Stories from Vieux Fort, St. Lucia

Elder and Sister Williamson are serving in Vieux Fort, St Lucia. Sister Williamson writes a weekly "WIM log" home to her family and copies it to me. She is a wonderful descriptive writer and beautifully portrays the life of a couple missionary and the sweet people they serve. Here are a few excerpts from her letter I received this morning:


Shania

"She is the little girl in the middle of the picture. She was born 2 months early and has some developmental problems. She is called “troublesome” because she gets into things, makes noises and grabs anything she shouldn’t have. She is constantly being told “No, No, No.” A few weeks ago, she wanted my glasses and tried to grab them off my face. Several people in the room started commanding her to stop, but I said in a firm voice, “Shania, these are Sister Williamson’s glasses. Would you like to look in them?” She didn’t answer, but she smiled. I told her, “Hands down.” When she lowered her hands from my glasses I put them in front of her eyes, but not on her face. Her hands went up, and I moved the glasses away, saying “Hands down.” We did that several times until she tired of the game and went on to other things. Today in Sacrament Meeting she was behind us on her mom’s lap, and there was a struggle developing. I turned around and held out my hand. She came up to our row, sat by me and played with Dad’s handkerchief all through the meeting, and then she was a little jewel during Primary. Joseph Smith taught that all of us who are blessed to come to earth are capable of “enlargement”. All people have the ability to learn if given a chance, and she loves to lead the singing in Primary. She loves to point at pictures as we talk about them. She loves hugs. Shania seems to be enlarging in her ability to get along with people. It is so rewarding to see that happening."


Gregorianna

"You’ve heard a lot about her in these letters. During Testimony Meeting last week she was so frightened to bear her testimony that she couldn’t stand up. Today we were practicing for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation, and when she received the paper with her part on it, she covered her face. Just thinking about standing up made her fearful. I looked at her and said, “Gregorianna, you can do this through the power of the Holy Ghost.” She made it through the words and sat down with relief. The next time we went through the program, she spoke softly but clearly. Next week we’ll practice again, and the following week we present our program. She will be afraid, but she will be able to do it."


Jeanmarl

"There is Jeanmarl who was trying to be a missionary before he was even baptized. When the Elders finished teaching him, he asked where they were going next, and when they got there, he was there waiting for them. He liked bearing his testimony to the investigators. Now he is helping the Elders teach his parents. His mother took me aside after Enrichment meeting on Tuesday to tell me that they are making progress toward baptism. She bore her testimony that the path they are finding is the right path, and that someday she wants to go to the temple with her family. Then she asked if she could pay tithing before being baptized. "


Nixon

"Another special young boy we would never have met is Nixon. He is quietly trying to help his older brothers gain a testimony by the way he lives."


Sister Ernie

"Today after church Dad took me and Sister Jeanette Thomas to visit Sister Ernie, the most recently baptized member. We visited for awhile in the house, and then walked outside to see Ernie’s flower garden. This is a marvel in several ways. She lives on a bare rocky slope and has carved out a little yard for her cinderblock house. Around it she is planting things to bring beauty to her place. We gave her some cut flowers on the day Dad interviewed her for baptism, and she planted them. She was proud to show us that those stems she shoved into the ground are taking root between the rocks. Dad and I listened to Ernie and Jeanette talking of the trials they have in life, and how their faith anchors them. It might as well been a testimony meeting, because both of them shared their love of the Lord and the gospel very strongly. Ernie thanked Dad for the way he teaches, because he speaks out loudly, and sometimes makes the class laugh, but mostly she says she can feel her spirit “in here” (in her heart) learning from what he says."


Evans, Beherlie, Evanalla, and Swancy

"Evans, Betherlie, Evanella and Swancy had planned to come to church as a family today, but the public water has been turned off for two days, and they haven’t been able to shower. This happens when it rains too much, and believe me, this has been a real wet week. They had a big heavy duty plastic container the size of a large bathtub all full of rainwater, and they were saving it for today, so they would be clean for meetings, but somehow it cracked and there was not a bit of water left in it this morning. This evening we went over and took the video, “Called to Serve” and some conference talks. They enjoyed all of it, but they were really impressed with Elder Holland’s testimony that we are very clearly Christians. Evans and Betherlie each have a calendar they are marking for every day they keep their commitments. The girls haven’t had all the lessons yet, but they are making progress."



We are always looking for people to serve couple missions in the West Indies. In fact, the Williamsons return home on February 20th and we are looking for their replacement. If you are interested, send me an email at dfrweb@gmail.com