We Came, We Saw, We . . .

"Veni, Vidi, Vici" is the famous Latin response given by Julius Caesar in 47 BC to the question of how he had won a short war somewhere in Turkey. We've considered these three words in relation to our work in the mission office, though as we prepare to leave Trinidad for our “real” mission in Guyana, we cannot say “I came, I saw, I conquered” with the same assurance as this Roman icon.

Elder Sappington says of his experience in the mission office, “I Came, I Saw . . . I Complained!” In the 3 1/2 months we served in Trinidad, he enjoyed the social interaction and developed a real "bromance" with at least two of the other senior office elders – Jim Luster (Ephraim, Utah) and Jim Andrus (St. George, Utah) – but wasn’t at all happy as the WIM Financial Secretary. His dissatisfaction was due to the daily grind of trying to balance petty cash, pay bills and keep track of mission vehicles, apartments and cell phones while continually challenged by bureaucratic red tape, outdated records and a serious shortfall in the amount of training required to do this job effectively.

Sister Sappington describes her experience as “I Came, I Saw . . . I Updated (and Deleted)!” Assigned to a computer which locked up a minimum of 4 times a day, Sister Sappington discovered 7000 old e-mails (including "sent" and "trash" files) and about a dozen odd-ball software programs causing the problem - all of which she deleted in the first few weeks in the office. Then there were hundreds of old files on the computer (some dating back to 2006) which no one wanted to delete – because “they’re not mine” – so Sister Sappington took on the job. After that, there were two filing cabinets filled to the brim with more old files which needed shredding . . . and finally, dozens of documents needing to be updated, including the mission emergency plan, a packet of forms and documents for each mission vehicle, the Couples Area Book and lots of other paperwork.

Admittedly neither found much spirituality in these assignments, but recognized the need to get things done and were “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon” them (Mosiah 3:19). There will be more office work in Guyana but we both believe we “came, saw and conquered” in Trinidad and are now prepared for anything!

(Collage: 20' x 20' murals painted by local artists on the walls of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Trinidad)

Saying Goodbye to Mary

There are people we simply believe will always be there because we can’t imagine life without them. Verda Carol Godwin Bradford Howell and Mary Dunn Olsen were two of those people in my life. Both, I thought, would live forever, but my Nana passed away in 2000 and now I have lost Mary, too.

My heart and my brain are having a hard time accepting that my wonderfully creative, beautiful, larger-than-life and one-of-a-kind friend with her big infectious laugh and an even bigger testimony, left us for a better place on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 in Heber City, Utah. She loved serving in the Church and making rag rugs (though not necessarily in that order). Her little business - Persnikity Rugs - supported her hobby; gave her an excuse to travel the country in search of new fabrics; and, she said, was emotionally therapeutic!

My, too infrequent, lunches with Mary are some of my happiest memories. She was one of my dearest friends and I will miss her until we meet again. There will never be another Mary Dunn!

Trekker's Last Weekend

Poor little Trekker! He caught the flu from Elder Grandpa Sappington so on our very last Saturday in Trinidad our Traveling Tiger had to stay home in bed while we explored the island one last time. Along with all the other senior missionaries from the office, we went to Maracas Bay to play in the Caribbean, got caught in yet another rain storm; had bake-and-shark one last time (shhhh, don’t tell Trekker), and took a bunch more pictures around the island!

On Monday (the last day of Easter weekend here in Trinidad) we visited LaVega Botanical Gardens in the heart of the island. The hot sunshine and the good company probably would have been good for him, but he would have come home with a sunburn and that would have made him feel even worse.

Hometown Trade-off

Talk about a small world! The newest – and 19th couple missionaries - in the West Indies Mission are Elder James and Sister Mary Andrus from St. George, Utah. They raised their family in Nevada where they worked side-by-side for more than 35 years building Andrus Transportation, Inc, a family owned long-distance trucking business serving 11 Western states. “From scratch to 350 trucks,” states Sister Andrus who was the company accountant until she had to pack her bags for a mission to the West Indies. For more than three decades, “we didn’t do anything but work . . . at the office, at home and in the Church.”

Sister Andrus has served as president of the Relief Society, Primary and Young Womens program and has had numerous other callings, including teaching. Elder Andrus, a pilot who operated a touring company over the Grand Canyon for a number of years, was recently released from the Bloomington Utah Stake High Council but has also served in Mesquite as a bishop, Elders Quorum president and was a scoutmaster for 17 years, earning scoutings highest award - the Silver Beaver - given to registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth.

