PORT OF SPAIN BRANCH

The Port of Spain Branch has played a huge part in the establishment of the Church here. It was first known as the Trinidad Branch and all the other Branches we now know stemmed from it. This is my own opinion, but I feel of all the Branches it has the most experienced members locally in Church related doctrine and practices. The basis for having that view comes from the following points;

- There are more endowed and sealed families in the P.O.S Branch
- Most of the longer standing members belong to the P.O.S Branch
- Sitting in classed and hearing the responses of the P.O.S Branch members have shown me they are 'scholars of the scriptures' and they cannot be fooled
- Most of the membership have traveled and seen the Church in its fullness abroad

Now I never said the Branch was perfect, bit it does have many good points as does each Branch and I will mention these positives hereafter under the beginning chapters of each Branch. Other characteristics of the P.O.S Branch has are;

- The noise of the babies squealing is ever apparent as there are a lot of active nursery and primary aged children in the Branch
- The members are very outspoken and unafraid to express themselves
- The biggest chapel and access to best equipment
- The members are very aware of the purposes of the District
- There are a wide variety of professions and social standing among the membership, but in Church everyone is equal regardless of class, race, or position
- Most of the major callings in the auxiliaries and quorums are filled
- There is the appearance of being organized
- There is more community and nonmembers relations with the members through the use of the chapel.

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GAVIN R. ISHMAEL is the first British citizen in Trinidad permanently to be a Branch President. Pres. Ishmael took up the challenge of his call with plenty of enthusiasm and his missionary skills became an asset to him.

"My testimony has been strengthened through the birth of the Port of Spain Trinidad District. I believe if we were not ready for this, the Lord would not have allowed it to happen. I believe the strength of the Church is within the local membership. I believe that the Gospel (when applied) makes members strong enough to help the Church grow in leaps and bounds."

Gavin is at present working as a graphic artist. Gavin's 'better half' is ANALISIA ISHMAEL. Sr. Ishmael is the Sunday School teacher in the Port of Spain Branch and also the C.E.S secretary for the District.

"....I felt a great sense of joy to know that Heavenly Father knew the desires of our hearts to progress and grow in faith and strength. I also realized that He had a great plan for us in Trinidad, but in order for this plan to be realized we need to be faithful and steadfast in his Gospel",

said Analisia concerning her feelings about the District. Together, the Ishmaels are one of the 'foundation blocks' that keep the Port of Spain Branch's 'walls' together.

GERRY AUGUSTINE CAMPBELL, born in Trinidad, but looks like a Portuguese sailor, is also the First Counselor in the Port of Spain Branch presidency. Gerry has a colorful background having had a 'touch' in various aspects of life. He is a professional scuba diver for about seventeen years now and formerly worked with the Institute of Marine Affairs as a marine technician. His work has carried him to other islands in the Caribbean and the depths of the sea.

"Its fantastic to see all the sea life that is part of God's creation - undiscovered, untouched by man especially right here in Trinidad and Tobago. When I'm at the sea I feel calm and at peace. There is so little that man knows about the world which his Heavenly Father has created for him",

said Br. Campbell. Gerry is a certified professional welder and the owner of a tire business. He has done a lot of tournament fishing and speaks fluent Spanish having been to Venezuela many times. He was taught by the monks in St. Benedict's Monastery in St. Augustine, and did a scholarship in air traffic controlling, so as you can see he is a character out of a James Bond film. His wife has her B.A in biology and although she is a nonmember, she's supportive of his activity in the Church. Gerry has only been a member since the 18th February, 1996 and he was called quickly to be in leadership positions. Gerry shares how he felt at the time,

"At first I did not think I was up to mark, but as I prayed, studied and participated in meetings with the Presidency I found that things just fell into place. I found that my life began to be put in order, my family turned from tumultuous to terrific in our relationship with each other and I'm learning more every day about the Gospel."

NADIA KHAN, was baptized on the 2nd June, 1996. She is one of the happy young women in the church,

"I feel recognized in the Young Women organization and it makes me feel good. Before I never felt like my attributes were noticed nor did I have friends, but in this Branch I have both. I like being here and learning the virtues of being a young woman."

