48 hours until the national holiday was over. Our six elders came to our house for two days where they played games, studied, and I fed them.

Also at the last transfer Elder Kippens from Guyana joined Elder Payne to serve in West Chaguanas. Elder Kippens is a big guy which makes fitting 4 elder in the back of a Toyota Corolla a much tighter squeeze than before. The two smaller elders, Payne and Thomas, get crushed between Elders Kippens and Endemann and usually get out of the car after a long drive to Zone Conference or Zone Meeting being unable to walk because at least one foot is asleep.

2009-03-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Elder Leishman with Elder Endemann and Brandon Ramnath s they walk up Sharpe Road in Caparo visiting investigators and recent converts.
We've seen some of the most gorgeous sunsets in the last few months. We're in the rainy season which, with all the clouds in the sky, makes beautiful sunsets.
Our East Chaguanas (Endemann and Thomas) and West (Hickenlooper and Payne) Chaguanas Elders meet under a clothing store sign appropriately named for them.
Elder and Sister Leishman welcome George after his baptism. George has one of the most amazing testimonies of the Book of Mormon. He finished it in less than a month.

Staying connected

2009-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

This message is especially for Vedrana. How nice to find your comment on our blog. I don't know why your Christmas card didn't get to us. I need you to send me your email address. My email address is cleishman at q.com. Use the @ symbol. The blog recognizes an email address and won't publish it. We have a lot to catch up on.

More joy in Trinidad

2009-02-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

One More Baptism This Week

2009-01-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

We had our 3rd baptism this week on Saturday, Jan.17th, 2009. Jeniffer Parris, 21, also from Caparo was tracted out by Elder Endemann and his companion, Elder Hickenlooper and then Elder Thomas. Jeniffer accepted the challenge to be baptized right from the beginning. She has such a wonderful spirit about her. She will be a strong leader in the church in Trinidad someday. She asked Elder Leishman to baptize her because she said Elder Endemann would drown her, Elder Thomas was too small (which in Trinidad means young) and Elder Leishman would be perfect, kind and old. He was happy to oblige.

Our First Beach Baptism

2009-01-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

We finally had our first beach baptism in the West Indies on Thursday, Jan. 15th, 2009. Actually, most baptisms in the West Indies are in fonts now. But, every once in a while an investigator requests a beach baptism. Jessie, 20, and Latesha Ramnath, 22, brother and sister, were found in a new area that we helped open at the first of December. Their parents had been baptized over 10 years ago but quit going to church a few years later. Jessie and Latesha were too young to be baptized with their parents and eventually fell between the cracks. When we found them in December, Jessie and Latesha both expressed a desire to be baptized on the 2nd visit. They wanted a beach baptism so we went to the closest cleanest beach, Maracus Beach, a 1 1/2 hour drive away. It was so worth it. It was such a beautiful day! Check out the waves. They knocked Truman down and he lost his prescription glasses in the ocean. Thanks goodness he brought an old pair with him. Truman baptized Latesha and Elder Endemann baptized Jessie. Elder Endemann's new companion of one week, Elder Thomas, went out in the water as the 2nd witness.

New Kid on the Block

2009-01-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

Meet the "new kid on the block". Elder Tyler Thomas just arrived in Trinidad on Monday Jan. 5th. He met his new companion and trainer, Elder Endemann, on Wed. Jan. 7th. Elders Thomas and Endemann have a few things in common - they are both from California and they both have a great sense of humor. Elder Thomas is not having any trouble adjusting to being a missionary. He is very friendly and, so far, willing to eat almost anything. He said that he was a real picky eater at home but I haven't seen that side of him yet and he has been introduced to some unusual dishes here.

Pictured are Elder Leishman, Nigel Singh, and Elder Endemann. Nigel is the young man who was injured so badly in the car accident in Dec. He was the driver. Elder Endemann and Elder Leishman stop by Nigel's house several days a week to check up on his progress. He is supposed to have his bandages taken off this week.

Elders and Senior Couples Visit to Hope Center on Christmas Day!

2009-01-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

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WE DID IT! 2008 IN 2008 + 4 MORE

2009-01-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

Truly we have seen miracles in the West Indies in the year 2008. Last year at this time the elders with under the direction of President Robison set a goal to baptize 2008 souls in the year 2008. That was a giant step for the West Indies because in 2007 the mission reported a little over 1,000 baptisms and the year before that, 2006, just over 400. We have seen a few of those miracles since our arrival in the West Indies in October and are grateful for those blessings. We know that angels have directed the paths of the missionaries to the places where they would find souls who had been prepared and were ready to hear the gospel taught to them.

