PORT OF SPAIN BRANCH

In rummaging through some old sacrament meeting records, I noted the following things of interest, some of which will bring back forgotten memories for the pioneers in that time period. For others, it will show how members had to pull together to help meetings continue in Trinidad.

1st January, 1984

Sacrament meetings held at 30 Scotland Terrace, Maraval. This was the home of the Knudsens, we used the living room for sacrament meetings and the porch for classes. In attendance that day were; Bruce, Ardis, Curtis, Bryce, Kira, Karl, Ryan Knudsens; Louise, James, Ramon, Patrick, Jose, Peter Carter; Sheila Burnett; Basil, Jean Borde; Alicia Winwood; Lucy, Leiba, Jason Payne; Kenny Dyal; Judy Jattan; Mario, Roxanne, Ricky Philip; Reuben and Lyndon Raphael - 27 in attendance. conducting: Pres. Bruce Knudsen Presiding

Opening hymn: 103 The Lord Is My Light
Invocation: Lyndon Raphael
Chorister: Judy Jattan
Accompanist: none
Sacrament hymn: 49 In Humility Our Savior
Testimonies: Names were not recorded
Closing hymn: 202 When Upon Life's Billows
Benediction: Basil Borde

15th January, 1984

"Prayer is the passport to spiritual power" --Spencer W. Kimball

Sunday School, Relief Society and Priesthood were held before Sacrament meeting. 'The teachers were;
Primary.......Judy Jattan
Relief Society........Sr.Alberta Eastmond
Aaronic Priesthood........ Basil Borde
Melchizedek Priesthood........Lyndon Raphael
Sunday School.......Pres.Bruce Knudsen
Nursery.......Leiba Payne
Junior School.......Ardis Knudsen
Youth Sunday School.......Reuben Raphael

I found it interesting that they had so few members, but yet still so many teachers.I would suppose that it was an effort to help the members become proficient in teaching the Gospel.

"When men go forth in the name of Israel's God, there is no power on earth that can overturn the truths they advocate." - John Taylor

13th May, 1984

Br.Reuben Raphael spoke about 'Love - what it is and how it works.' He quoted Paul as an example of love.

16th September, 1984

Meeting held at the Eastmonds' home in St.Anns. Pres. Ken Zabrisky presided and praised the members in Trinidad for their Godliness along with one member in the land of St.Lucia.

November, 1984

Judy Jattan left for Canada on a mission. She is the first local missionary to leave here, the minutes recorded.

January 15

'The Balfours returned from the U.S.A.

30th February, 1985

Reuben Raphael was called as 1st Counselor and Errol Balfour as 2nd Counselor to the Branch President, Bruce Knudsen. By the 31st March the Branch President was Errol Balfour, 1st. Counselor Reuben Raphael and 2nd Counselor Ken Loso. The Loso family lived in Westmoorings. Br. Loso worked in a managerial position at Citi Bank.

14th April, 1985

Meetings were once again held at City Hall, Port of Spain. 45 people were in attendance by that time.

4th August, 1985

Meetings are now held at the Jaycees' headquarters. Members bore testimony of gratefulness to be able to meet in a building.

27th April, 1986

The sacrament was passed by Pres. Caddick (mission president) and Jean Borde. It was blessed by Pres. Balfour and Ferdinand Raphael. Priesthood was few, even the mission president had to sometimes pitch in.

As a member of the Branch, permit me to share some of my own experiences, I remember during the July, 1990 coup, Sunday had come upon us and the members could not travel to church ( 97 Tragarete Rd.,Woodbrook) for sacrament because of the rigid curfew. We held sacrament meeting in the houses of members and missionaries close to our homes so as to continue keeping the Sabbath holy. In the west we had sacrament in the home of the missionaries, with Pres. Kelvin Diaz presiding. I truly learnt what the prophets constantly preached about being prepared and food storage. The next Sunday, Pres. Keith Lobley, who was Branch President at the time, gave thanks to the Lord that no members were hurt and that we could have the freedom of worship. I reflected on that and those countries that don't have the same opportunity.

