Letter and Pictures - Week 52

Hey Family!

     Well I'm half way there! This week is #52 and on Friday it will be one whole year here on my mission! It's been wonderful. My testimony has blossomed. My gospel knowledge and understanding has grown immensely. I'm a better person because of giving my life to the Lord.

     Genada is a beautiful. It is a lot like St. Lucia but even more beautiful and more developed. There are a lot of similarities between the two islands. There is still a lot of poverty and yes there are Rastas here as well. The church is in a city called Grand Anse and we along with two other sets of Elders live real close to the church. We live on the same street. All of us have our own apartments. We are a little closer to the church than the others and they are in the same complex building. It's nice being close. Our area is called St. George's. We are in the St. George's branch and then there are two groups a far ways away. One is 45 minutes away on the left side of the island called Gouyave and the other is 1 hour away on the right side of the island and it's called Grenville. There is one companionship for each group. There are 5 companionships in St. George's. The St. George's branch is a lot stronger with families but there are still many single mothers.

Elder Kasteler is great! We get along really well. He loves sports and is a chill guy. He also has a strong testimony and loves the Lord. He has been out a little less than me. About 9 months. He has been on Grenada for awhile now. He will leave either this or the next transfer. He has been a ZL for a transfer or two. He is 19 now but he came out when he was 18.

Elder Kasteler and I are working really well and there has been some really wonderful miracles occurring in the lives of those we teach. We had a lady named Elizabeth who has been taught before by Elder Merrell and Elder Spencer and then a couple times when Elder Kasteler came but for some reasons the lessons took a pause. She wasn't really progressing then but we passed by to see how she was doing as we were in the area and then invited her to read. She said she would but then as we followed up she still hadn't read. We recommitted her and then came back for a lesson to come to find that she had actually read and her heart had changed. She had felt a real power as she read. She could sense that it made a big difference in her life and it helped her. She wasn't really accepting baptism before but after she read 3 Nephi 11 (which was like her first time in the book) she knew she needed to repent and be baptized and she wanted to be baptized by the proper authority. We were taken back when she told us but we were excited! We taught about the restoration and she understood and accepted that this is the one true church of Jesus Christ restored in these latter days. She was involved and interested. It was great.

I can't remember if I wrote about Lania before but we met a lady named Lania one night after we finished a little lesson at the Maturines. She came in for some credit on her phone and then left but we didn't let this opportunity slide away and we went and talked with her. She was absolutely the most prepared person that I've contacted into. She had been praying for answers to something that she is going through and she had a couple other missionaries for other faiths try to give her tracks and such earlier that night but she wouldn't accept them but as we stopped her to talk she felt different and as we were talking she recognized that we were an answer to her prayer. She believes in marriage and family and waiting to have children until after marriage. We gave her a track and she was in awe by it and went straight home to read it. She read it and wants us to come back to teach her. Though unfortunately she is leaving for England for four weeks now but we will teach her when she gets back. She teaches math to Junior High age kids.( I thought Dad might like that little tidbit) :).

Well I love you all! I hope you all make the best of this week and that the Lord will bless all of you. I know we have a Heavenly Father who loves us dearly.

 

With much love,

Elder King

Elder Kasteler and I with our Brother James Charles who is a recent convert to the church. This was taken at the church building. The church is right by the ocean and it has a beautiful view. There was a baptism this week for the sisters and the baptism was done right there behind the church. It's really cool.

 

Marie