THEOPHILLUS RAWLINS, the Second Counselor in the Port of Spain Branch Presidency, was baptized on the 2nd May, 1992 after three months of study with full-time missionaries. He loves to serve his Brothers and Sisters through the priesthood by anointing the sick, confirming, administering the sacrament, and those which his calling specify. Concerning the formation of the District Br. Rawlins said,

"Because of the growth in Trinidad I know that the time has come for the formation of the Port of Spain Trinidad District. It is a joy to be called to serve at this time. I recall Hymn 249- 'Called to Serve'."

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Br. Rawlins hopes that nonmembers of the Church will come to understand the Church's principles and find the truth. He and his wife, Beatrice...were married on the 19th June, 1993 and although she is not a member of the Church she is supportive and very friendly and kind hearted.

"We love each other and respect each other beliefs- above all there is peace in the home", said Br. Rawlins.

MICHAEL AND MARCIANA REGIS, both leaders in the Branch, were sealed in the Jordan River temple on the 8th February, 1997. It took a lot of preparation and sacrifice for the Regis couple to enter into the highest ordinance o the temple, but Sister Regis said,

"If I had to sacrifice all over again it would be worth it"

Brother Regis who also felt the same and his wife said,

"The temple is a place where you feel the presence of the Lord and gets answers to all your questions."

I have noticed that of all the Branches in the District, the Port of Spain membership has the most members making efforts to receive all the ordinances of the temple. Michael serves in the positions of Branch Mission Leader and Executive Secretary and his wife as Young Women President. Together will their five children they make up a vital part of the Branch's leadership and overall success in moving forward. Br. Regis was a former Branch President when the Branch was located at #97 Tragarete Rd; and had actually interviewed me for my mission.

FRANKLIN PIERRE, a dedicated member of the Port of Spain Branch, related to me some of his experiences in becoming a member of the Church. He searched for the Church for many years and described how he finally came to be a member,

"I prayed for several years asking God to direct me to the right Church and in February of 1996 two missionaries came to my home."

Br. Pierre invited the missionaries into his home and it led to his becoming a member of the Church on the 7th April, 1996. Br. Pierre is also the Branch Clerk and counts his time working with the Branch Presidency as rewarding. Br. Pierre always seems to ponder many Gospel principles and takes an active part in all Church related classes. His testimony is very strengthening to those who hear the sound of his voice. I remember on one fast and testimony Sunday he shared the following true story;

"On the 27th July, 1990, I went to Parliament to hear a debate on the Tesero Oil Company scandal. Around 6:00pm on that evening armed Muslim insurgents stormed the Parliament. They held the members of Parliament hostage and also the members of the public who went to hear the debate. Everybody dived to the floor to avoid any strayed bullets after realizing the building was under rapid fire. After the insurgents tied up the members of the Parliament they then checked the persons in the public gallery. I was the first person to be interrogated. The interrogation lasted a few minutes and I was told to leave. I left the building as calmly as I had entered."

Indeed Br. Pierre was being watched over by a divine source as he explains what he did while lying on the floor during the first few moments of the Muslim's terrorization.

"I prayed a prayer of protection given to me by my deceased mother. I said it there (lying on the floor) three times. It goes this way:- The light of God surrounds me, the love of God enfold me, The power of God protects me, The presence of God watches over me, Wherever I am God is and all is well. This incident gave me the opportunity to experience the power of prayer and to realize that He that is in me is greater than he that is the world. "

The realization of Br. Pierre is based on the scripture in 1 John 4:4- K.J.V. Bible. Franklin still stands at the front of a class or at a pulpit in sacrament meeting and delivers some of the most gracious prayers. He continues to be a great asset to the Branch.

The BARRAN family, is one of the newest families to the Port of Spain Branch. Ramesh S. Barran, the father of the family, loves the Church as does the rest of his family and one can see them at just about any activity or meeting that the Church had. Br. Barran, a taxi driver by profession, feels great about his calling as Sunday School President, but he does have a regret,

"I am only too sorry that my family and I were not members of this Church before."

Br. Barran's testimony grows constantly through his participation as he tells it,

"Blessing the sacrament, attending Branch Council, and District firesides give me great pleasure to be associated with the Saints....hearing them bear testimony on fast and testimony Sunday always touches my heart and I've become a strong believer in the Church."

Sr. Patricia Barran, the mother of three wonderful children; Devrani, Narine, and Shivawani, is also a supportive member of the Church. Her husband has two special experiences as having overcome a medical problem and seeing the effect the Church has had in their lives,

"Its a joy to watch my whole family grow spiritually in front of my eyes."

