WIM-It's S&I Graduation Time!

Dearest Family and Friends,

We're a little bit late on this update, because we have had a very full six weeks of Seminary & Institute Graduations across the West Indies!  Elder and Sister Harris (the couple we replaced) told us this would be the frosting on the cake...  And I can say for myself now, that THEY WERE RIGHT!  We have been able to attend 7 of the twelve, and have one more in Barbados in 10 days...  Such wonderful times!

As you can imagine, we have dozens of pictures...  

but I'll just include a sample.

 We are so happy to be able to participate with these great youth!

Below are two of our graduates receiving 4-year diplomas from the Berbice area in Guyana (with their supervisors).  The seminary graduate on the left will be TEACHING daily seminary this coming year.  And the institute graduate on the right leaves on her mission to Temple Square in September.  It is so obvious that the Lord is gathering His elect when you are in the presence of these great youth!

Now to give you an idea of some of the other things we do, 

when we visit an island for a graduation...

A Young Women's Class in Linden, Guyana

Meet with the local Priesthood

If we're lucky, attend a local baptism.

This was my first time to see a baptism in the ocean...  so special!

Partake of some of the local cuisine... A big "pot of cook-up"
Have you ever seen a dutch oven this size? (about 20" across)

Monkeys on Granada

Anything for a bite of banana

Posing for the Camera

So proud to be LDS!

Beautiful Sunset in Suriname...

In between graduation trips we've been busy at home with 

Summer Inservice training for the Port of Spain Stake (in Trinidad), 

making our way through flooding rain, 

and changing Mission Presidents.

All of the missionaries in Trinidad met on the street in front of the mission home (at 5:30 AM) to send off the Gamiette family.  We lined the street and waved our white handkerchiefs...  Yes, there were a few tears.  However, we are the lucky ones.  President Gamiette went home to his previous job, which was coordinator for S&I.  Last Thursday we had a half-day training session with him...  It was great!

One of the little known highlights of our trips is the privilege we have of rubbing shoulders with the local Senior Couple Missionaries.  They pick us up at airports, take us to get money exchanged, drive us to the different places we need to go, share with us their meals, help us arrange meetings, translate for us, and if they have room they even invite us to stay in their homes.  I don't know that I've ever been served so graciously and generously by strangers before.  But we're not strangers by the time we leave!  They take us in as family and we go away knowing deep in our souls that we have seen the Lord's charity in action.  As you pray for the missionaries, be sure to include these stalwart senior warriors for the Kingdom of God.  They bless so many lives...

Love always,
Sister Lindorf