That is not all we have seen in the line of miracles. We thank Heavenly Father every night that we go to bed that we were protected upon the streets and highways of Trinidad. Driving habits here are irresponsible and unsafe. Laws are not enforced, therefore they are not obeyed. We were especially grateful for the miraclulous survival of Elder Leishman and two young elders, Elders Hickenlooper and Endemann, when they were involved in a head-on collision on Saturday, Dec. 27th. Elder Leishman stopped his vehicles just as a drunk driver coming towards them rolled his truck twice and then slid right into the car Elder Leishman was driving. Elder Leishman said it is a miracle that the truck didn't finish his last roll and fall right on their windsheild. The elders all hurried out of their vehicle and rushed to the aid of the three young adults in the truck. The driver was severely injured with a head and arm wound. Elder Leishman's quick thinking and immediate first aid to stop the bleeding from his wounds surely saved the young man's life. The elders went the next day to visit him in the hospital where he is recovering after having 29 stitches in his head to sew his scalp back on.

Christmas Day Hospital Visit

2008-12-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

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We had a great time visiting two pediatric wards in a hospital in San Fernando. In the picture are (not in this order) Elder and Sister Leishman, Elder and Sister Barnes, Chaguanas missionaries: Elders Endemann, Hickenlopper, Payne, and White. Couva missionaries: Elders Thomas and Willis. Princes Town missionaries: Elders Guy and Fox. Point Fortin missionaries: Elders Noah and Jackson. San Fernando missionaries: Elders Palmer and Huntsman. Marabella missionaries: Elders Cronin and Vance.

December 2008 in Trinidad

2008-12-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

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We hope you'll enjoy watching a few of our memories of our 1st December in Trinidad. This slideshow is long but we think you will like it. Because of its length, there will be a shorter slideshow of the service we did as a South Trinidad Zone on Christmas Day.

The Work Goes On

2008-12-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my daughter-in-law, Angee, I now have a new background that doesn't distort the pictures.

Not last Sunday but the Sunday before, President Gopaul asked us if we would go with him and the East Chaguanas Elders out to a village east of here called Caparo. Of course, we said yes. We went home from church, finished preparations for dinner, fed ourselves and 6 hungry Elders, then got in our car and drove 40 minutes to Caparo. It was like going from a city that looks and acts like some of the worst neighborhoods in LA to a city like peaceful and quiet Wellsville, Utah. It was so refreshing to see countryside like that.

Our goal in going was to talk to the few members there are in that area who do come to church to see if we could get one of them to allow us to use their house to hold a one hour church service in. We are hoping to reactivate these people and to get some new converts from that area which hasn't been touched by missionaries for quite a while. There were two households with members in them. Each said they would come to the meeting and both said we could hold the meeting in their home.

Since then, Elder Leishman and I and Elders Endemann and Hickenlooper have made many trips out to Caparo. There are so many people out there who haven't heard the gospel message. The Elders are pretty excited to go into an area that hasn't been tracted out and blitzed in years.
We will have our first church service on Sunday, Dec. 21st. I'll have some picture of that next week. Not the service itself, of course, but of the people who came. The happy ending to this story will be when people start accepting baptism. The next transfer day is Jan. 7th and I know the Elders want to get some more baptisms before they get shifted again.

2008-12-07T17:50:00.001-08:00

We took a few hours out this week to go for a drive with 5 other senior couples. We found a beach that is small but beautiful. The good thing was that we were the only ones on the beach at the time. Here is Elder Leishman holding up the palm tree. HaHa! The other picture shows a couple of beach bums.

Check out my Sunday dinner dishwashers: Elder Thomas, Elder White, Elder Willis, Elder Payne, Elder Hickenlooper

The South Zone

2008-12-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

Zone Conference, Dec. 4th, 2008: It was our first Zone Meeting after Transfer Day. So, some of these elders are new to Trinidad or to the South Zone. I love these guys. Zone Meetings are conducted completely by the Zone Leaders, who are Elder Guy and Elder Fox. The meetings are always inspirational and I learn a lot from them. I also get to keep my baking skills sharp because I take a treat for each meeting.