While Sr. Barran has discovered,

"I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father and I feel great about the Church and the feelings I receive there."

Their daughter a vibrant member of the Young Women organization also has a similar testimony,

"I feel the Church is true because of the impact I get whenever I visit the Church for sacrament meeting- I feel the love, the warmth, and the feeling of the Holy Spirit within me. I believe so much in the gospel and the message it sends."

Narine Barran, a serious young man, feels honored to hold the priesthood that allows him the privilege of passing the bread and water to members in the congregation. Young Narine stated,

"I feel proud to have met the only true church which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints."

ZAMINA RAMSARRAN, the mother of Ramesh S. Barran, was not yet baptized when she introduced the missionaries to him. She is now an active in the Port of Spain Branch and her comfort is in knowing that her son and his family are there with her.

"I know my son needed spiritual help. When I heard the discussions from the missionaries I knew it would be good for my son so I decided to let the Elders meet with him. I feel great and I try to attend all my classes in Church", said Sr. Ramsarran.

BARBARA TAYLOR, a frequent participator in the Branch's activities and meetings, was baptized in 1995. She has been called to work with the children in nursery. To me it takes a lot of effort and patience to look after children between the ages of eighteen months and three years, but Sr. Taylor describes it in this way,

"I feel good taking care of children, because I love kids. I enjoy the feelings of the Spirit which come from working with the Primary auxiliary and the friendliness of other members in Church."

WENDY-ANN OLIVER, Barbara Taylor's daughter, is one of the most active young single adults in the Branch. In fact, she is both a District missionary and the Branch's young single adults representative.

"I feel great having to learn how to help nonmembers and recent converts understand the Gospel. I appreciate working with the eighteen to thirty years old, because we help each other find mutual friendship in the Church", said Sr. Oliver.

PETER ROJAS, and NATALIE ROJAS, were both married in the mission home in Valsayn before becoming members of the church. Peter works with the U.S embassy and serves as the Elders Quorum President.

"Its a privilege to have the restored Gospel with the priesthood to help my family and me. Working with the leaders has enlightened in the full sense of the word",

said Peter. Natalie, a former Optical store manager is now a full time domestic engineer with the work of bringing up their children. Natalie also has the difficult job of running the Relief Society as the President.

"Its a humbling experience for me to be the Relief Society President because it takes a lot of organization work and patience to see it through. I do reap many blessings from my service to the Sisters",

said Sister Rojas. In a unique sense the Rojas couple can easily correlate Elders quorum and Relief Society activities without waiting for a formal occasion. They are great strength to the Branch.

JOYCE MAHARAJ, Natalie Rojas' mother, is a Relief Society teacher in the Branch and comments on her 'spiritual exchange' with the Sisters,

"I feel very good when I teach because although I am imparting knowledge to the Sisters- I in turn find myself gaining more from their answers and testimonies concerning whatever subject we are discussing."

DORRIS MELVILLE, was born in Guyana but has lived in Trinidad for many years. Her cousin, RITA GRIFFITH, also born and raised in Guyana is now the Relief Society Secretary while Dorris is the Primary President. Rita says,

"I never belonged to any church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the first one I decided to join. I have always visited other churches, but I would always get bored from not knowing anybody or what was being said by the priest. You would just sit down, listen, and then walk back out not feeling uplifted; but in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints you can participate by saying prayers, talks and having callings. The teachings are given in a way one can understand and one always feel like one is part of a big family."

In her work with the children Dorris said,

"I feel honored to be the Primary Presidency and blessed to look after children." Rita and Dorris are fun loving people and are usually smiling.

STEDMAN AUGUSTINE, the first person to grab a copy of the History of the Saints in Trinidad & Tobago Book one, is also the First Counselor in the Elders Quorum.

"I feel good to know we don't have to move backwards and forwards from building to building, renting and renovating each time. Now we have our own building and I look forward to the day we will become a Stake. Stedman is a very hospitable person and quite content with the peaceable things in life. He is also a very good artist.

MARLYN PATRICK, was baptized in 1994 and now serves as a teacher in Relief Society. Her conversion came through one of her friends at work called Simone Le Ferve (now Simone Wilson), a member of the Port Of Spain Branch now living abroad. Simone would come to work with her scriptures and would talk with Marlyn about the Church.

