We weren't very thankful, but . . .

There are times when we have to do things we are not thankful for, but we do them and they turn out to be some of our best moments, greatest blessings and most profound learning expereinces.  Several weeks ago, we received word that during the Thanksgiving holida, we would need to be in the Dominican Republic for humanitarian training.  President and Sister Hendricks had already planned a great senior missionary Thanksgiving and my how we wanted to be there.  That's how we approached this thankless trip to the DR.  Oh, it would be a great time to meet with all the other Caribbean humanitarian missionaries and interface with Bennie Lilly our direct supervisor over welfare, but we would have preferred a different week.



Tuesday we traveled from Jamaica to Miami to the Santo Domingo.  It did give us a chance to get a US stamp in our passports.  This was important because Jamaica requires that if you live there for over a year you have to get a country drivers license (which make us eligible for receiving traffice tickets); one little hop to Miami and we're good for another year; problem for us resolved.  One blessing realized from our trip.




Bennie Lilly, Elder and Sister Atkinson, Brother Theodore



We started the training early Wednesday morning and met Elder and Sister Angus (from Vernal) who serve in Guyana/Trinidad/Tobago, Elder and Sister Atkinson (from Alpine) who serve in the Dominican Republic and Brother Bertonie Theodor (from Haiti) who serves in Haiti.  We are the humanitarian corps in the Caribbean.



Training room at Area Offices.  Elder and Sister Angus and Theron's back.

 We were taught from the new Church Handbook of Instructions which contains several significant changes.  Perhaps the most important one is the new guiding principles of the Church.  We all know the - preach the gospel, perfect the saints, redeem the dead, but a fourth principle has been added -- care for the poor and needy.  With this change we learned that welfare councils are done away and ward councils (using all ward leadership) have this responsibility.  It brought our work so much into focus.

We also learned the difference between a bishop's storehouse and the Lord's storehouse.  My immediate reaction to this topic was 'we can't have one of these in Jamaica because we don't have a stake and bishops.'  Little did I know how much we now have to teach on this topic in Jamaica.  Look at D&C 82 and read alll the things that we are to bring to the bishop's storehouse.  I have always lumped 'talents and skills' with material resources, but after our workshop I will no longer think this, as I have now learned that even in places where no physical bishop's storehourse exists, there is the Lord's storehouse; it's stocked with all the talents, skills and testimonies of the members.  Immediately, my thoughts flowed to our food new initiative and that's exactly the way it was organized.  We give all the credit for this direction to the Lord.

In one of our discussions, Brother Theodore from Haiti whos native language is French, asked, 'What is a slum?'  For a brief moment, everyone in the room stopped breathing.  How do you answer this question?  The reference is all in our perspective and background.  He lives in Haiti; they are struggling with adequate housing, food and clean water which are all terms I would use as 'slums' yet to him this is not so.  What a narrow view of life I have.



If we had only attended this one day of training, our time in the DR would have been well spent.  We weren't very thankful to go, but we are indeed thankful now for the change it made in our hearts.

However, the day was not over.  In the early evening, Elder and Sister Coleman of the area presidency (from North Salt Lake) hosted our group to a complete Thanksgiving dinner.  Sister Coleman had baked for a couple of days the pies and turkey.  Sister Almeida (wife of the DTA - Director of Temporal Affairs)contributed part of the food as did Sister Anderson (wife of a member of the area presidency).  What a treat to be in this special home at this thankful time of year.  Thank you Colemans; we love and appreciate them.

Elder and Sister Atkinson (DR) and Brother and Sister Almeida

Elder and Sister Angus (Guyana) and Elder Coleman

Thursday's meetings started with Elder Coleman's weeping testimony of humanitarian work.  He talked about projects and people in Mexico when he was the Area President there.  Marc do you remember the first employment center in Monterrey?  It would have been about the time you served there.  He talked a lot about Monterrey, Mexico which is also a special place in our hearts because our son, Marc, served his mission there. 

Schaefermeyers, Almeidas, Atkinsons, Bennie Lilly, Bertonie Theodore, Angus', Elder and Sister Coleman



There is so much from this day that we will take back and try to implement and teach in Jamaica.  Our hearts are full and thankful.

The most special occurance was attending the Temple on this Thanksgiving Day.  What a special time for us.  It had been 9 months since we were last in the Temple.  That's the longest time we had ever been absent from participating.  If nothing else had happened, this would have been a highlight.



We weren't very thankful, but our hearts were touched, we were taught, we learned, our minds were opened and our attitude changed.  It still would have been wonderful to spend Thanksgiving in Jamaica, or even better at home with family, but this Thanksgiving opportunity will always be a highlight of our mission.

These comments from a talk that President Monson gave in May of 1986 summarize our charge and focus.  We share this and hope you feel his spirit and the spirit of our work:



He was speaking of the welfare program and it's initial purpose, "Our (the Church's) primary purpose was to set up, insofar as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more established amongst our people.  The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. . . . As we look back through fifty years and reflect on the development of the welfare program, as we look forward to the years ahead, let us remember the place of the priesthood, the role of the Relief Society, and the involvement of the individual.  Help from heaven will be ours."

Then he quotes, "How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is giv'n!

So God imparts to human heart The blessings of his heav'n.

No ear may hear his coming; But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still.  The dear Christ enters in. (Hymn 208)

I had never thought about these words from this song in conjunction with our welfare program, but I am thankful for the new perspective.