Exploding Head, Inspired Blessing, Food Fantasies

Another amazing week for Rob in Barbados. Here is his email from this morning: "This week has been CRAZYYYYYY. haha So much deep doctrine that my head is gonna explode. For some reason the Lord seemed it fit to put all the Bible experts in Barbados in my path. lol And just when I thought it was all over yesterday we had an investigator start talking about the Apocrypha lol -____-. Good stuff. I'm learning a lot, that's for sure. The sister missionaries in my district called me up and asked if I could give a blessing for their investigator which was really cool. You know how like when people say, 'O, don't worry, the Spirit will tell you what to say?' I have NEVER felt that before until this last blessing we gave. Like, I just opened my mouth and the Lord poured stuff out. By the end everyone was in tears (except me of course, cuz I'm too tough for that ;)) and the lady said her leg was like fully healed the next morning and was up walking around. PRETTY AMAZING! But ya, other than that I was wondering if you guys could help me with some like DEEP DEEP doctrine stuff. Just share your knowledge with me so I can have more insight and more tools in my arsenal haha. Should've taken advantage of you while I was back home. lol. I've been just getting thrashed on the Old Testament lately. I remember my companion telling me there's really no point in studying it, so I payed it no mind. But now I'm like getting it thrown in my face constantly, that and the Apocrypha :P. So if you could throw some knowledge my way that would be greatly appreciated. Mainly, I'm trying to get the lineage in order, like I guess I never understood the whole 12 tribes of Israel thing, what with Abraham and Isaac and all that. Like, did you know Ishmael is the son of Isaac [I'm sure he meant Abraham. lol.] and that is what the Muslim religion stems from!? You probably already knew that, but to me it was a trip to see how all these different religions are tied together like that. And how we all just keep branching off from one another. haha. Pretty sure my brain is gonna explode if I get confronted with another Old Testament Bible bash. Miss you guys and can't wait to come back to a home cooked meal again. Me and Elder Kuru have been fantasizing about real food all week. Well, but anyways, love you guys and hope all is well. Tell all the kids that I can smell 'em from Barbados and they all STINK! O, and tell Baxter he's wise and that I love him. haha."

More Blessings Than You Have Room For

Rob seems to be thriving in his new area. I asked him about whether he would be teaching seminary again, and he was happy to report that the branch in Christ Church pretty much runs itself - so he won't be needed in seminary. The photo above is of Rob with his new companion, Elder Kuru, from Sydney, Australia. Here are the rest of Rob's notes home this week: Thanks for the recipe. I'm gonna try my best to recreate it. I can't remember who it was, but somebody cooked for me the other day and it was sooooo bomb. Tasted like home lol. Obviously not as good as anything you make but close enough. haha. Hurricane Danny isn't gonna touch Barbados, I guess. Apparently all the storms miss us. And you better believe the Bajans take pride in that as well. "Nothin' touches Barbados, mon!" haha. Gotta love it. And yes, I did get the stink book [a book written and illustrated by Rob's niece, Lyla, 5. Don't ask]. It was hilarious! I read it every once in a while when I'm having a bad day and it always brings my spirits up. Haven't heard of the "My Plan" thing yet but they'll probably start implementing it with the new missionaries [a new program to help missionaries transition after their service]. Speaking of new missionaries, we're getting 24 greenies next transfer then 20 more the next transfer O.O I don't know where they are gonna put them all. lol We've set a few baptismal dates and things are flowing pretty well. It's funny you mention that it takes a year to get the hang of things cuz this past week I've really been learning more than usual. Probably cuz I don't have a companion who knows a whole lot scripture wise, so it's made me step my game up. But holy crap, I can preach the gosel so much better now. Like back it up and everything. It's really cool. That little book Nate sent me has been like my Bible out here. I'm using it to answer all the questions people have here. Ya know, even if I don't convert anyone out here (which I really hope I can), I know that my testimony is growing significantly every day. Like it's insane how much you get the chance to learn out here. lol I'm learning so much more in this past week than I have throughout my mission. It's like it all just started pouring into me. I don't know where it comes from. Like, you know when the scriptures talk about bringing souls unto him and how youll receive blessings with more than you have room for? That's how I feel when it comes to all this knowledge I'm gaining right now. I hope I can keep that going. Its really nice. Thanks again for the support. It's really what keeps me going sometimes, so thank you. I appreciate the prayers. I can feel em making a difference out here as I serve. lol Funny story: I had a lesson with a Rasta the other day, and was talking totally "white guy" language to him but after the closing prayer we were getting on our bikes and I yell at him "celasee i, jah bless, one love brada." bahaha. He's was like "No way. He's a true Bajan!" lol Kinda funny. But ya, I'm a true Bajan now apparently. Anyway, jah bless, one love ;) Tell Baxter I miss him a lot btw. And all of you as well. lol. My cricket game is not as good as I'd like it to be but my volleyball game is on point, which is more important anyway. Welllllll, I miss everybody back home a bunch and wish I could be there, but I got important work out here I still have to do. Give Baxter a treat for me <3

