Happy Fall Y'all---though we have no Fall in Barbados!

 Our biggest news of the week was the birth of our new grandson Hudson Jack Stonely who finally made an appearance 5 weeks after some pre-term labor.  He’s here and for the first time, we are very homesick to see our grandkids!  Luckily their mommas are very good with Marco Polo & providing daily updates and pictures!  

Hudson Jack Stonely
8 lbs 3 oz
9/22/23

Doug’s never ending world  of receipts  and bills remains constant, but he’s learning some French, got our phone system working after a 6 month hiatus, and got our new copier configured in the network so we can scan again!  Pretty much the miracle worker this week, so it felt like Xmas ! His greatest joy is when the Elders come in and chat and want to talk gospel doctrine.  

My lane is picking up and I  helping the missionaries.  Tele-health is alive and well in the mission.  After hearing of the tragic passing of a young missionary in the Philippines  this week, I hope to never have that here.  Healthcare isn’t cutting edge in the Caribbean, despite being the home of many medical schools.  I love spending time helping the missionaries feel better and function to their best abilities.  I worry about their health, so our mission leaders can focus on the most important parts of mission work—Salvation!  I also got the sweetest card from Adam.  Apparently they wrote notes to missionaries in Primary, so he wrote me one.  

Found a fun food truck park this week and checked it out!  I was able to get some really great pork nachos and Doug found ackee and salt fish.  Fun vibe and will probably go back again and again!

Had a fun evening with the APs on Friday.  We had ice cream sundaes and they shared an awesome message and video with us on strengthening our roots.  Like a tree, we often find our largest growth during the storms of life.  We talked about some of the important tools and principles that help us individually navigate those storms.  Things like: scriptures, prayer, parents, good friends, prophets, and of course Jesus Christ?  What helps you stay on the path when the fierce winds blow in your life? Then they taught us how to play a game called Dutch.

We had a new missionary arrive mid-transfers, so we did mission orientation on Saturday morning.  He will then fly out again on Tuesday for his assignment on the French side.  Our mission is just so unique with a complete set of unique challenges and adventures that one just can’t make this stuff up.  Often, there are no answers or protocols because it is so different from anything else so the exceptions are more the rules!

We are all excited to prepare this week to watch and listen to General Conference.  Our zone has brunch together and watches the Sunday morning session at the mission home.  Sunday afternoon sessions are viewed in their assigned branches.  Wherever it is, we are all excited to listen to a Prophet’s voice and be edified and uplifted!  

We did go to the beach  on Saturday afternoon after orientation for some snorkeling  and just the beauty of Barbados at Carlisle Bay.  The Caribbean side the last two weeks has had some choppier waters, but the Bay has been beautifully calm!  Add to that, it’s a 5 minute drive, it’s hard to resist.  The Fuller’s hung with us until the  sunset and then we packed it in.  Before leaving however, we were invited to join the local fundraiser that was having a beachside fish fry.  That’s kind of a local thing here, so “Yes please!” It was a great end to the week.

Barbados culture tip of the week:  “Yes, please” is a pleasantry and is used instead of “thank you”.  “No please” is used for “ don't do that” or “no thank you! “

Life is better with sandy toes!