"I know the Church is true through personal revelation- my prayers were answered and I felt great to know it. I'm proud to be a member and the first in my family to join the Church",

said Marlyn who sees herself as a pioneer- and rightly she is. Marlyn is super active in the activities of the Church.

ALISHA PACHECO TOWNEND, was baptized in 1991 and has been dedicated to the Church ever since. She was introduced by the Church via her step mother, Angela Pacheco, a nonmember who owned a shoe repair shop in Diego Martin. One day the missionaries came to get some of their tired old shoes repaired. This eventually led to Alisha's conversion. Her grandparents were also baptized. She was recently married on the 23rd August, 1997 to Charles Townend, a supportive husband, but not yet a member. Alisha owes all her achievements in life to the Gospel,

"For me, I've been looking at churches for a long time having done a lot of scripture studies at home. The Joseph Smith story brought peace to my heart as I was only fourteen years old and it was special to me because he was that age as well when he saw God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. I'm learning so much now and I don't know where I would be without the Church. My family relations have improved, my ability to teach professionally and even my marriage have all been due to the Church."

Alisha is a very good teacher and lively member of the Branch.

GERALD CAMEJO, an active member of the Branch had nine children with five of them being members. Camile, Chrystal, Shinnel, Christopher, and Charleston support him in the Gospel to which Br. Camejo claims,

"The Church has changed my life in such a way that I have left my worldly desires behind. The Church has given me a purpose for living - the Gospel gives us many blessings. Through my faith in Jesus Christ I've been able to overcome trials. The Joseph Smith story shows me that this Church has a divine beginning and our families can now belong to it- Christ is the head of this Church !"

On the 5th October, 1997, I was visiting the Port of Spain Branch. While seated on the stand, a Sister with a strong accent came up to the pulpit to bear her testimony as it was Fast and Testimony meeting. Her faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ was very delightful to both the ear and heart. I decided that I would include her in this book as one of the 'pioneers' in a very small world- her part of the world being Barbados;

KATHRYN DANIEL was born in Barbados and has been a member of the Church since 1989. She is a graphic designer and was visiting Trinidad on business. She told me that her baptism happened on a unique day - 31st December,

"I wanted to start the new year as a new person",

said Kathryn. She serves as the Primary President in her own Branch- the Christ Church Branch. Her mother serves as the Relief Society President. In comparing the Port of Spain Branch with hers, she said

"The Port of Spain Branch is much bigger and more active than my Branch in Barbados, but the Spirit is the same."

Kathryn came- to Trinidad as a child and has loved to revisit ever since. She has overcome many medical problems and continues to overcome other physical ailments and difficulties. She views her present health as a result of faith in Jesus Christ. Her membership in the Church is viewed by her as,

"Very important to me and it is wonderful to know that anywhere you go in the world you can go to Church- this proves that there is one God and he does not change."

According to Kathryn there are three Branches in Barbados with about 35-40 actively attending the Christ Church Branch. She hopes to come back to Trinidad one day.

ELDER DON CARLSON, a retired mechanical engineer, was called to be the Second Counselor in the Port of Spain Branch Presidency on the 19th October, 1997. Sister Carlson, his lovely wife, and himself work hard in the Mission Office. They also have to teach their investigators and take on weighty matters of the members and problems in the Branch, so they are very busy. Elder Carlson talks about his own personal history in the 'short' and his feelings about working in the Branch,

"I was baptized a member of the Church when I was 12 and very soon afterward dropped into inactivity. A good friend guided me back when I was about 20 years old and I have tried to be faithful ever since. I have had the opportunity to work in all the organizations of the Church to which men can be called. I am pleased to now be serving a mission in the West Indies and particularly Trinidad. I have always considered the calling I had the most important in the Church. That's the way I feel about being called to be a 2nd Counselor in the Port of Spain Branch now. The future of the Port of Spain Branch rests with the desire of its members to serve each other. The Branch will grow and prosper as its' members recognize the importance of home/visiting teaching/good old fellowshipping, and then DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. The Lord's work is accelerating everywhere, doors are opening and the Church is gaining recognition. My feeling is the members of the Port of Spain Branch will respond and there will a Port of Spain Ward in a few years."

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