Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

• Darren to the Doctor
• Went and visited Anette Valcin a new convert (Interesting)
• Picked up Darren from the doctor
• Speaking with an Englishman who became Lucian
• More on Kimberly Santos and not paying the Courts Loan

Corey called me this morning really worried about whether we were gonna get the prayers for this Sunday and I was supposed to do it tonight at the church but I decided not to go. I'm sure he'll be calling me later to find out if I got them he worries a lot about it.

To start out another day I went and picked up Darren to take him to OK UC Hospital For his physical therapy. It's not that I don't mind in hanging around with him in fact he's quite interesting to be with but he is getting a little demanding about what he needs and what I should buy for him. I know he doesn't have anything nor a way to make any money to get anything at this point but it gets a little tiresome when you throw everybody else that's always asking for money in with it.

At any rate I dropped him off and went home and picked up Tina and we called ANETTE VALCIN If we could come visit her. She was recently baptized and missed last week. We went up over the top of the mountain to get to her house because when I was in town with Darren they are working on the road and the traffic was really backed up. It's an interesting drive when you go over the mountain anyway. Then getting to her house was a totally exciting experience. We got into some real narrow back roads that took us into some neighborhoods that I wasn't sure I felt real comfortable with But everybody seemed to be friendly enough and helpful when we needed directions. We finally found her house. (check the picture) It is certainly a humble abode with a curtain for the front door.

I am not sure but she seemed to be a little off today when we talked to her and she had a very hard time understanding what we were saying to her. I thought I smelled a hint of alcohol on her, Tina said she didn't. Maybe it is just the way she is. I have only visited with her at length one time at church but she seemed to be a little more coherent than she was today. I originally wanted to interview her to receive a temple recommend but after visiting with her and the difficulty in communicating back and forth I decided to hold off. Tina did share a scripture with her that she's been memorizing and board testimony that it was true. We had a prayer at her house before we left and left a blessing on her home. It was a nice visit irregardless.

Anette's house

The house across the street from Anette's house

After leaving Anette's house We drove around a neighborhood where several members lived but it appeared that none of them were home. We tried to figure something else out to do because Darren was still at the hospital getting his therapy and we were on that side of town to pick him up. You never know when he'll get done so we decided to go home and have lunch. The second we walked in the door he called and said he was ready to go home. Back and picked him up and we stopped at the Rodney Bay Shopping center and got Chinese food for dinner. It was ok, but not great and was expensive at $35 EC a piece.

Darren annoyed me a little bit as he asked me to stop at the store and pick up some bread and meat to eat so I did. Darren went in and got the stuff and I waited out in the car. While I was waiting this older Englishman came out to the car next to me and we got talking. He owns a store at Rodney Bay and sells hard to find things here on the island.. We had a good time about his store and things he had going on and how he was getting older and couldn't do all the things that he used to do. I'll say I had to agree with that 'cause he could barely walk out to his car from the store. While we were talking Darren came out and wait for me to come in And so I did. When I got in there he says you need to pay for my stuff. I said I thought you had money to buy it and he said he didn't So I ended up buying some bread and meat which wasn't much but just the fact that he expected me to do that was a little bit annoying to me I guess I shouldn't have felt that way he really doesn't have anything. I have been talking to him pretty serious about making connection with his parents again I feel like he needs to do that His situation is not good where he's at as near as I can tell. I know he's lived this way for 15 years but he's in poor health as far as his leg goes I guess otherwise he's not too bad and he has no income nor does he have any way to get any income But something's going to have to change he just can't expect the church to pay for everything he needs for the rest of his life. He is really buttering me up saying how much he likes me and that he hates to see us going home and all that stuff and I'm pretty sure I know why but I don't have the responsibility to judge him. The next couple may not be so good to him.

I took him home and then went home to pick up Tina to go to the church for self reliance classes tonight. When I got home I really didn't feel like going out again and asked Tina if she wanted me to go and she said no that I didn't need to go so I stayed home and she's down teaching class. After thinking about it I was thinking that might not be the greatest idea of to let her be out by herself after dark. I messaged her and told her to text me when she starts coming home so I'll at least know in a certain amount of time when to expect her home.

I am helping a family trying to get ahead on their bills to where they can take care of themselves and I sat down with Kimberly Santos and we talked about and made a plan of what the church would help her family do We had it all worked out and laid it out on a spreadsheet so we knew exactly where I the money was going to go to. I text her tonight and ask her if she got the courts bill paid off and she said she only paid part of it and put the rest towards her 4 year old son's preschool which she pays $700 a month for. That in itself really bugs me that she's receiving help from the church and has her son in a very expensive preschool. I talked to the lady next door and I think she has an excellent program and she only charges 325 a month. I was really upset last night and wanted to kind of lash out to her but I decided to not do that and think about it for awhile I thought about a lot and woke up in the night and thought about it some more and then thought about it again this morning. I finally worked out in my mind that I was gonna call her out that they had made the wrong choice but do it in a loving way and encourage her to keep her word and keep her covenants with her Father in heaven. And then I told her to read Doctrine Covenants section three which talks about a foolish mistake Joseph Smith did by giving the translated papers to Martin Harris to show his family and then he lost them. The Lord chastised Joseph Smith for that being fearful of man more than God but he told him if he would repent that he would be forgiven and would continue on to translate the Book of Mormon. Which we know he did because we have it. I wanted her to understand that I felt like she gave in to man and should have kept her commitment to pay off that bill before any other bills were paid. She text back and I think she got the message but she was still trying to make excuses of why she did it. What I am trying to get these people to do is develop faith and trust in God that if they do what's right keep their covenants and are obedient that he will bless them much more than what they could do with their own lives without Him.