The Kingdom is Growing

2008-12-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

Dec. 6, 2008: Sheryl and Shezara Ali, mother and daughter, were baptized by Elder Willis on the left and Elder Mundy on the right. Elder Mundy has defected from the South Zone to the North Zone but was given permission to come down to the Promised Land to baptize these people with whom he had been working before his transfer.

Cruising Down the River

2008-11-29T14:12:00.001-08:00

One evening last week we went on an excursion to the Bird Sanctuary with four other senior couple. One of the couples, the Farrers, was leaving us soon and one of the others was taking their place, the Barnes. The Farrers wanted to see this one more time before they left. For the rest of us, it was our first time. We got in a 20 man boat with a motor on it and cruised through a man-made river out to a large cove near the ocean. The trip through the river introduced us to many unusual plants and animals. We saw a cayman (small alligator) hiding under the roots of the large mangrove trees. We saw very small, brightly-colored crabs crawling all over the branches of the same roots. We saw huge termite nests that looked like beehives. We saw a snake coiled in the branches above our head. And, we saw lots of beautifully colored birds. Passengers are motored out to the cove because just about 45 minutes before the sun sets hundreds of birds fly into the trees surrounding the cove to roost for the night. It happens every night without fail. The trees fill up with brightly colored birds making them look like they are blossoming. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't good enough to get a good shot of the birds roosting in the trees.

WE ARE THANKFUL

2008-11-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

We had two Thanksgiving dinners this year. This is a picture of the one we had on Thanksgiving Day. The day before was Transfer Day and we got three new elders to replace three who were transferred to other sections of Trinidad. There are ten elders in the picture because we invited a new senior couple, the Barnes from Washington state, to join us and bring four of their elders. They actually have eight to look after but four of them had been invited to a member's house. The members are American working in Trinidad. We had fourteen for dinner that day.

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving we had a little bit bigger crowd. We invited the branch president and his wife and two sons. We also invited three newly baptized members that we had the privilege of teaching with the elders. Dianne Springer is in the picture with Elder Willis and Elder Guy. Elder Willis is new to us and Elder Guy just got transferred. Elder Leishman is in the background with President Gopaul.

Pictured in this picture is Jameil Springer, on the left, his friend, Antonio, and Melroy Fordyce. Melroy went with us to Dianne and Jameil's baptism the week before as a guest because he was scheduled to be baptized the following Saturday. Elder Leishman jokingly invited him to get baptized that night since the font would already be full. Melroy thought about it for a while, then said he would like to be baptized right then. He was interviewed, found worthy, and then baptized. Just like that! Antonio heard Jameil talk about his baptim at school and asked about it. One day he saw the elders walking in the street. He ran after them and asked them if he knew Jameil. They said 'yes' and then Antonio asked if he could be baptized. The elders said 'yes' again but that he would have to come to church first. On the following Sunday, we went to pick up Dianne and Jameil to take them to church early because Jameil was being interviewed to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. Antonio had called and asked if he could have a ride. So we met him at the bus stop and took him to church, then to our Thanksgiving dinner, and finally to a fireside at the Mission Home. (with his mother's permission, of course) His mother, sister, and aunt are all having the lessons with him and are all preparing for baptism. WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!

2008-11-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Elder Leishman is posing for a picture with some children in a village called Chase Village. It's one of the areas we go to with the elders to teach. We are't teaching these children because their parents aren't interested but every time we go to this area, the children swarm us.

This area is in one of the more depressed parts of Chase Village. If its been raining, and it usually is, the path through the houses is very muddy. That requires careful stepping and the use of boards for bridges.

The elders that are assigned to West Chaguanas and surrounding villages were Elder White, the tallest one with dark hair, and Elder Risenmay. I say 'were' because Elder Risenmay just got transferred to another section of Trinidad. Elder White's new companion is Elder Payne from Salt Lake City.