The Andrus' will take our place in the mission office in Trinidad. Elder Andrus will replace Elder Sappington as the WIM Finance Secretary making certain bills are paid, missionaries receive their monthly subsistence; and a log is developed and maintained of mission vehicles, apartments and cell phones. Sister Andrus will serve as the WIM Secretary, with particular responsibility for immigration, but will also order materials and supplies, prepare for incoming and departing missionaries and “other duties as assigned.”

Trekker Meets His Cousins

Trekker reminded us almost as soon as the sun came up, we are almost out of Saturdays in Trinidad and he didn't want to spend our Preparation Day washing, shopping for groceries and mopping floors. He wanted to go visit his “family” so we called the Angus’ and the Lusters and headed to the Emperor Valley Zoo located just north of the Savannah in downtown Port-of-Spain. Named for the Emperor butterfly, the zoo opened in November 1952 with only a handful of exhibits. Today the 7.2 acre site is home to exotic birds, reptiles, turtles, an energetic (and muscular) otter, a ferocious looking crocodile and of course – what our Traveling Tiger came to see – big cats. There are no tigers in Trinidad, but Trekker enjoyed meeting several of his cousins - an ocelot and a beautiful big lion with whom he discussed genealogy. It was a very hot day (about 91° and probably about that much humidity) but we enjoyed the company, the chance to skip the housework and the happy discovery of a Cold Stone Creamery in a beautiful upscale mall a few miles from the zoo! It doesn't get much better than this!!!

Trekker Pitches A Fit!

Since we were already half way there, we decided after church at the Couva Ward, we would drive over to Pitch Lake, one of only three naturally occurring – and the largest - tar pits in the world (the other two are in Venezuela and Los Angeles) . It is reputed this circular lake covers approximately 100 acres and may be as deep as 250 feet at its center. To Trekker’s untrained eye, it looked – and smelled – like Pitch Lake is nothing more than a giant parking lot which attracts about 20,000 visitors a year.

Surprisingly, there are some beautiful flowers worth seeing in the middle of the lake, but be careful! Walking on this spongy surface is an interesting and safe experience, but any attempt to drive on it may result in tires sinking down into the oohy, gooey, black tar (also called asphalt or pitch). We got a very informative tour from a couple of self-appointed tour guides who, at the end of our half hour walk, charged us $600 TT’s – about $50 USD apiece – for the privilege.

Pitch Lake has been on our list of things to see before we leave Trinidad in a couple of weeks, but Trekker wasn't impressed. He didn’t like the “bituminous” odor and was considerably unhappy when these two highway robbers told us the cost for our little adventure. To show his displeasure, our Traveling Tiger "trew" a little hissy fit - then reminded us it probably served us right for sightseeing on "da Sabbit” day in Trinidad.

The Language of the Caribbean

Years ago, while working as a freelance writer for St. George Magazine, a group of us created a list of distinctly southern Utah words. After being in the Caribbean for more than 3 months - and as we get ready to leave for Guyana - it feels like the right time to create a list of words specific to Trinidad. Here are some of my favorites from some of my favorite Trinis (notice the pattern of not pronouncing the "th"):

Tron / trew = “to cast away” as in “I trew da ball”

Da = “your paternal unit” or “the” as in “Da Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”

Tree = “the number between two and four”

Tird = “the number between second and fourth”

Tirteen - "the number between twelve and fourteen"

Tankful = “having gratitude” as in “I am tankful for my membership in da church”

Dos / Dis / Deez = those, this or these

Tings = “possessions or objects”

Fait = “to be believing of dos tings not seen”

Scripchas - any of the books of the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants or the Pearl of Great Price

Cateedral - a large church

Attority - "they who hold the keys of the kingdom"

Monday and Tuesday - any holiday weekend in Trinidad

Limin' - "kicking back" or "hanging with friends"

One Red Shoe

The cast came off today . . . and, although my foot/leg is still noticeably swollen and a little sore (the break is still visible in the x-ray), life is pretty much back to normal after 7 weeks of pain pills, crutches and looking forward to a day when I could get around without help! Actually, the break was extremely painful in the beginning, but thanks to a priesthood blessing . . . and the passage of time, the injury quickly became nothing more than an inconvenience requiring a few simple considerations.

For instance, in order to take a shower, I wrapped my leg with a large garbage bag and sat on a plastic patio chair. I had to endure the embarrassment of being lifted – 5 times - in a small wheelchair by two strong airport workers onto planes between Trinidad and St. Lucia and back again; and, I suffered through the humiliation of having to “bump” up the stairs to our apartment on my fanny.