I remember when Pres. Raphael called Gavin Ishmael and myself to be the first Branch missionaries in the West Indies in 1988. The new call by Pres. A.Dean Jeffs, the Mission President to help further the work of the full-time missionaries. This was a real spiritual growing point for Gavin and myself. It was excellent preparation for our full-time missions in the future. We were not supposed to work more than 40 hours a week, but sometimes we worked 5 days a week teaching discussions and knocking doors from 9:00am. to 9:30pm These efforts were not in vain, as diligent missionaries such as Elder Craney, brought many families into the Church, the Mitchells and Vailloos being two special families that I worked with. Through our experiences of teaching the Gospel, Gavin and I able to share our testimony with our friends and family, thus being able to see them baptized. The youth started to really grow fast, so Gavin, Gary, and myself often organized Church standard dances at my home. We used the dances to build unity among us and as a time to get acquainted. Gary was always the D.J. In Pres.Raphael's single days, he would come as well. I think these dances were some of the most joyful times for many members.

Another successful activity organized by the Church was the Health Fairs in various parts of the country. Br. Kelvin Diaz was introduced to the Church through it. Frank and Arline Talley were the ones who engineered the Health Fair. Frank Talley at that time was the regional representative for the area. They brought down many videos, displays and mechanical devices to demonstrate proper physical health. Many of the members and full-time missionaries worked with each other to also collect names and addresses of interested persons who wanted to know more about the Gospel. The government was pleased with the efforts the Church made to inform the public of the importance of maintaining a healthy life style.

'The Port of Spain Branch had many of its members serve as full-time missionaries in different parts of the world, Judy Parkes being the first.
Judy Parkes...... Canada Montreal Mission
Lyndon Raphael (first male).....Chicago Mission
Gary Ishmael......West Indies Mission
Vashti Joseph......New York New York Mission
Gavin Ishmael......West Indies Mission
Jean A.B. Borde......England Manchester Mission
Jasmine Raphael.......Forida Ft.Lauderdale Mission
Lisa R. Fleming......Maryland Baltimore Mission
Shydee Pierre......Florida Tallahassee Mission

Gavin Ishmael, who was born in England and now lives in Trinidad, shares his feelings about serving in the West Indies Mission,

[Top]

"Out of all the achievements I have made in my life; my mission is by far the most rewarding. Serving is certainly better than receiving. Each island I visited was a new experience to me. I learned about different cultures and life styles among our brothers and sisters in neighboring countries. It brings me a lot of happiness to see a man baptized receive the Aaronic priesthood and then baptize his own family! The Gospel is definitely true."

Gavin now works as a financial consultant and is a brilliant artist. Gavin's brother, Gary, served a brief period in San Fernando with Lyndon Raphael before his mission to the West Indies. While there, he was instrumental in the baptism of Br. Austin Mendoza. Lyndon Raphael now resides in Utah, U.S.A. and works as a lawyer. Lyndon was known in the Branch as an inspiring teacher, especially among the priesthood.

The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints has a world-wide missionary force of about 49,000 with about 26 in Trinidad. At the age of 19 to 26, a worthy male member can request to serve a full mission for two years. At the age of 21+, a worthy female member can request to serve a mission for 18 months. Married couples who don't have children still living at home, can also serve missions of different time lengths ranging from six months to two years. Each call is issued by the Prophet of the Church, it is his authority to say where each prospective missionary or couple will go in the world. The couples can choose (sometimes) where they serve in the world. All missionaries save money as preparation to go on their missions. These prospective missionaries do this through working, help from family and friends.

Arthur N. Ince, the editor of this book, has had a vibrant background in the newspaper industry. He started as a newspaper reporter in the courts. Being highly intellectual and ambitious, Arthur moved up the 'company ladder ' to that of the Editor in the Trinidad Publishing Newspapers (Guardian Newspapers). He later retired after many years of dedicated employment there. Br. Ince's experiences has enabled him to have met with many prominent individuals. His office was adjoining to Basil B. Borde's office and they became good friends. Recalling his memories of Basil, Br. Ince said,

"Basil was always a cool collective person, a newspaper company can be a very chaotic working environment where many quickly lose their temper, but not Basil, he would ignore these heated times and get on with his work. I was always amazed with this."

