I guess we are nearing the end of our Mission, because I'm not writing on my blog as much. I can't believe we only have a little over two months left. Where has the time gone? There were three deaths the last month and all three were within a week of each other. Sister Marius, an older member who was bedridden, passed away July 15. She was a member for two and a half years. We met Sister Marius when we first came to St. Lucia and visited with her frequently. She was such a joy to be around. She loved the Missionaries, calling the Elders her Angels and her Grandchildren. It was her wish to have her funeral at the Church. She was the only member in her family and wrote down specific instructions to where her funeral should be held. Elder Gubler and I were honored to speak at her funeral and it went very well. It was well attended and the spirit was strong. The Missionaries sang a beautiful rendition of "I Stand All Amazed". She is at peace now and is no longer suffering. We will miss her, but know we'll see her again. She had a strong testimony of the Gospel and was an amazing Missionary. I have attached our talks on this blog.
The other deaths were relatives of members. Brother Paul from the Castries Branch had a sister pass away. Sister Joseph's Father passed away and she is from the Vieux Fort Branch. We attended the funeral of Sister Joseph's Father in Vieux Fort. He was an elderly man of 89 years of age. These experiences have made me so appreciate the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation and the wonderful blessings it has to offer us. I know we will live again and will all be resurrected. Life does not end at death. Sister Joseph is excited to get her father's work ready for the Temple. Elder Gubler has been assisting the members of the Vieux Fort Branch with their Family History.
We were honored to have Elder and Sister Linton visit St. Lucia. They are a senior couple serving in Tobago and he is a Patriarch for the Mission. He was able to give nine patriarchal blessings. The members who received blessings were so excited and experienced a wonderful spiritual experience. Elder Morrison, a missionary serving in Castries, was able to receive his blessing and I told him what a great experience to receive a Patriarchal Blessing on your Mission. He replied back that it was such a spiritual experience like the first time he went to the Temple. I've never seen someone so excited to receive his copy of the blessing. I love these missionaries. They are great young men and women who are an example to all. Transfers were last week and we lost five missionaries. Like I've said, it is sad to see them go, but happy to meet new ones.
Now the storm part. Friday, there was a tropical storm warning for St. Lucia. We warned all the missionaries and cancelled a Branch activity. We quickly did our errands for the day and waited in our apartment for the storm to come. After the Christmas Eve storm, we were not going to take any chances. Well, thank heavens it never came. It missed St. Lucia. We were so grateful and felt very blessed. According to the members, this happens quite often. They will have a storm warning and nothing happens.
We are so thankful to be out here on a mission. I want to express my love to my Savior. It is an honor to wear a missionary badge and represent him in this great work. This work is true and is blessing those lives who accept it.
The following is my talk:
Martina Marius
Martina (Catherine) Marius
was born Nov. 5, 1913, in Souffriere, St. Lucia to Epiphane Marius and Clare
Rene’. Her father passed away when she
was five years old and she was raised by her mother along with her two older
brothers, Ferdinand and Gilbert in Laborie.
She attended school in Laborie.
She married Clifford Forde
and had one daughter Emma. She later separated from her husband. Wanting a better life for herself, she immigrated
to the United States in November of 1975.
She lived in New York and worked as a home health aid, assisting the
elderly with their daily needs. Having
retired in the United States, she came back to her beloved St. Lucia to live
the rest of her life. It was her wish to
die and be buried here. While here, she
enjoyed outings with her sister Rety and getting to know her Grandchildren
better. Catherine is survived by her two
brothers, Ferdinand and Gilbert, two sisters, Rety Garham and Marie
Ferdinand. She is also survived by her
daughter Emma Marius who resides in Troy, New York and ten Grandchildren, Lucy,
Sharon, Ashley, Monti, Nael Martina, Aaron, Maritha, Fred, Ricky, and Viviane
and her great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.
If you don’t mind, I’d
like to call Mary Catherine Marius, Sister Marius as I have always called her. In our Church we consider ourselves all
brothers and sisters. I’ve gathered this
information from her family and the former Senior Couples that were wonderful
friends of Sister Marius, Elder and Sister Bush and Elder and Sister Gartz and
Elder Gubler and myself from the time we spent with her.