In my days of wearing one red shoe I learned some valuable lessons. For one, I learned we really don't want socialized medicine in the United States. I was cared for in the private-pay West Shore Hospital in Port-of-Spain - in and out in a couple of hours and the staff was wonderful and caring. Three weeks later we were talking to the POS Stake President Gould who said he was glad I went to a private pay hospital, since "if you had tried to go to one of our free hospitals, you would probably still be waiting to see a doctor." Seems one of the Trini members waited 9 months for an MRI . . . and another 6 months before he had the results. In the words of our stake president, "You don't know how good you've got it in the states. You no doubt pay more . . . but at least you can see a doctor before you die!"

This experience has also given me a whole new empathy for people with disabilities and a greater appreciation for a country which passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in July 1990 to make certain all citizens of the United States have access to restaurants, movie theaters, hospitals, meeting rooms and bathrooms. I am grateful, in a personal way, for the ADA!!!

Trekker Visits the Cemetery

There are still many things to see in Trinidad, so Trekker – with his persuasive personality – begged and pleaded for one of Grandma Linda’s “family famous mystery trips” on a recent Preparation Day. First, we took him to lunch at the Hyatt Regency Hotel along with Ralph and Paulette Childs, another of the missionary couples in the office. Located on the absolute Caribbean shoreline, the Hyatt in Trinidad is typical of this high-end hotel chain everywhere else in the world – beautiful and polished in every way! Trekker thought he had “come home to the states” - especially since he was certain the Conciege Desk was painted in "tiger colors" in his honor!!!

After lunch, he whined and cried that he didn’t want to go home yet! So we decided it was appropriate, since we were already on a "mystery trip" that we visit the cemetery in downtown Port-of-Spain!

Lapeyrouse Cemetery is very old. Now home to transients, homeless and thugs, the final resting place for thousands of loved ones "buried" above ground, is sadly filled with broken glass, stained concrete and stones which have been worn into unreadability, lost or vandalized, especially in those plots with no remaining family to provide upkeep. To our Traveling Tiger – who is used to North American-style cemeteries with manicured lawns and trees - this Trinidad cemetery presented a shocking first impression. However, a closer look reveals an old-world feel with individuality and interest.

Trekker probably won’t want to visit the cemetery again, but he agreed, it was a fascinating way to spend an afternoon in Trinidad and a mystery trip he won't soon forget.

Zone Conference in Trinidad

We attended our first Zone Conference this week, held at President and Sister Gamiette’s home and attended by all the companionships in Trinidad and Tobago, including couples – all who stood and recited “my purpose” by heart from “Preach My Gospel.” Three of these handsome young men received certification stickers for their name badges (which means they had memorized 50 scriptures and can recite them by heart). The missionaries sang “Happy Birthday” to three of their own. Sister Gamiette presented each companionship with instructions on what to do in the event of a hurricane or civil disturbance and Sister Ellison gave the missionaries good advice on staying healthy, including a list of items they should have in their first aid kits.

Then President Gamiette – a remarkable teacher and leader – gave excellent counsel on how to get investigators to the point where they will ask “what shall I do?” when the missionaries introduce them to the gospel. He noted “when you exercise your faith and make your teaching personal to each of Heavenly Father’s children, he will always provide you with a goat” (Genesis 22:10-13). He also noted, “the most golden contact you will find each day is going to be behind the last door you knock on.”

AP’s Ipson and Hicken followed that same line of thinking by reminding the elders, “angels are guiding you to those who have been prepared to hear the gospel message (Alma 13:24). Your job is to match your goals with your accomplishments.”

Using Alma 5 as his text, President Gamiette pointed out the teaching tools used by this ancient prophet. Getting them to “Search” is reminding investigators of the history of gospel doctrine among men. “Analyze” gets people to think about the doctrine for themselves; and, “apply” is getting them to visualize how specific gospel principles apply in their lives. He encouraged missionaries to “sharpen” their teaching skills; set and then work to reach daily goals, pray more mightily, and make it personal.

Our young president admits he is sometimes lacking in organizational skills and tends to make decisions “on the fly” but even with those shortcomings, he is a spiritual giant. He cares so much about the missionaries in his charge and wants them to grow spiritually as individuals and future leaders of the Church, as well as to “bring souls unto Christ.” It is an amazing experience to be in his presence and learn from him.