9-2-2008 Amazing Week

Monday was a holiday here, literally every store in town was closed except 1 grocery store, so no mail yesterday.That all sounds like a ridiculous amount of fun. I am glad you took Tobias, I know he has been craving some dirt bikes for a while now. I am excited to hear about all this missionary work being done by my family back home. It will keep up my drive throughout this time if you keep up yours.

This transfer w/ Elder Palmer has been totally amazing. I remember when Seth picked me up from the airport he said one thing that I haven't told anyone but Elder Palmer because he helped fulfill it. He said something like "I feel the Spirit very strongly and I feel like I should tell you that I think you are going to bring a new level of success to the West Indies". Well Seth, your prophesy has been fulfilled!

We ended the transfer w/
5 Bapt
5 Confirmed
12 Firm Dates
37 Soft
27 At church
134 Member Lessons
62 Other Lessons
35 Progressing
8 Recieved
24 Contacted
71 New Investigators
24 RCLAs
All 5 of our baptized and confirmed we found ourselves,
not 1 part member family and no free baptisms.

We set the standard for the whole of Trinidad as the youngest companionship on the island. As President Robison told me in transfer calls "Your work is done in Princes Town". That area has been set on fire! We doubled the member work done in the past.

First the stories. So we came back about Wednesday to meet w/ Ice Cream's family and talk to Meera and Kelly about baptism. She already dreamed the baptismal font before, now she dreamed that someone just kept repeating Jonas. We had no idea what in the world she was talking about so we went to the Index in the Book of Mormon and looked up Jonas. 2 of the 12 Apostles in the BoM were named Jonas, either one of the 3 Nephites who lives forever is ministering unto her or God just gave her a dream w/ the name. Either way a few verses later in the chapter it talks about him he coincidentally was baptized.

The next day we went by w/ President Farrer for a 2nd interview and we were filling out baptismal record for Ice Cream while he was being interviewed. We asked his wife Indra what her maiden name was and she said "Come and look" and I said what? "Common Law" basically they were married by a leader of a Hindu temple but he never submitted the paperwork, so he will be postponed for 2 weeks. The look on Elder Palmer's face made my day, they are posting bands today.

Needless to say the baptism was amazing, I asked Meera how she felt and she said relieved, we asked her again after church and she said "It is really strange, they things that I used to get real vexed at w/ my family aren't a big deal anymore" Thank you Gift of the Holy Ghost. This church is true! Shirley was also baptized, she went up to the front and bore her testimony and kept telling everyone that she called us out to talk to us and 2 weeks later she was baptized, although untrue everyone thought it was great that we weren't doing our job! Shirley said "I feel a difference in my whole body, light light light!" If only you could see the difference that I see in the people's lives that I teach.We went by on Sunday and I gave them all ties and we taught them how to tie them. It was a whole lot of fun and everybody loved it. One of the funnest times in my mission.

The next day Indra was telling us how much the youngest son loved it. We asked if he read at all afterwards, we left at 9 and he read from 9 until 2 in the morning and read 1/2 the Book of Mormon. His sister read the whole thing and he has read 1/2! I don't know how this is all working, but I love that family a ridiculous amount. The Spirit can be so strong in their home, I am not sure I have ever felt that loved in my life. I have become these people's heroes! Every single person in the branch came up to me and told me how much they were going to miss me. Ice Cream described just last night how his family used to never spend much time together, and he had never even heard his children read. Now they such a unified and amazing family, he said at the baptism "Even though I didn't get baptized I feel a real difference".

It is pretty common for families to come and pick up missionaries here in the West Indies, President Robison doesn't have a problem w/ it. If that was the only reason for bringing you down here to meet that family I still would. Plan on picking me up from Trinidad.We got transfer calls on Friday, I am going to Chaguanas, and like I said earlier President Robison said "Your work is done in Princes Town". We called him a few days before calls to ask him a question and try to get a hint of what transfers are going to be like. He said "As of now you are a great companionship and you are staying together. But you are both so valuable that I might need one of you elsewhere". He has tossed us both into the fire! After 3 months I have been put as a Jr Companion to Elder Bowens, he is from St Vincent and is about 24 or so. I was told that I have some amazing leadership qualities.

Chaguanas is the 2nd biggest city in Trinidad, so I am going from the most country area to the most populated. I have heard Elder Bowens' testimony at my first zone meeting. He was baptized about 1.5 years ago and has been on his mission for 7-8 months or so. He has the most powerful testimony I have heard from any missionary. He was taught by his trainer how to read, and the only book he can read is the Book of Mormon. Not 1 other book can he read, if that is not a testimony to it's truth I don't know what is. But w/ my work and planning and his testimony and ability to gain the people's trust I think we will do amazing. I plan on this being the most effective transfer of my mission, so if it is not chastise me.

-Elder Risenmay