Sister Marius was a giving
person, she was very generous with those around her. She was always concerned with the welfare of
others and often took in families that needed help. She especially loved babies and little
children. Sister Gartz told of times
when her grandchildren came to visit they would take them to see Sister Marius. She would always fuss over the babies and she
wanted them to get right up on the bed with her. I showed her a picture of my little Grandson
once and she stared at that picture smiling for the longest time so excited.
I will always remember her
laugh. She was quite willing to poke fun
at anyone she felt like and was able to take it as well. She and Elder Gubler had a thing going on
with sardines, he found out she enjoyed sardines so we would bring her some
when we visited. She told us she would
always remember us for our sardines.
She told a story of when
she was a little girl she was accused of and punished for killing a pig. Apparently, it was a small pig that someone
of her size could have snuffed out.
However she had not killed the pig but was blamed for it. She was always one to keep score so after
awhile she found another little pig and killed it.
Sister Marius was a
beautiful seamstress and made wedding dresses.
We spoke with a lady whose wedding dress she made the other week. She told us about all the intricate work that
went into that dress and how beautiful it was.
Sister Marius was raised
Catholic. She was very religious and
read her Bible daily. Prayer was very
important to her and she prayed often. It
was in October of 2011 that she first met the Missionaries from the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She
was bedridden during this time and she had told her house helper to not let any
strangers in. She said that one day her
house lady came and said that there were two young men who would like to talk
to her and she said to send them in. You
wonder why an older lady who was bedridden, strong in her Religion, very
stubborn as you all know, would join another Church in her later years. The Missionaries taught her and she was
converted right away. Through prayer and
study, she knew that what they were telling her was the truth. That Jesus Christ himself restored his church
to the earth again through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The first time that Elder
Gubler and I met Sister Marius she told us her Baptismal story. I t was such a wonderful event in her life
and she kept a picture of it at her bedside. Elder and Sister Bush relates this
story as they were there when it happened. She wanted to get baptized but she
hadn’t left her home in over seven years except to go to Doctor
appointments. It was decided to get a
stretcher. So, four young Missionaries
and Elder Bush carried her out of her home on a stretcher and put her in the
back of Brother Joe’s pickup truck and went to Vigi Beach. Once there the challenge began. She was strapped onto the stretcher and the
four Elders carried her into the water.
It was a windy day and the waves were strong. After four attempts, the Elders brought her
back to the beach to rest. We thought
she might be discouraged but she was not.
President DeBeauville showed up and said he was prompted to wear white,
what a blessing that was. He was able to
help the Elders take her back out, this time with her facing the beach. They used the waves to help immerse her, this
time completely. Everyone was exhausted,
but she was so happy. She kept saying,
“Thank you, Jesus!” and “I have all my angels here with me.”
Back at her home we asked
if we had worn her out and she said we hadn’t.
She said her life had been so wicked that the Lord had to scrub her
clean. After her confirmation she bore
her testimony expressing love and gratitude through her tears.
Sister Marius wanted to
share the joy she found in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with
others. Once she joined the Church, she
became the best missionary and usually wouldn’t take NO for an answer. From her bed she would call her family
members and friends and arrange a time for the missionaries to visit them. When she called it was never a question of
would you like to know more about our church?, it was a statement of conviction
and a command from her rather than an invitation. She was never shy. She said many times the only thing I have
left is my mouth and she was quite willing to use it. She would excitedly tell us of those
acquaintances of her who were being taught by the Missionaries when we would come
and visit.
She loved the Prophet
Joseph Smith and laughingly called him her boyfriend. She knew he was a true Prophet of God. Even though she was never able to attend
Church, the Missionaries brought the Church to her. They visited her regularly with Gospel
messages and brought the Sacrament to her on Sundays. The musically talented Elders would uplift
and comfort her by singing hymns. She
was always upset with President Mehr, our Mission President, for transferring the
Missionaries out, but she always welcomed the new ones that replaced them. Each morning she also listened to the
scriptures on CD and also Conference talks, this is where our Prophet and His
twelve Apostles along with other leaders of the Church speak at a Semi-annual
conference which is broadcast to all Church members worldwide. Sister Marius will be an important part of
these Missionaries lives, as she is a very important part of my life also.
One part of our beliefs is
that all those who have not had an opportunity to hear the restored Gospel of
Jesus Christ in this life will have an opportunity in the next life, that is
life after death to hear it and either accept it or reject it. We believe that
there is a great Missionary work going on in the Spirit World right now. She was always excited to be a part of this
Missionary work in the next life.
