Good morning from St. Croix. Wasn't that a wonderful General Conference? We felt like it was a time when the windows of heaven were opened and blessings and revelation were poured out upon us. Amazing.
We met both Saturday and Sunday in our hot little branch building for all the sessions. A few have internet capability in their homes and stayed there to watch, most had to work on Saturday, and some do not understand what General Conference is and do not attend. Because many run on "Caribbean time" when the first session began on Saturday there were only three of us to participate in the Solemn assembly; Brother Crook (the counselor in the branch presidency), Elder DeMille and I. Although our group was very small, the spirit was extra strong. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched Elder DeMille and Brother Crook stand and sustain the prophet. My heart nearly burst as I was able to stand with the Relief Society sisters around the world and sustain our new prophet. Then the three of us stood together with the body of the church and sustained him again. The spirit was so strong for me that I felt for a moment I understood how the early saints felt when the Kirtland temple was dedicated.
In his talk, Elder Anderson described the feeling that was in the conference center when the solemn assembly took place. He said that same spirit was in the homes where the saints participated and in chapels throughout the world where the saints had gathered, even upon the ISLANDS OF THE SEAS. His words were true. The Lord's spirit was poured down upon the earth in that moment. We felt bad that many of the members here did not participate in that experience. It would have strengthened their testimonies. But eventually branch members arrived and enjoyed the spirit that lingered throughout the rest of the session.
Can I just say that we paid particular attention when missionaries were mentioned in prayers and prayed for their success and blessings. I know before we served, we often prayed for missionaries. I will take those pleas more seriously now, because I know missionaries love the protection and help that come from those prayers. Thank you for praying for missionaries.
The weather here has been so pleasant and nice. There have been breezes that keep us cooled off and temperatures have been moderated. It has been really dry and the grasses have all turned brown. We finally got some rain last week that was prayed for by Elder DeMille and much appreciated by all. It is getting hotter and hotter by the day and some days remind us of the misery of last September's heat. We find consolation that we will be home by July and won't have to endure that again!
We have a baptism this coming Saturday morning. Her name is Milagro which in Spanish means miracle. She is exactly that, a miracle. She was taught the gospel for a long time. She had two baptism dates with the previous missionaries but didn't show up. She had a previous date with us, but called and cancelled it the night before. She said she needed more time to really know for herself. Elder DeMille and I backed off but visited her from time to time. With the communication lines down, she didn't even realize we were off island for a time after the hurricane. The week we returned, she called us and said she was ready for a visit. As we have taught her, we focused on the Book of Mormon. She has had experiences with her study of it that have led her to know it is true. When she knew it was true, she knew it was time for her to be baptized. Milagro speaks Spanish. I try my best to use what Spanish I know to communicate, but she is trying hard to learn English so she doesn't want me to speak Spanish. It has been really hard to communicate with her because she doesn't understand English. It has been hard and sometimes really funny! Sometimes we shake our heads and wonder what just happened after we have visited her. But the spirit speaks the same language and we all understand each other perfectly when we feel the spirt. We feel that Milagro will be baptized this time. So sweet!
When Elder DeMille and I returned home and were released after the hurricanes, we felt restless that we needed to come back. We were not offered any hope of return at the time. We both felt that there were investigators that we needed to return and teach. It was a difficult time of adjustment. When we were blessed to be able to return, we looked up those investigators. Most of them fell away and for a time I became discouraged and wondered why I had pushed so hard to return. Yesterday, after conference, I hugged and kissed Milagro on the cheek. The spirit had done its work on us and we hugged and cried as sisters. In that moment, I felt that one of the reasons we returned was to help Milagro. She was not the one I thought we needed to return to help, but she is the one Heavenly Father had in mind. Miracles do happen in our day! Keep us in your prayers for a Saturday baptism!!
We had another little miracle happen to us. The owner of the apartment we live in decided to sell it. We thought after the hurricanes and all the damage that sales would be down and we wouldn't have to worry (some homes take years to sell here). Amazingly enough, sales have been robust and prices for housing have skyrocketed since the hurricanes. Most of the increase is due to FEMA workers needing houses for the long run. Many relief workers that have been here also see it as a vacation home opportunity. Unfortunately for us, our apartment sold and we have to be out a month before we return home. Housing is very hard to find right now, almost impossible. Our mission president indicated that maybe he would just send us home a month early. I told him there was no way I was going home early twice!!! We looked for apartments but haven't had any luck so far. Our daughter in law, Ashley, suggested we ask the new owners if we could stay here a month longer. We hadn't considered that option since most are trying to move in immediately. But we thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. The realtor was hesitant to ask, but when she finally did the new owners were agreeable to let us stay until we fly home! It is a little miracle to us since housing has become so dear. We still are looking for a place for missionaries to stay, but as for now there are no missionaries to replace us. When they do send missionaries here again, hopefully the housing market will have improved a little.
Well, I have rambled on long enough. We hope you are all well and happy. We hope you are all reading the Book of Mormon and enjoying the spirit that blesses lives and families when we study it. We love God and His son, Jesus Christ. We pray every day that we, our family and our friends may all HOLD ON for dear life to the iron rod. We love you all and pray for you every day.
Elder and Sister DeMille
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