2008-11-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

On Nov.22nd we had another baptism where 3 new members were added to our Chaguanas Branch and 1 new member was added to our Couva Branch. The really wonderful thing about the baptisms is that 2 of the young men will receive the Aaronic Priesthood this Sunday and there's another one coming up in a few years. The one thing that is desperately needed in the West Indies in priesthood holders. The four who were baptized are Ryan and Avinesh Parag, brothers, Devon Grant, and Alicia Richards. The others in the picture are Elder and Sister Leishman, Elder Risenmay, the other white guy in the back, and Elder Endemann, the Samoan in the front. In case you are wondering why you see so many pictures of baptisms and missionary groups with both hands held above the heads, I will explain. I'm not sure when it started in the West Indies but "Hurrah for Israel" is a cheer for our mission. You remember the story of Brigham Young when, even though he was so sick he could barely stand, he stood and gave a "Hurrah for Israel" shout as he departed for a mission so his family wouldn't worry about him. The shout and the arms gesture has become a tradition at baptisms in the West Indies. Now you know!

2008-11-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-11-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Elder Hickenlooper's 20th birthday with a lunch and a cake with trick candles. Elders White, Endemann, and Risenmay tried to help him blow out the candles but they wouldn't stay out.

Elder Leishman and I were out with Elders Risenmay and White one afternoon in Chase Village. It was a Saturday afternoon and we ran into lots of children out playing in their yards. They followed us all over the area. They were so fun that we had to take their picture. We would love to have taught their parents but they weren't home that day. Maybe another day.

We spent a wonderful morning hiking to Maracus Falls in the mountain range north of Port of Spain. The hike was strenuous for the old and infirm like me, but with my companion's help, and only with his help, I made it to the upper falls and then to the lower falls. The trip was so-o-o-o worth it. It is definitely somewhere
I hope to show any of my family, and friends, who are ever able to take a trip to Trinidad. Look for the water fall behind the missionary couples on the ledge. The excursion was only marred by the fact that our van was broken into and our belongings would have been stolen if two couples hadn't headed back to the van ahead of the rest of us because one sister wasn't feeling well. As it was, they still had time to steal $100 TT (about $16 US) out of my wallet. But luckily, all the credit and debit cards were left in there place.

2008-11-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

I made this slide show for my granddaughter's 13th birthday. I send it to her but decided to post it on my blog. The 13th birthday is a big deal. She's a teenager now. Or, as we call them sometime teen-ragers. Luckily, Jayden isn't like that. She's a sweetheart. We love her and miss her. Happy Birthday, Jayden.

We also have another granddaughter who just turned 10. We want to wish Indigo a very happy birthday. Indigo your card is on your mom's email at work. We love you very much.

2008-11-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-11-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-11-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

THERE IS A GREAT WORK TO DO!

2008-11-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's been two weeks since my last post. There is so much work to do in Chaguanas, Trinidad, West Indies that we are kept busy from early morn until late at night but we love it and are having some great experiences. We are having some frustrating ones, too. The traffic is NUTS, contacts don't keep their appointments, baptisms are postponed as Satan works his devious plan to thwart the growth of God's Kingdom, and other things go wrong (like being lost in the crazy streets of Trinidad) but we're not going to dwell on the negative. We want to emphasize the positive so we'll share some of our special experiences and add some pictures as well.

We've met some wonderful people. The members of the branch have become just like family. They all loved the Leavitts, the couple we replaced, but have accepted us, too. I've already taught a Relief Society lesson and Truman has already given a Sunday School lesson. We both have assignments to speak in church but not on the same day. We attended a Friday night activity Game Night and had a great time. It was on Halloween which isn't really celebrated here. I volunteered to make cookies for it because I wanted an excuse to bake my traditional sugar cookies that I make and decorate every Halloween with my grandchildren. I didn't have any orange food coloring or a pumpkin cookie cutter so I just made circles which I cut out with the lid of the PAM and added sprinkles after they were frosted. Even if I had that stuff it wouldn't have been the same because I didn't have my grandchildren. The Elders were are assigned to have taken us to most of the active members houses and we can actually find our way by ourselves to a few of them. We've been invited to dinner to 4 of the member's houses. You'll have to be sure to check out my slide show called "Divali" to see pictures of two of those dining experiences.

