Couples Conference in St Lucia

We flew to St Lucia for a three day Senior Couples Conference with our new mascot, Treckker the Hound. We all enjoyed the beach.  The mission presidency, President Gamiette(center), President Ricks, and President McIntosh inspired us about our role as shadow leaders.  President Gamiette brought his family.  He has five children.  The live in Trinidad where English is spoken.  Originally they are from Guadeloupe where French is spoken.  The kids said it was hard at first, but are now enjoying it very much.  President Gamiette and his wife had already learned English as single  missionaries in the U.S.  She grew up in France, while he grew up in Guadeloupe. 
   
President Gamiette referred to President Boyd Packers April 3, 2010 address in his keynote speech.  Pres. Packer said it has never been easy to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was not easy when He lived on the earth - he was crucified.  It was not easy for the early members of the church-they were forced to go first to Ohio, then to Illinois and finally to Utah.  Today the church isn’t attacked like that; today the church is attacked through the family.  President Monson stated:  “Today, we are encamped against the greatest array of sin, vice, and evil ever assembled before our eyes …”   especially for our youth.  President Harold B. Lee stated:  “It seems clear to me that the Church has no choice - and never has had - but to do more to assist the family in carrying out its divine mission, not only because that is the order of heaven, but also because that is the most practical contribution we can make to our youth - to improve the quality of life in the Latter-day Saint home.”  Families structured with a father and mother in the West Indies are uncommon because marriage is practically nonexistent.  In the old slave culture, families were not allowed and strong males were encouraged to produce as many children as possible for the slave owner.  One elderly member of the church sadly says that he produced roughly 25 children before he joined the Church.  The government still pays for most of these children that live, for a large part, in poverty.

               

 The emphasis in the Church is to “teach correct principles and let them govern themselves”.  The Bishops and Branch Presidents are being freed up to work more with the youth and in Europe the church has started Young Single Adult Centers.  We are privileged to have a senior adult couple from The Haig from the Netherlands serving in Surinam, a Dutch speaking country.  They are starting to have some success.  Much of the spiritual guidance of the Ward or Branch is being turned over to the Melchezidek Priesthood quorums through the Home Teaching Program and Family Home Evening program.

Sister Henderson and I will be working with the Elders Quorum President and Relief Society President with Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching.  Our thinking is that if we go teaching with them, we can help each other:  They can help us find the members and we will demonstrate to them how we do Home and Visiting teaching.  I think we will get the best of the deal since the roads are very windy, steep and treacherous – think what roads built on the sides of old volcanoes would be like and you will know what I am talking about.  Most of the branch members don’t have cars but they can help us find people’s homes.

As he closed the conference, President Gamiette reminisced about how his life would be much different had he not found the Church about 20 years ago, and with a tear in his eye, told us of the great happiness and peace he and his family have found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.