How To Serve A Couple Mission In the West Indies

What a tremendous contribution is being made in establishing the church in the West Indies by couple missionaries. There is no mission quite like this. Where else do you find a proselyting mission with 23 couples? What a rich experience each is having as together with the other couples they are creating memories that fill page after page of their journals.

The question is often asked, "how does a couple get assigned to the West Indies Mission?" Much like the blue sheets posted in local ward buildings, couples desiring to serve in the West Indies can indicate on their missionary application papers that they would prefer to serve in the West Indies. They should also request that their stake president include a letter from the West Indies Mission President in the application packet sent to the missionary department. This letter, which is addressed to the missionary department, requests that the couple be assigned to the West Indies and describes the immediate need for this couple to serve in this mission. Unless the couple requests that they be assigned to the West Indies and unless a letter from the mission president is included in the application packet, they will not be assigned to serve in the West Indies Mission.

Why consider serving in the West Indies? A picture is worth a thousand words. Check out the slide shows at westindies.com to get a feel for what the mission is like. You will be assigned to serve on an island or in Guyana where the saints are preparing for stakehood. You will love the humility and kindness of the people in the Caribbean. Yours will be a self-directed experience wherein you determine the best use of your talents. You represent the mission president and his wife as you mentor the young elders, you train, tutor, coach and cheerlead the members as they learn to fulfill callings, you fellowship and love the less actives back into the fold, and you teach the gospel in the homes of the investigators. You do not have the same rules that are followed by the young elders. You are not transferred to different locations unless you request a change of assignment. You will have the experience of a lifetime as you learn to love and understand a new culture. Your grandchildren and children will be blessed as they pray for you, their missionaries. They too will get the desire to serve missions when the time arrives for them as well.

Back in Trinidad

We are back in the mission home for a while and preparing for Zone Leader Council to be held next Tuesday through Thursday (June 3-5). We will have 27 Elders gather from all over the mission to attend so there is lots to do to get ready. The group will include current zone leaders (unless this is their last transfer as a zone leader) and the new Zone Leaders who will start serving on June ll (transfer day). I am worrying about how to feed them - both physically and spiritually. Our last Zone Leader Council was wonderful and resulted in a great leap upward in mission success.

Zone Conference and hosting Salt Lake visitors in Guadeloupe

The French Elders gathered in Guadeloupe from St Martin and Martinique for Zone Conference yesterday. Here are the Tahitian Elders singing a special musical number with their gorgeous voices:


Last night we had auxiliary training and a special fireside with Sister Dalton (General Young Women President) and Sister Matsumori (counselor in Primary General Presidency). They were wonderful!


Today President Mask (area president) held a wonderful and uplifting meeting with the French Elders.



At the end of the meeting he gave each one of them a hug

Island Zone Conference in St Lucia

Last Tuesday we held our Island Zone Conference in St Lucia. We meet in a very nice building rented about a year ago but the branch (and zone) have already outgrown the largest meeting room. We were so crowded that it was hard to get a nice picture during the conference.

But, here we are - working and studying hard:


Here is a glimpse of St Lucia beauty:


Aren't the children darling? All through the West Indies, they wear fun uniforms and they start school so young!

On the French side

We are in Guadeloupe right now and internet is tricky but I managed to find a place to get online. We held wonderful Zone Conferences with the Island Zone (Tuesday) and the French Zone (yesterday - Wednesday). I remembered to take pictures and I will post them soon.

Our schedule has been incredibly tight lately because we have had the privilege of hosting visitors from Salt Lake City - Sister Dalton (YW General President) and Sister Matsumori (Primary counselor) along with the Masks (Area President and his wife). They did some wonderful auxiliary training here in Guadeloupe yesterday evening and then held a fireside last night that the members loved. We don't get visitors very often in this mission - so yesterday was a special day.

A new approach

Here is why I have started this new blog.

Because the main mission site is made and hosted by Apple, it is difficult to find in internet searches. I know that when our sons got their mission calls (France, Bordeaux; Puerto Rico; Canada Calgary), I went straight to Google to find out more about their missions. The westindiesmission.com site does not readily appear on Google searches.

Hopefully, this blog will be a starting place for parents and friends of West Indies missionaries to find out more about the mission. From here they will be able to link to the main site.

I plan to add a little something daily if possible (at least a couple of times a week if we are traveling) about what is happening around the mission. I will still keep up the main site where you can find parents information, slideshows, photos, and mission news.

Feel free to add comments and share this blog with others interested in the West Indies Mission.