Leaving Black Rock

Black Rock was good for Rob, and Rob was good for Black Rock. From the picture above, looks like the branch members there were sad to see him go. He is now assigned to a neighboring parish. Christ Church is just south and east of Bridgetown, which is the capital of Barbados (see map below). Here are his latest emails, fresh off the internet: "The move went well! My companion is an awesome, super humble guy. I'll be sure to send you plenty of pics. The coolest part is that the branch is very self-sustaining, so I don't have to take care of everything anymore :D. We we are blanking the area, meaning that we are both brand new missionaries to the area so we have been going door to door A LOT! Haha. It's cool though. We've found some cool people. Just excited to get the ball rolling and get some solid people to see. Everything else is good. Training isn't super hard. Oh yeah - I wanted to know how to make those chicken-in-dumplings? Are they super hard to make?" To Roger he wrote, "The responsibilities aren't too bad, but blanking the area has been pretty tough :P. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get it figured out. The Spirit works in weird ways sometimes, but I can definitely feel it working with me every day. Love being out here and learning more about the gospel too. Like I'm figuring out sooooooo much more about everything since I've been here. It's crazy. Lots of deep doctrine and stuff :). Hope all is well! Been missing home this week. Glad to hear everyone's doing well! Give Baxter a big hug from me!"

Transfer, Trainer, Tender Mercies

Rob was transferred this week, but only into a neighboring community in Barbados. We had lots of questions for him this week, regarding the potential baptism Saturday and the transfer. Here are his answers: "Our baptism got cancelled :P. O Well. He ended up smoking weed on Kadooment Day. And yes, I'll be moving just next door into the Christ Church area. lol. Not much of a change, considering the Black Rock area and Christ Church areas touch, but apparently I'll be training a Polynesian from Australia. Don't know how good of a trainer I'll be, but we'll see how it goes. haha. There is a new address to send snail mail: Barbados Bridgetown Mission, Trident Insurance Financial Centre, Hastings, Christ Church BB 15154, Barbados. Thought you'd like to know. [NOTE: Rob's old mailing address was the address of a senior missionary couple, who are finishing their mission and going home. His new mailing address is the mission home in Barbados. See also sidebar to the right of this post.] I've been reading Jesus the Christ lately. I'm about half way through it and I can't seem to put it down. Lol. It was cool, Damian was asking about the meaning of the name Elohim, and I was at home trying to find an answer for him and I opened up Jesus the Christ and it just like popped out at me. Tender mercies, I'll tell ya what. Just got a call in the middle of this email and apparently I'm gonna be the Christ Church district leader as well. :P Yikes!" In reply to Roger's email, he wrote, "Member referrals make a HUGE difference, just cuz it makes the new investigator feel super comfortable. Thanks for the constant emails. It seriously makes my week, even though I probably don't show it. There is so much that I am learning and I continue to learn as I'm out here and everything points in the same direction: that God is real and this is His church, restored here on the earth today. I feel so blessed to have grown up in the gospel, just because I'm not sure if I would've found it on my own. So thank you for having the courage to set those standards for me. I appreciate it! Anyways, hope all is well. Tell Bax I miss him, and Bentley too... poor Bentley. Tell Baxter not to worry about the monkeys, that they will be like brothers ;)."

Monkeying Around

As you will see from Rob's email, he is not just monkeying around in Barbados. But monkeys were involved this week - along with cricket and Kadooment Day. Here are his notes from the field: "The baptism is gonna be this Saturday and it's still on. Pretty exciting! My zone leader and I went on the trade offs yesterday and he told me he's gonna request to have me as his companion. Lol. So I might have to be a zone leader next transfer :/. Gotta do what you gotta do. Anyway, things here are good. Vanique's little bro just got the priesthood on Sunday, which was REALLY cool! Ummm... I just finished Corinthians and I think that's my favorite book in the New Testament! But yeah, the transfer is still up in the air. I don't know where I'll be going yet but we'll find out next week. Oh yeah! I got to hold a monkey the other day! :O Pretty much the coolest thing ever!!! Haha. It was so rad!!!! I want one so bad." I asked Rob in my email if he had been playing cricket, as I saw pictures of him with other missionaries on Facebook, taken by a branch member. In reference to the photos below, he explained why he looks like he's playing baseball with a cricket bat: "We were playing cricket. Lol. I'm such a boss at cricket, even if I am not 'holding the bat the right way' I still smash that cricket ball. It's funny whenever someone here says they are going to watch cricket they don't say, 'I'm going to watch a cricket game,' they say, 'I'm going to watch the cricket,' or 'gonna go to the cricket.' Just a fun fact. And yeah, we had to leave Black Rock for Crop Over [the celebration that concludes with Kadooment Day, a large celebration similar to Carnival in other countries]. I guess the women don't wear any clothes when they are in the parade. Lol. Hope all is well. Take care of Bax for meeee!"