We are also working with some wonderful investigators. We are assigned to two areas of Trinidad - Couva and Chaguanas. There are two sets of elders that work in Chaguanas and one set that work in Couva. The Couva elders had two baptisms last weekend. They were both young girls who have other family members who were baptized previously. The elders have been teaching them for a while. The baptisms were done in a cement font located outside the Couva chapel. They were special experiences. I played the piano for both of them and Elder Leishman gave a talk at one of them. Pictures of these baptisms are on the slide show called "Trindad, the beginning", meaning the beginning of our time in Trindad. We have been working with the Couva elders with a young mother and her son - Diane and Jameil - since our 1st week in Trinidad. She knows the church is true and wants to be baptized but her father and mother are trying to stop her. Her 14 year old son wants to be baptized so bad. Every time he prays at one of our meetings in their home he asks Heavenly Father to please let them be baptized. Tonight we set a date with her for Nov. 11th but Diane is still hesitant. I would ask that all who read this please pray for her to be able to take the leap of faith that she needs to at this time. She wants to be baptized on one of the beaches when she is baptized. Since we are serving by any beaches, I wasn't sure we would ever get a chance to be a part of a beach baptism. Now it looks like it might happen after all. I will put up pictures when her baptism becomes a reality.

The Chaguanas elders have been working hard and have several families that they are teaching. Last Sunday there were 14 investigators at church. That was an amazing day. One family is really ready but there is a problem that comes up a lot in the Caribbean - couples are married to each other even after having lived together for many years and have children together. So before they can be baptized, they have to get married. One family needs to have the grandparents and the parents get married but they really want to be baptized. They have 4 children, 3 are over 8. Another family of 14 who came from Guayana to work in Trinidad really want to be baptized as well. That will be a really big splash if that one comes about. We have lots to look forward to in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted.

There is great work to do in Trinidad and we are glad to be a part of it. Hurrah for Israel!

Meeting New Friends

2008-10-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

Our first day in Trinidad included getting lost for hours trying to find our way out of where our house is back to Valsayn where the mission office is. We were driven to our place at night in a state of exhausted stupor. Even with hand-drawn maps of where we were and where we needed to be, we managed to get ourselves very lost. We had an appointment to sign our lease at the mission office at 2:00 pm. We left at 11:00 am and thought we would have plenty of time to do some grocery shopping but we ended up being a few minutes late for our appointment with no time for shopping. Later that day, had dinner at the mission home and met the other five senior couples serving on Trinidad. President Robison shared with us the current information about Trinidad getting its 1st stake. It's close but the time still isn't certain. After the dinner/meeting, we drove down to San Fernando, a 30 minute drive, for a baptism. At the fireside we went to on Sunday night, a young man introduced his wife who had been having lessons with the missionaries. After the fireside, President Robison challenged Sister Mohan with a scripture from Mosiah 18:10. The next morning she called to say that she was ready to be baptized, and so, she was.

Thank goodness for Elder and Sister Farrer who drove us to San Fernando and back to Chaguanas. They also followed us to our apartment because it was dark and helped us get back home safely. We couldn't have done it on our own. We can now, but not then.

On Tuesday Elder Farrer and his wife came over to help show us "the ropes" and teach us what our responsibilities would be. After a couple of hours of work, we went for a quick lunch with them and then headed back into Valsayn, where we spent the rest of the afternoon getting a bank account set up here in Trinidad. We finally managed to stop at PriceSmart (its like a Costco) on our way home and got a few groceries. We had to shop frugally, though, because we didn't have a lot of Trinee cash and didn't have access to our money in the bank until the next day.

On Wednesday two of our elders, Elders Hickenlooper and Endeman came by for a visit to introduce themselves to us. Elder Endeman has be working in Chaguanas and knows the people and the area. Elder Hickenlooper is coming back to the area after being gone for a few transfers. Then, we picked up Elders LeBaron and Richards at the mission home and drove them around Chaguanas so they could say good-bye to some of the members they knew. They were a big help to us because they directed us through very unfamiliar territory, but, by doing so, we were able to get more acquainted with the area.

On Thursday, we traveled down to Couva and Claxton Bay to meet some members and investigators with Elders Guy and Mundy who are our Zone Leaders. We had some wonderful visits and were immediately put upon to use the skills we learned in the MTC about teaching the Preach My Gospel lessons. I am so grateful now for the MTC experience because doing it in the field was so much easier. The key to the whole situation is to listen to the Spirit and it will tell you what you should say. (D&C 84:85) (D&C 124:97)

On Friday, we fixed dinner for the East elders before going out with them on visits. We visited many families on the East side of Chaguanas with Elders Endeman and Hickenlooper. We visited investigators, members, and less actives and again had the opportunity every time to bear our testimonies and to teach gospel priniciples.

