West Indies Mission: Country by Country

Or I should really say, "Les Antilles" ?

There are about thirty French speaking elders serving at any one time in the West Indies mission. The French speaking areas are:

St Martin (half of island)
Guadeloupe
Martinique
French Guiana (in South America)

There are usually more than enough French Elders to cover those areas, so sometimes the missionaries serve for a transfer or two in English-speaking areas.

There is also one French-speaking couple currently serving in Guadeloupe. The mission needs more - so if you know of a prospective French speaking senior couple, or any prospective couple for that matter, please email me at dfrweb@gmail.com (We are particularly anxious about replacing the one couple that is in Guadeloupe as we do not have anyone for their replacement.)

Here is some information on each area:

St Martin

Facts:

Population of about 73,000
This island is divided roughly in half between France (northern half) and Netherlands (southern half); it is the smallest inhabited sea island divided between two nations. About half of the entire population lives on each half of the island.
The island is widely known for its hundreds of gourmet (and more moderately priced) restaurants on both sides of the island.
Sint Maarten, the Dutch side, is known for its festive nightlife, beaches, jewelry, exotic drinks and plentiful casinos, while Saint-Martin, the French side, is known more for its clothes, shopping (including outdoor markets), and rich French and Indian Caribbean cuisine.
French and Dutch are the official languages but English is widely spoken, especially on the Dutch side.

Church:
There are two LDS Church branches in St Martin:

Margot Branch - a small French speaking branch in a rented building in Marigot
Phillipsburg Branch - an English speaking branch in a church-built chapel in Cole Bay

Missionary Work:
As of June 2009 there were four young elders, two French speaking and two English speaking serving in St Martin plus a senior couple - the Olivers (in front)

Missionaries usually fly to Guadeloupe for zone conferences.

History:

The Clair Dinane Family was baptized in Guadeloupe in 1980 and moved to St. Maarten on 1 December 1982. They held meetings with Utah natives Stirling and Mary Jane Wadley, until the Wadley’s returned to the United States and then the Dinanes held meetings by themselves or with other visiting American families. On 16 January 1984, Kenneth Zabriskie president of the West Indies Mission organized the St. Maarten Branch and called Clair Dinane as president. In 1984, Thad Ariens and Victor Quarty were the first missionaries to arrive. They taught in English on an island jointly administered between the Dutch and French governments.

Robert Salomons arrived on the Dutch side of the island on 14 April 1985 and was called as first counselor to Clair Dinane in May 1985. Later that year, the Salomons began holding meeting in Dutch with the help of missionaries that arrived on 11 August 1985.

The St. Maarten and Marigot branches were combined to form the Phillipsburg Branch in August 1992 with Arnold Blazek as president. Property was purchased for a chapel in January 1992. Elder Gene R. Cook of the Seventy visited on 7 January 2002 and met with members of the branch.

Pictures:
A glimpse of the West Indian joy of life on a beach close to the Marigot Chapel

A French side baptism in the sea

Painting the Phillipsburg Chapel

Here's some pictures with text from Sister Oliver

Guadeloupe

Facts:

Population is about 406,000
This island is owned by France and is part of the European Union. It’s currency is the euro
French is the official language but many of the inhabitants speak Creole
Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering the pineapple on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493 during his 2nd voyage.
Tourism is its key industry

Church:
There are 6 LDS Church branches in Guadeloupe and about 400 members

Abymes (church-owned chapel)
Basse-Terre
Capesterre
Gosier
Lamentin
Moule

Missionary Work
As of June 2009 there were 14 elders serving in Guadeloupe and one senior couple - Elder and Sister Collings

History:
Among the first converts in Guadeloupe was the Claire Dinane family. Dinane came into contact with the Church because of his duties as a customs officer where he met Latter-day Saints. His family soon moved, but a nucleus of members had joined the Church through contact with Dinane. The Guadeloupe Branch (a small congregation) was organized in June 1982, but was discontinued several months later due to the apostasy of a member of the Church.

In June 1984, West Indies Mission President Kenneth Zabriskie sent French-speaking missionaries to Guadeloupe who had been transferred from French-speaking missions in Europe. Through their efforts the Grande-Terre Branch was organized by Elder Ronald E. Poelman of the Seventy (one of the governing bodies of the Church) in August 1984. The branch was strengthened by Dusan Kolvic, a Yugoslavian refugee who learned of the Church in France, but was not baptized. Kolvic’s work as a policeman for the French government required a transfer to Guadeloupe, and one evening he was dispatched to arrest a drunkard who was attacking two missionaries. Kolvic later joined the Church and served as branch president from 1986 – 1988. Because of Guadeloupe’s connection to France, there have been several members from France who have lived on the island for a few years and brought valuable experience to the Church there.

