Miracles and Missionaries-- August 21, 2007

We're having a great time on our mission tour(s). We're now with the Martineaus. We just returned from 3 days in the ABC islands. (Aruba, Bonaire Curacao) had wonderful meetings and experienced some miracles. In Curacao there are two small branches that have averaged around 40 attendees each in the last several months, but for about 2 months their numbers have been increasing each Sunday. They each had close to 100 yesterday and the 2nd branch had 30 investigators!!!! Can you believe that? Some were missionary finds and others were brought by members. It was amazing!! Very powerful meetings with strong spirit. There is no question that the Martineaus and the Dewsnups were called here to Puerto Rico at this time to light a fire under the members here. Already you can feel an excitement here that has been missing for a long time. About 10 years ago Puerto Rico was "de-staked". All stakes were disolved and made districts. Not long after, the church "service center" was moved from Puerto Rico to the Domincan, and a couple of years later the temple was built in the DR when just a few years before everyone thought the temple would be built in Puerto Rico. So this was a series of unfortuante events that really stripped the animo from the Puerto Rico saints. But both of these mission presidents have such enthusiasm and such a vision for a temple in Puerto Rico, that it is contagious and the PR members are seeing miracles already. Pres. Martineau has begun a program to have the missionaries train members with "Preach My Gospel" and then go out with the missionaries, prepared to share strong testimony and help the investigators keep commitments. It is proving to be an amazingly effective program that is producing miracle after miracle!! There truly is a new excitement and animo here that has been absent for YEARS!!! I wish I could tell more, but my eyes are involuntarily closing and we need to get up early.
Just a quick report on Dean. . . . It passed between St Lucia and Martinique -- so the actual eye of the hurricane missed both islands, but they did get a lot of torrential rains and some damage and some homes lost. No lives lost and no devastating, widespread damage. Santo Domingo got hit about the same, but we haven't been home so no first hand reports on that. No lives lost-- all missionaries are safe and sound. Jamaica got hit worse and they are still assessing the damage but missionaries are safe and very busy helping those in distress. They will have lots of clean-up to do and a lot of opportunity for service!! We'll know more about Jamaica tomorrow.

Clate had a busy birthday. Thanks to those who wished him well. We had a great dinner here at the mission home and they even got him special ice cream! Never in our wildest dreams would we have ever thought we would be spending birthdays, holidays and anniversaries in the Caribbean!!