Saturday afternoon and evening we helped the East and West Elders home from the grocery store with their groceries. Two of our elders were companions until this last transfer at which time they were split up and given new companions. Their area was split back into East and West area. Only Elder Endeman stayed in the same apartment. Elders Hickenlooper, White, and Risenmay all moved to new apartments. So, they all needed groceries to replenish the fridge and the shelves. In the afternoon and evening we went on visits with Elders Risenmay and White to members and investigators on the west side of Chaguanas. Our last visit of the night was pretty amazing. We met the Deonarinesingh children while waiting for their father to get dressed. When he came out, he looked very startled, like he'd seen a ghost. Apparently, Sister Leishman looks just like a former sr. sister in this area, Sister Allen. Sister Allen worked diligently with this family to keep them actively involved in the branch. When she left, Brother Deonarinesingh quit going to church. When he saw Sister Leishman, he thought Sister Allen had come back to haunt him. He was challenged to come back to church the next morning and, sure enough, he was there with his whole family. Whoever Sister Allen is, she is to be commended for having such an impression on this brother that her look-alike could reactivate him.

Sunday was our first day of meetings with the branch. The chapel and classrooms are in the upper story of a building on the west side of Chaguanas. There is a large room for the chapel, a kitchen, a bathroom, and 3 other classrooms used for Primary, Sunday School, Relief Society, and YW/YM. Apparently we are very fortunate in the fact that it just got air conditioning. The branch is small but a good % attend. Sacrament Meeting was disrupted severely by a rainstorm that lasted most all of the meeting. The rain beating on the tin roof was so loud that we couldn't hear a couple of the youth speakers very well. Sunday School was taught by Brother Garcia, the District President. His family have been members for over 20 years. It is unusual to find someone in Trinidad who has been a member that long. I went to Relief Society and was immediately asked to give the lesson on Temples and Family History. The sister in charge said she just found out that morning that there was no one to teach the lesson and since she has never been to the temple she would appreciate having someone with more experience on the subject to teach the lesson. Of course, I said I would be happy to.

One last thing to close out this post. THE DRIVING HERE IS NUTS! We pray every night that we will be safe on the roads. There are laws, I guess, because there is a test that has to be taken to get a driver's license but nobody follows any rules and nobody enforces them. The streets are narrow but you can stop and park anywhere you want even if it blocks a lane of traffic. And there are only 2 lanes to start with. We've seen drivers ignore stop signs and red lights, turn a corner from any lane in front of other cars, block a lane of traffic for any reason, get out of a car to go talk to someone else while traffic builds up for a block or more, etc. ITS NUTS!

WE ARE FINALLY HERE!

2008-10-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Trinidad on Sunday, Oct. 12th, after a lo-o-o-ng two days, tired and hungry. Luckily we were met by Elder and Sister Collins, an office couple, who have been here two months and are from Cedar City, Utah. They took us to the apartment of Elder and Sister Coleman (Pima, AZ) where we all ate a wonderful meal that the two sisters had prepared. We had about an hour to relax before we went to the mission home just a few blocks away to attend a fireside which started at 6:00 PM. We had a chance to meet the mission president and his wife (the Robisons from Provo, UT) and another senior couple, Elder and Sister Green. We also met some of the Trinidad Elders and some of their investigators and newly baptized members. This fireside is held every six weeks on the Sunday before Transfer Day. The Elders need to bring investigators or newly baptized members in order to attend and get the refreshments afterwards. There were about 40 people there all together. Then, we were finally driven to our new home to meet the landlady and her real estate agent and to inspect the place. It wasn't until after 10:00 pm that we started to put some of our things away. We couldn't do much more than find our toothbrushes and night clothes and collapse in our beds.

I need to backtrack in our mission story at this point and just give some brief highlights of the last few weeks since we left our home in St. George.