In April 1998, West Indies Mission President Kenneth J. Mason dedicated the first chapel in Guadeloupe at Basse-Terre.

Pictures:

Happy elders in Guadeloupe

They know how to have fun on their preparation days

There is a font in Abymes but occasionally baptisms take place in the sea or in a waterfall pool

Gorgeous waterfalls everywhere

And blue blue sea

Martinique

Facts:

Population of about 402,000
This island is owned by France and is part of the European Union. Its currency is the euro.
French is the official language but many of the inhabitants speak Martini can Creole.
Martinique has an active volcano—Mount Pelee that last erupted in 1901.
Enjoys a higher standard of living than most other Caribbean islands.
Is mentioned in the Beach Boys hit "Kokomo" with the line "To Martinique, that Montserrat mystique"

Church:
There are 2 congregations on Martinique and nearly 200 members

Trinite (very small branch)
Fort de France

Missionary Work:
As of June 2009 there were four elders serving in Martinique. They fly to either St Lucia or Guadeloupe for zone conferences.

History:
Andre Condoris, a young man baptized in France while serving in the military, returned to his homeland in August 1980 and was the first known convert from the country. In July 1983, West Indies Mission President Kenneth Zabriskie visited Andre Condoris and Joell Joseph-Agathe, who had also been baptized in France. The two members welcomed missionaries Mark Richards, Stan Jones, and David Simons in May 1984, and held the first meeting on May 6. One month later Elder Ronald E. Poelman of the Seventy (one of the governing bodies of the Church) visited and a few months later Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone of the Seventy visited. The Martinique Branch (a small congregation) was organized in October 1985. The work has been slow in the country partly due to opportunities for members to immigrate to France.

Pictures:

Mt Pelee in the distance, where two elders were found after being lost for three days and three night

Rented building (upper floor) in Fort de France - I think this is changing soon or maybe has already changed

Upper floor of a house where the Trinite Branch meets

French Guiana

Facts:

Population of about 222,000. As with Guyana and Suriname, the majority of the population lives along the coast.
French Guiana is a region owned by France and part of the European union (the largest member outside of Europe). Its currency is the euro. The official language is French
Fishing, mining and timber drive the economy
French Guiana has a large Haitian population (French is also spoken on Haiti)

Church:
There just over 300 members and three branches of the LDS Church in French Guiana:

Cayenne (Church-owned chapel)
Kourou
Matoury

Missionary Work:
As of June 2009 there were six elders serving in French Guiana. They travel all day by van, canoe and then taxi to join the Dutch speaking elders in Suriname for zone conferences.

History:
Charles Fortin, a native of French Guiana, was baptized in France and returned to his homeland in 1980. Rosiette Fauvette, also baptized in France, returned to French Guiana in July 1981. She attended Sunday meetings at Fortin’s home in Cayenne. Charles Fortin introduced the Church to many people before his death in April 1986. By then, several other members were attending services, including Gerald Charpentier, who later became president of the first branch (a small congregation). Meetings were then held in the home of the Masinski family until January 1987 when they were moved to Rosiette Fauvette’s home in Kourou. In August 1987, the Francois Pratique family moved from France to Cayenne and began attending meetings.

Elder Charles Didier of the Seventy (one of the governing bodies of the Church) visited in March 1988 and organized a group. In November 1988, Serge and Christie Bonnoit of France became the first converts in French Guiana. In May 1989, the Kourou Branch was formed and in August, the Cayenne Branch was created with Francois Pratique as president.
In July 1989, the first missionary couple Wilbur and Jacqueline Wortham arrived in the country. They were followed in November 1989 by A. Edward and Louise P. Schmidt. The newly organized branch in Cayenne had about 23 members. On February 27, 1990, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve (the second highest governing body of the Church) blessed the land and with Elder Charles Didier visited branch members in both Cayenne and Kourou.

The Church has grown slowly in French Guiana due to members immigrating to France. A chapel was constructed in Cayenne and was dedicated in March 1999 by West Indies Mission president Kenneth J. Mason.

Pictures:

Cayenne Chapel

Kourou building

future missionaries ready for church

The elders take this canoe to reach zone conference in Suriname

There's a font in the Cayenne chapel but in other areas baptisms can take place in the sea

French Guiana elders serve in the furthest and most difficult to reach area of the mission - but they are tough enough to handle it and love the work!