A VERY SMALL WORLD

Wednesday, 9th July, 1997. I drove Anna to work in one of their pickups it was my first experience driving on the right side of the road or as we put it; 'the wrong side of the road', but I quickly got used to it. Little did I know how much I would be driving in days to come. Now that I had a means of moving around I decided to make my first visit to the Mc Gimseys, my old Varsity Scout Master and his wife. Sister Mc Gimsey was home alone and invited me in with a great big hug. We were both excited to meet each other after so long. I suppose our meeting could be comparable to that of the joy we will have as we meet with loved ones in the Spirit World. Afterwards I then toured the high schools I used to attend and even the library where I would visit often to try and induce knowledge into whatever intellect I had. My tour became well worth it when I saw on one of the library sale shelves a copy of a book called,'The Mission' for only $1.05 US. I bought that book faster than you could say,"Roti with extra pepper!" What a treasure and it was in great condition, a pity nobody appreciated it. 'The Mission' gives an inside view of the Church from the prospective of Warner Books. It is often presented to Heads of State.

Thursday, 10th July, 1997. "Happy Birthday!" was what I heard from Tom and Anna as I awoke from sleep. It was mom's birthday, we later celebrated the occasion at a member's home called the Wessels. Br. Wessel was telling how important it is to take notice of the history of the Saints in Maryland. That made my ears perk up and I pulled out my file-o-fax to take notes. He was mentioning that members dwell so much on the big events in Church history and forget the Saints right in their own area that is just as important. Br. Wessel, the Branch clerk for the Montebello Branch, in the Baltimore Maryland Stake, was organizing an office and noticed somebody had dumped some old looking records in a rubbish bin. He felt inclined to investigate the papers which in somebody's mind was no longer of any value. That somebody was so wrong for it contained newspaper clippings, articles, and reviews on the of history of the Saints in Maryland with excerpts from New York and Washington D.C. Br. Wessel rescued valuable material that would of otherwise found its way to the dump. In viewing this great find I found it also contained miracles and happenings of the establishment of Hill Cumorah, near Manchester, New York as a historical site for the Church. Br. Wessel then bid me to follow him to his miniature office within his home where he had the computer used for Church records. Through a special program he could send reports, via modem to Salt Lake City without having to worry about a lot of paper work and postage.

Saturday, 12th July, 1997. I was elected to drive the Branch President's car to the Stake dance as there was no one else available. Some friends; Beth, Dave, and Nikki went along. I was quite interested in seeing how the dances here would compare with the ones back home. I was not disappointed there was revolving lights, multicolored spot lights, plenty people and my personal favorite, two banquet tables with food ! The music could pass and everyone danced and I mean everyone! The enthusiasm of the youth here is fantastic. Usually I would have to swipe chairs from under the youth home as they would come to the Church dances and somehow fall in love with the chairs they sat on and not dance at all.

Sunday, 13th July, 1997. The Montebello Branch met at the Hamilton Recreation building, a school, because the chapel was being renovated. Of all the speakers that bore testimony, I was most impressed with a recent convert called, Jerome, simply because his talk focused on Christ, not that he had great eloquence, but he had great testimony in his Savior. The primary president invited me to give sharing time on being a missionary. I was happy to work with the children. Later in the evening, I went with a couple called the Mayburys to the Stake center to do some family history work. Ted and Pricila Maybury are lots of fun they are the 'zealots' of genealogy and family history work and they are well known both in the Stake and Washington temple for their exhausting efforts in bringing redemptive ordinances for those who have passed through the veil and on to the next life.

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On the way home Sister Maybury and a returned missionary who served a mission in France were both engaged in what I considered to be a humorous conversation about the fact that they were both married to their husbands within only a few weeks of their first date. It was funny to me, because of the way they dramatized the shock that came from realizing how fast all of it happened. However, I found that I met many members who were married in a short space of time. Mormons sure move like lightning when it comes to 'tying the knot' unlike the worldly concept of years of courtship.

Monday, 14th July, 1997. My friend Beth, took me to the Branch President's home where I had a brief chat with him. Pres. Staubs has an interesting background serving in the armed forces for many years. He explained that he was placed in some formidable situations where he stared death in its' face. His faith in God has made him firm and determined through these military operations in unfamiliar lands. Pres. Staubs has learned that what brings man above his dilemma is a great dependency on the Spirit and knowledge that can come from Him who knows all things. As I left his home I thought of those great prophets in the scriptures who were very good war strategists and yet still men of God; Moroni, Mormon, Moses, etc. That must be a difficult role to play; 'fighter and prophet'.

Tuesday, 15th July, 1997. The Maybury's collected me and we journeyed to the Washington temple. I was so excited and yet humbled that after so many years I would finally be able to enter the House of the Lord. On the beltway, as we approached the temple , there is a certain incline that one ascends and slowly the temple rises into view as though it is floating in mid air. I heard that the temple used to be such a distraction to drivers at night, because they would stare at the elegance of the lighted temple and run right into an accident. The temple presidency was given a notice to dim the temple's lights, but airplane pilots used the sacred House as a land mark to land and so the notice was withdrawn. A plea was instead issued for the temple to be illuminated brightly. Before we actually went to the temple we passed by a Latter-Day Saint book store nearby called, 'This Is The Place'. Entering this book store was to me like immigrating to a celestial library. Books on the prophets, biographies, stickers, genealogy charts, LDS posters, pictures, and even Book of Mormon miniature toys for the young ones. I could have 'limed' there all day, but the temple was far more important to me. As I was entering the reception area of the temple I felt the overwhelming feeling that can only come from the House of the Lord. The temple is simply artistic, every corner and space is styled with refinement and a distinctive elegance that brings you quickly to a sense of enlightenment. Your feet rest on holy ground. The temple is so special that one wants only to be one's best behavior. As I walked up to the main desk my anticipation of my time in the temple became exhilarating. I pulled out my temple recommend from my wallet, handed it to a tall gray haired temple worker who looked it over and then watched me straight in the eyes and said,

"Welcome to the House of the Lord",

in a reverent and striking tone. These words fell upon my ears at last, for such great sacrifice and hard ship were involved to be here, but oh was it worth it. If I had walked all the way from Trinidad to the temple it would be well worth it. I was now in a state of peace worldly cares were far from me only the vastness of eternity rested upon my mind. That day I took part in ordinances for and on behalf of those who had not partaken of such.

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