Br. Ince's first introduction to the Church was through Basil.

"Basil often spoke of his new founded beliefs in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Suddenly one day he told me he was going to Utah after only a few months of his baptism. I stopped to think - What kind of religion is this? One minute your in Trinidad and the next your on your way to Salt Lake City. Nevertheless I bid farewell to Basil",

said Br.Ince. Arthur's second introduction to the Church was at a funeral service held for Ferdinand Raphael. Arthur's third experience with the Church was through the full-time missionaries who visited him at his home.

"This was a high point in my adult life",said Arthur.

He was baptized on Sunday, 23rd October,1994, at Westmoorings by-the-sea.

"As I came up out of the water, I felt clean, pure; I lifted my eyes to the green in the distance and was simply 'carried away'. When I came back to earth, I became aware for the first time of members of the Church who gathered on the shoreline to welcome me into the fold. The outpouring of love was something wonderful. I particularly recall seeing tears coursing down the cheeks of many Sisters. It was an experience that I shall never forget.", said Br. Ince

Br. Ince at present serves as the Sunday School President in the Port of Spain Branch and the Public communications person for North Trinidad in the Church. On many occasions he has helped the Church receive positive public awareness through coverage in newspapers and television.

My dealings with Br. Ince have led me to the conclusion that he truly is a man of courageous spirit in which he gives selfless time to many in need. His humility and willingness to learn constantly impresses me. I'm grateful to him for taking many hours in editing my work.

Sr. Shydee Pierre is a great example of dedication to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite her rough circumstances including the death of her mother, she still chose to serve a full-time mission in Florida, USA. She writes often and shares her feelings of joy in the work she is doing.

"It is hard work to be a missionary, but the Lord is blessing my efforts. As I trust in Christ I see more and more of His hand in my life"

[Top]

In some of the Branch's other activities we can view the rich talent available. Many members are performing actors at heart. Such plays as 'The Rat' helped teach a principle to those in attendance.

THE RAT - A play about a poor man's struggle to get rid of a rat in his house. This led to the hiring of various extreme characters that the old man did not wish to get involved with. In the end a simple rat trap did the job. The main theme of the play being -- patience is virtue, never turn to the world for answers that can be found in known truth. The actors were Nigel Ablack, the author, Gavin and Gary Ishmael.

'Standards Night' was another play that directly or indirectly emphasized the importance of proper dress, behavior, ethics, and even dos and don'ts of dating. All members participate and leave enlightened in some way.

An auxiliary always involved in adventurous activity are the Young Men of the Branch, camping being the best in their opinion. I used what knowledge I had from scouting and showed the boys how to cook, setup camp, etc. Sometimes as much as twelve boys would come out. We spoke of the scriptures sang hymns (which happened when they became fearful of the dark) and learned to be unified as priesthood holders (A worthy young man can receive the Aaronic priesthood at the age of twelve.) St. Anns' Pine Forest, Maracas Beach, North Sea Coasts and the Diego Martin mountains two day 'growing times' in each boy's life. I matured spiritually through leading them at the time I was Young Men's Advisor, as controlling them could be similar to taming wild elephants. I always remember that sympathetic 'pat on the back' with the words,

"Sure glad its not me working with the Young Men."

Nevertheless I loved working with them. On one occasion I recalled a young boy found it difficult to climb a mountain we were destined to camp. He did make it to the top, but by sundown he was terribly ill. Gavin Ishmael and myself ministered to him in the chill of the early morning under his small tent. Miraculously the same morning, around 7:30am, he arose with such vigor as though he was ready to climb ten more mountains. We had a few sport s events and endurance competitions in which he amazingly won the majority of first prizes. I knew the Lord had blessed him that day through the power of the priesthood. I know each of those young men personally and though most of them are now adults, yet still I will always remember the fun we had in their youth. Mormons believe in respecting the ecology for it is controlled by God. The earth is given by Him to us for our benefit. We should treat kindly nature, animals, forests, and surroundings.

[Top]

< Back | Book One Index | Turn Page >