left St. George Saturday, Oct 4th at 7:30 am in the 1st good rainstorm in the area for many months
cried all the way to Cedar but had a 2 hour nap and felt better (Carol, not Truman, he was driving)
got to Salt Lake about 12:30 pm, parked and went to afternoon session of conference with Marilla (our daughter-in-law) who got tickets from Elder Holland's (her uncle) office which were in the center front section on the floor of the conference center - about 12 rows away from the First Presidency and the Twelve
It was so awesome being in that session and experiencing the Spirit that permeated the entire room.
had dinner with David and Marilla's family, then drove to Springville to stay at my sister, Marilyn's place
attended Sunday afternoon session of conference with David - It was such a special experience to be able to attend and be blessed and inspired by such spiritually strong men and women. I wish I could have just a small portion of their strength and wisdom.
entered the MTC Monday, Oct. 6th for a glorious week of learning and growth. We spent the nights in Springville.
Wednesday night we stopped by to visit with our grandsons for a couple hours before going to Springville. David has a neighbor who served his mission in the West Indies 15+ years ago. He showed us a slide show of St. Lucia's culture from pictures from his mission days.
Thursday night Marilla fixed us dinner. Our son-in-law, Darryl, who had been in the area all week on work-related business, also came for dinner. Then, he was kind enough to watch the little boys while we attended a session in the Provo Temple with David and Marilla
last day at MTC was Friday. I volunteered Truman to sing a solo at the concluding meeting. He sang "How Great Thou Art". It was a perfect ending to a spiritually growing and faith promoting week. Please scroll to the end of the page to see a large picture of the Sr. couples we trained with. Look for us in the middle to the right.
Friday night we enjoyed our "last supper" with our children at the Brick Oven in Provo. Almost everyone was there. Jacquie and her kids missed because it was Parent Night at the high school football game that night. She needed to be there to escort her son, a Sr. football player, onto the field. As you can well imagine, the night ended in many more tears being shed before and after we said our final good-byes.
After finally getting our luggage repacked for the flight to Trinidad, we made it to bed by 11:30 pm. We woke at 4:00 am to get dressed and to the airport shortly after 5.
checked luggage (no problem); passed through security (always a problem with Carol's titanium knee); ate breakfast (no problem); boarded plane (no problem); flight departing (BIG problem - navigation system); de-boarding (YUK); re-ticketing (HUGE 2 1/2 hour problem)
finally got a new itinerary: 2:40 pm SLC to Chicago, 7:25 pm Chicago to Miami, next day - Sunday - 10:00 am Miami to 1:40 pm arrival at Port of Spain, Trinidad
boarded at 2:40; sat at terminal and on runway for 1 hour; had 10 minutes to de-board and change terminals and re-board in Chicago (would have had an hour and 10 minutes); arrived in Miami at 11:30 pm; went to hotel with vouchers to claim our reserved room. HaHaHa - no room; don't know which end messed up but I suspect Miami Hotel just didn't care.
We found an Amerian Airlines representative who found us a room at a Crowne Plaza Hotel 10 minutes away. Crown Plazas are wonderful! We didn't get to bed until after 1:00 am.
woke at 7:00 am, dressed; ate breakfast (AA gave us vouchers for that, too); took shuttle to airport; boarded on time (10:00 am); THEN, sat on the runway for nearly an hour. Good Grief, American Airlines, don't any of your planes leave on time?
We arrived at the Port of Spain airport at 2:15 ish; gathered luggage (MIRACLE! it was all there); went through Customs and finally met the Collins outside the airport. We were on our way to the Coleman's apartment by 3:45 or so.

Now, my story has made it back to where I began this blog post. I'm going to add pictures now and tell you about our first few days in the next post.

Please make short comments once in a while so we can keep in touch or send us an email update of what's going on in your lives at

Love ya',
Elder and Sister Leishman

2008-09-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it! Today we had our first two baptisms since getting our mission call. We've been working on these baptisms for eight years actually. They were two of our beautiful granddaughters and it was such a special day. Our daughter Julie's daughter, Abigail, was baptized by her father and confirmed by her grandpa, Truman, this morning at a baptismal service at their stake center. Our daughter Chris's daughter, Navy, was baptized by her father at 5:00 at our stake center and will be confirmed in our ward tomorrow.

We'll be heading for the MTC in a month. We've sure got a lot to do to get ready. We have our area assignment in Trinidad. We will be taking the place of Elder and Sister Leavitt who, it turns out, just happen to be from St. George, Utah, too. We hope to get to see them when they get back before we leave. We will be serving in Chaguanas about a 30 minute drive from the Mission Office. We are very fortunate because we won't have to go apartment hunting. We will be able to take over the home they have been renting AND they will be leaving a lot of things behind that they have accumulated since they started their mission. What a blessing for us.

We go into the MTC on Oct. 6th which in the Monday after General Conference. We were very lucky to get tickets for the Sunday afternoon session of conference. We're really looking forward to that because we haven't ever attended a session in the new conference center.

