Mar
25
As today is Sunday, I’ve decided to write in more of a Spiritual tone. Then, in trying to figure out what I should write about, I decided upon our church experience on this island. Before I go on, I guess I should give you a little background on our family as relating to Spiritual matters. Emily and I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church is also known as the “Mormon” church or the “L.D.S.” church. More information about the church can be found at www.mormon.org. We were very excited to experience attending church in another part of the world. We both grew up in Utah. I lived in San Jose, Ca for a couple of years during my early teens and served a mission in Los Angeles, Ca between the ages of 19 and 21. Roughly five years after Emily and I were married, we moved to the Dallas area in Texas. So, we’ve experienced a few parts of the country.
The church was a large factor in deciding where to attend medical school. We hoped to attend where an established unit of the church would be found, but also wanted to attend the right school for me. Preliminarily, I had researched all the islands on which I applied to school. St. Maarten has a branch (small congregation) of the church. Dominica (pronounced Domineeka) also has a branch established. However, on Saba, the church had no official or unofficial presence I was able to discover. Through a course of pros and cons, pondering, and prayer . . . we decided Saba had the best school for my style of learning. This would definitely offer a unique Spiritual experience.
When I arrived on Saba, I expected to have church by myself in my living room until Emily arrived. I shortly found out this was not the case. Serendipitously, the current president of the spouse’s organization tracked me down the day after I arrived on Saba. She had heard from our friends who had arrived a week before us that we were originally from Utah. It turned out she and her family were L.D.S. as well. She told me about the small group of members who meet on a weekly basis in one of their homes. I was excited about the opportunity to worship with others of the same faith. There is much strength which comes from worshiping together.
We generally have 10 to 15 people attend services each Sunday. The presiding authority for our group is the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Mission. He and his wife visited near the end of September, 2006. One of the local ladies, Coleen Hassell, (now Hulbert), who was also attending the university was baptized. The baptism was a wonderful Spiritual experience and we were all very happy for Coleen. The mission President told us there was a very special Spirit about this little group on Saba. I share his sentiments. I value the ability to look around the room and know everyone very well. In our previous wards (congregations) there have been between 150 to 400 people. This made it very difficult to get to know everyone well. As we progress through our time on Saba, we often think about things we will miss. Worshiping with this small group of Saints is among the top. Having this group has been invaluable to us while living out of the country. In a different land, with a different culture, there is one thing which remains the same. No matter where you go in all the world . . . the Spirit of the Saints remains the same. This has eased much of the trepidation of the uncertainty of where we will be living for clinical rotations. Again, no matter where we go . . . we will have an instant family in the members of the church. I love the Lord. I am grateful for the experiences He has provided my family as we have progressed throughout this life and look forward to the many rich experiences the future holds. Until next time . . .
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