Miracle Part 2

Have you ever wondered why things seem to be so hard sometimes?  I have been thinking about that a lot lately because things are REALLY hard!  Some days it seems like we haven't made any progress at all.  Actually, it's most days!

A few weeks ago I wrote about some missing files.  A box came in and there were lots of files in them and they were definately needed, but we later discovered that there were about 25 files still missing.  We called Trinidad and had them look everywhere.  We looked everywhere.  We had the AP's look everywhere.  We searched every apartment connected with the AP's.  I called both airports (which is not a fun thing to do) and they had seen nothing.  We were resigned to the fact that they were gone.

President Herrington called his In Field Rep almost a week ago and we didn't get a reply.  I wrote to the person in the MTC who handles that kind of thing and she didn't reply.  I kept thinking, don't they know how serious this is!?  This is an identify thiefs dream!  Copies of passports, driviers licence, original birth certificates, police clearance letters, FBI reports.  All just sitting there for 25 people!

Yesterday we had a long talk with the AP's again.  Elder T quizzed them at length about what they remembered.  I asked them if they looked inside shirts and clothes to make sure they weren't wrapped up in something.  They assured us that they had searched everywhere.

We got an email from the In Field Rep that day that said this could cause the delay of all of those missionaries coming in to the field!  What a mess.  We took comfort in the fact that Sister Miller, (Mary Rose's sister)  put our names and the names of the Missions on the prayer roll in the Cardston Temple.

Last night I was quite discouraged.  Again, why do things have to be so hard?  We went to bed early just to end the day early!  About 9:30 we got a phone call from the AP's.

THEY FOUND THEM!  We could not believe it!  They hadn't told us this before but they had actually brought about 5 suitcases with them!  There were personal suitcases that needed to end up in our mission after the split.  As they were unloading their suitcases at the airport, and Elder thought one suitcase was too heavy so he took the files out and put them in another suitcase.

The AP's forgot this because they had to move the next day and then left for a 10 day mission tour.  Apparently something Elder T said yesterday sparked some kind of thought to look in those other suitcases.  And there they were!

We are soooooooo very, very grateful!

After the trial come the blessings and it is so much sweeter than if it was easy!  I know some of you are having a trial or two.  Just hang in there!  Things will all work out!

And remember that we love YOU!

Dive right in!

The other day we went for a walk along the beach for our morning exercise.  Grandpa wanted to swim so he waded out a little way.  Reminiscent of a time on another beach in Delaware, a giant wave came up!  Grandpa looked at it and in a split second decided the best thing to do would be to dive in to it.  All Grandma saw from the shore was him disappearing and then it looked like he was doing a hand stand on the ocean floor!  All she could see was his feet sticking straight up!  It took several seconds for him to get right side up.  Grandma was even getting a little worried, but he finally got turned around and was safe and sound.

Sometimes we are faced with a problem and we have to make a split second decision.  We can either try to run away from it (but that never works) or we can dive right in!  Things may seem a little mixed up and scary for a moment but it will all turn out right in the end.

We are glad you are the kind of people who dive right in and get the job done!

Remember that we love YOU!

Two Miracles

It's been a week full of highs (and a few lows) but we are so grateful to be a part of the new Barbados Bridgetown mission!  It seems like the adversary has been trying his best to discourage the growth of the church here.  We have met with many obstacles, but we are amazingly calm and cheerful.  Maybe I should call this three miracles because of that!

Yesterday, we had two distinct miracles.  I will tell mine and then Elder Turner will tell his.

Over a week ago, the Mission Office in Trinidad sent over a suitcase full of files.  When I looked through them, I did not see the ones that I desperatly needed.  I contacted the secretary there and she said she had sent them and to look again.  I looked again.  And again.  And again!  I asked the AP's if they remembered seeing them in the suitcase they brought over.  They said they saw three sets of files.  They were sure of it.  We only got two sets in the suit case.  I lost a couple of nights sleep over this.  It was information on the incoming missionaries.  Things like copies of their passports and driver's licences, birth certificates, police and FBI reports.  All the kinds of things that should be guarded and kept safe and I could not find any of the 23 folders!  We were worried that they might have been stolen out of the suitcase.

On July 2, all the missionaries on the island had a meeting with President and Sister Herrington.  I really felt the spirit as he spoke.  As he was talking, it came clearly to me that the Lord knew where the files were and if I had faith, he would help me find them.  Right as I was thinking that, the DHL delivery man came in with a huge box.  It was a little disruptive because it was in the middle of Pres Herrington's testimony.  I continued to pray and to put my faith in Him.

About an hour later.  I had a chance to open the box.  It had been sent from the Mission Office in Trinidad on June30 and it had arrived on July 2.  That in itself is a miracle!  That just does not happen in the islands.  I looked in the box and what did I see?  You guessed it!  The files I needed were right on top!

I don't know if they were always in that box (because the other secretary insists that she sent them in the suitcase) or the Lord put them there.  I immediatley gave thanks.  I truly believe it was a miracle.

I am constantly amazed at how the Lord answers our prayers, even before we ask them!  I am so grateful to know that He love ME!  Of all people!  And he cares about each of our daily needs.  It was a real blessing.

So, now for my miracle. When we rented the new mission office space, it was totally without furnishing or closets, except for one small room that was sort of a kitchen and had one small wall of cupboards. As we began figuring out how to use the space, we stored what few odds and ends we had received, the keys to the outside doors, the keys to the inside doors, the contract copies and some instruction manuals. The outside doors had electronic keys and we passed those out but the inside doors just had plain old metal keys and since were not locking them, we had just left those keys in the kitchen cupboard,

Fast forward 2 weeks to the first day of the new mission. The Mission President has arrived and is having a meeting with all the misisonaries on Barbados. The meeting was to be in held at a chapel but the electricity was off there so we moved it to the office - it was kind of a stretch but it worked. We had a morning session and then had a local restaurant deliver individual lunches. The morning session went well, the lunch arrived a bit early and we helped the lady put it in the kitchen, shut the door and continued the meeting. When we broke at noon I went to open the kitchen door and it was locked! And the only keys we had were inside the kitchen! And we had 23 hungry people about to be hungrier! Sister Turner looked at me. I looked at her. I knew we had to get in that kitchen and the door was definitely locked. I had a strong feeling to take a screwdriver and go outside (the far end of the kitchen has a fire exit door that was supposedly alarmed and could only be opend from the inside. So I found a screwdriver and walked outside. Meanwhile Sister T called the building rep to see if she could find another key. When I got to the outside of the door I leaned down and looked at the edge of the door where the latch was and I could see a thin line of metal. I stuck the screwdriver in and pried a bit and it moved, I did it two more times and the door popped open, I walked in unlocked the door on the other side and there was Sister T looking panicked.  She had talked to the security guard and everyone had gone home for lunch and there was no spare key to be found.  She was amazed and so was I. I'm still not sure how I did that and I am not planning on taking up a career in burglary, but apparently the Lord agreed that it would be good to continue the conference with a lunch. It all worked out - no damage to the door and no, we won't keep storing the keys in the kitchen.

We are so grateful for the tender mercies that happen each and every day.  We have enjoyed seeing pictures of all of you having a great time together!  We would love to be a part of it but know that whe have been led here "for such a time as this".  We pray that we will be equal to the task.

Here are a few more pictures showing how old we look and the new office a bit.  I made cupcakes in honor of July 1 and July 4.  It is a great group of missonaries. 

Remember, we love YOU!