We still have one more special day to look forward to with our family before we leave. Our granddaughter, Jayden (12), has been given permission by her biological father to be sealed to our son, Josh, and his wife, Angee (Jayden's mother). That sealing will take place in the St. George Temple on Sept.27th, the day before we speak in church for the last time in 23 months.

I'll try to update again in a week, if there is anything to say.

Blessings!

2008-08-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

The blessings of serving a mission have already started. The same day that we received our call, our daughter-in-law also received some wonderful news. She was having a conversation with her ex-huxband - the first conversation in over a year - when she got brave enough to ask him again if he would give permission for their daughter, Jayden (12), to be sealed to her and my son. It was about a month ago that she had a very strong feeling that she needed to press this issue. To her surprise there was no argument about it this time. He simply said that if it was that important to Jayden - and it's what she wants more than anything - that he wouldn't stand in her way. We all feel like this is a blessing from our Heavenly Father because of Jayden's worthiness as a valiant daughter of His and because we know that when someone in a family serves a mission, the whole family receives blessings. Angee's hoping to get the paperwork and interviews all over with in time for the sealing to take place on Sept. 27th which is the day before we will speak in church prior to entering the MTC on Oct. 6th.

We will also get the privilege of attending two of our granddaughter's baptisms before we leave in October. Abby Barfuss (Julie) and Navy Nelson (Chris) will both be baptized on Sept. 6th in separate stake baptisms. Abby's will be at 10:00 am that day and Navy's will be at 5:00 pm.

Elder Leishman and I will be spending the day getting all the documents that we need to take with us to the West Indies. So I guess I'd better go get ready for the next adventure of our life.

WE HAVE OUR CALL!

2008-08-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

We have been called to the West Indies Mission! Hooray! The call finally came. We report to the MTC on October 6th. We will serve a 23 month mission. We had all our children and most of our grandchildren present when we opened our envelope. It was an exciting time. Now we've got a long list of things to do to get ready so we'll get started tomorrow.

I had surgery on my right knee yesterday to repair a tear in the meniscus. It was an easy, same day surgery and I'm doing great. I anticipate a complete recovery before we leave for the MTC.

I post updates on our preparation progress but probably won't get to this much until after we are in the West Indies. I would welcome any comments about how to prepare for this mission from anyone who reads this who has "been there, done that".

2008-08-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since my last post. It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get on my own blog. I had to reset the password for the 3rd or 4th time because I don't get on enough to remember how to sign in. To tell you the truth, I'm still not sure I can do it again tomorrow. But, I sure hope I get the chance. We expect our mission call any day now. We started our paperwork in December after our 1st Bishop's interview. Now after months of delays because of medical issues, we are within days of getting our call so we'll now when and where we are going.

I got one piece of bad news last week that will mean one more medical delay which may mean an adjustment in our departure to the MTC but, if it had to happen, I'm glad it happened before we were in the mission field. I don't even know how I did it but I tore the medial meniscus in my right knee, my good knee. I had a total knee replacement in my left knee in Sept. 2007 so I would be ready for a mission this summer. I've had a good rehabilitation and thought I was ready to go until 3 weeks ago when I started having excruciating pain in my other knee. It felt just like a knife being jabbed into my knee. When the MRI showed a torn meniscus, I knew that it would require a same day surgery to repair. So, I'll be having that surgery on Thursday and will expect a 3 to 4 week recovery time (at my age). I'm just hoping the call gets here before Thursday so I can enjoy it without being wiped out by anesthesia.

In the meantime, Truman is healthier than ever. He managed to lose about 20 pounds this spring and summer helping our son build a house across the street and our son-in-law and daughter build a house next door to us. He's been fishing and camping with 4 different youth groups this summer and taken his metal detector out into the hills looking for treasure. Seriously. He hasn't found any yet, but he keeps looking.

Stay tuned - good news soon.

2008-07-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

No call yet! Bummer. We took our papers to the stake president on June 29th. We thought the papers would be on their way to Salt Lake that week. On July 9th, we got a call from someone in the stake who said my medical papers weren't complete. So, Truman picked them up that day and the next day we dropped them off at the Dr.'s office on our way out of town to attend a family reunion. We picked them back up again on the following Monday, returned them to the stake, and now we have begun the waiting process all over. Cross your fingers and toes that we don't get a call from the mission committee saying they next something else. We'll announce our call on this blog when the time comes.