Rob vs. the Volcano

"Joe vs. the Volcano" is a movie from 1990 with Tom Hanks, very cheesy. "Rob vs. the Volcano" describes this week's missive from Elder Platt - not just because he is disappointed in missing a volcano and possible tsunami, but because his letter is erupting with good news. Here is Rob's email from this morning: "Things here are good! We just reactivated part of Vinique's family [see blog posts dated June 1 and June 8 for references to Vinique and her younger brother Chris]. We have yet to get Vinique to come out to church, but she'll soon be back and at it, I'm sure. We have a baptismal date for the 8th of August, and the investigator came to church this Sunday, which is really cool! Rumor has it I'll be getting transferred this transfer, so we'll see how that goes. I'm thinking Grenada (hoping Grenada). Haha. But yeah, we had a little scare here on Wednesday or Thursday. Apparently, because of the earthquakes, a submarine volcano near Grenada was expected to erupt and as an effect we had tsunami warnings O.O I was debating getting a surfboard and just riding it out ;). Just kidding. But it turns out we are out of reach and won't be getting anything out here :P. The branch is growing slowly and we are seeing a LOT better turn out at home evening. Like, before we had 1 or 2 people show up and now it's like 25-30 :D, including a lot of less actives. Kinda cool! I got your snail mail about the Bajan slang [see sidebar to the right, under Rob's picture on the blog]. Haha. It was all actually SUPER accurate, except 'all-a-wanna' is just 'wanna' meaning 'you all.' Things this week were pretty cool! Elder Pollard and I got into a couple of Bible bashing sessions, which we dominated, haha. We probably shouldn't have been Bible bashing, but we were nice about it. Thanks for everything and for supporting me in this. I really appreciate all you guys do and have done for me over the past few years and I don't know how to repay you for it, but somehow I'll figure it all out. But thank you:)."

Worthing Beach, Barbados

Earthquake News

A few people asked this week if Rob was okay, having heard about a 6.4 earthquake 81 miles off the coast of Barbados. So of course we asked Rob for information. Read all about it, Rob style, in his email notes posted this morning: "As far as the earthquake goes, I didn't feel it but everyone's been talking about it. haha. They apparently aren't as used to them as I am. Nobody is hurt here and everything seems to be going well." In other news, regarding teaching the YM, he said, "It's hard, but things are pretty good. We have a family visiting here from Idaho so it's nice to have a little larger turnout at HEG [Home Evening Group?]. We got a less active family to come join us at HEG for the past four weeks, so that's pretty cool considering they really seem to enjoy it. Hey, have you ever read Jesus the Christ? Really good book. I highly recommend it!" We asked Rob if he has met his new mission president yet. He said, "We met the mission president and his wife a few weeks ago and he comes to our branch for church, so I'm assuming the mission home is pretty close [new mission, new mission home; apparently Rob has not yet been there]. Seems like a really nice guy, great people." Regarding investigators he is teaching, Rob wrote, "We have a few people who 'PROMISED' they'd make it out to church but no one showed :P. We're gonna try to do some things that'll get them there, though." Roger and I both told him we are thinking about him a lot with the recent hot, humid, and rainy weather here. He said, "That's nice about the humidity and rain! Get a little taste of Barbados over there. hahah ;). It's still raining here off and on all the time and it's constantly hot, but I'm getting a nice tan going on, so that's good. As far as transfers go, I have no idea if I'll get transferred or not, but transfers will be in two weeks so we'll see. I'm okay with leaving, I'm okay with staying. It's wherever the Lord sends me. I'm not too concerned about it. Tell Baxter [the dog] to book a flight so we can hang out in Black Rock!"

I found this picture on the West Indies/Barbados Facebook page. Nice photo of Rob with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Herrington, along with other missionaries and branch members. Photo credit goes to Brother Taylor. Also on the WI/Barbados Facebook page this morning, this picture of Rob with his companion (to his right) and the two other elders in his zone. Not sure what they are eating, but it looks like French fries are involved. Thanks again to Ziggy Taylor for the photo.