Even though her body was
frail, she had a keen mind up until the very end. I was amazed at her memory. If you promised her something, you had better
follow through, or she would keep reminding you about it. Last year before Christmas, Elder Gubler and
I told her that we would bring up all the Missionaries in St Lucia to sing
Christmas Carols to her on Christmas Eve.
After that, each time we visited she would keep reminding us. Finally on Christmas Eve, things got so busy
we were wondering if we had time, but just as we were about to give up on the
idea, Sister Marius called and asked when we were coming. Luckily we were able to go and made it back
before the terrible storm hit.
She often told us that she
was bad when she was younger, but she had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ
and his atoning sacrifice. She knew that
through his atonement and through baptism she was forgiven of her sins and
committed the remainder of her life to try and serve the Lord the best she
could and keep his commandments. She loved the Lord and would always express
her love for her Savior, Jesus Christ. She also paid her tithing
faithfully. The last time we saw Sister
Marius, she was so ill, but motioned for Sharon to get her tithing
envelope. She would joke that if you
don’t come and get my tithing, I’m going to spend it.
She was called by Elder
Gartz to be a youth teacher awhile back.
The Missionaries helped her prepare her lesson and the youth from the
Church would come to her home on Sundays, alternating with the young men one
week and the young women the next week.
She was a wonderful example to them by being happy and grateful no
matter what circumstance you are in. While
she did this only three or four time, it gave her a chance to serve.
We never heard a word of
complaint about her confinement and she recognized the reasons the Lord put her
in that situation as it was His way to bring her closer to Him. Even when we
visited her in the hospital, she would still joke and laugh.
I have felt Sister Marius’
spirit as I have thought about what to say today and I keep on coming up with
the same thing and that is This is an open invitation to all of you here today
to be curious, ask questions, to listen and find out why she would join this
Church during her later years and why she was so eager to share it with others.
Another thing I want to say is she loved
all her Grandchildren and although it was difficult for her to show it
sometimes, all she has ever wanted was a relationship with you and for you to
be happy.
I’m so thankful for the
time that we got to know Sister Marius.
I have learned a great deal from her as she was a great example to me
also. I know she is at peace now and is
happily reunited with her loved ones who have passed on. We don’t need to worry about her because she made
her peace with her Heavenly Father and applied the Saviors atonement in her
life. I know God lives, I know he
lives. I know Jesus Christ suffered for
Sister Marius’ sins, for my sins and for your sins also and I’ll be forever
grateful for him and His atoning sacrifice.
I’m so thankful for this time that I’ve had to serve in St. Lucia. It is a beautiful place and such beautiful
people and will be forever grateful for the time I spent with your sweet
Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Cousin and friend.
The following is Elder Gubler's talk:
Sister Marius Funeral
We are here to remember Sister Marius’s life
and to comfort those left behind. Indeed, all of us have the responsibility to
…”mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of
comfort”. I have been asked to talk about the spiritual aspects of our lives
and to put in context death to God’s overall plan. As I do that – let me take a
couple of minutes to reflect on what is the purpose of life – and specifically
what Sister Marius did in her life – because of her beliefs – to prepare her
for this step.
(Pre-Earth Life: God’s Purpose and Plan
for Us)
For ages people have wondered, “Where did we
come from? Why are we here? Where are we going?” Sister Marius believed in what
is called the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation gives us the answers to
these questions. God is the Father of our spirits. We are literally His
children, and He loves us. We lived as spirit children of our Father in Heaven
before we were born on this earth. We were not, however, like our Heavenly
Father, nor could we ever become like Him and enjoy all the blessings that He
enjoys without the experience of living in mortality with a physical body.
God’s whole purpose—His work and His glory—is to enable each of us to enjoy all
His blessings. He has provided a perfect plan to accomplish His purpose. All of
us understood and accepted this plan before we came to the earth. Jesus Christ
is central to God’s plan. Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ fulfilled His
Father’s purpose and made it possible for each of us to enjoy immortality and
eternal life. Agency, or the ability to choose, is one of God’s greatest gifts
to His children. We choose whether to follow Jesus Christ or not. We are
physically separated from God during life on earth, but He wants every one of
His children to find peace in this life and a fulness of joy in His presence
after this life. Sister Marius, like all of us, made the choice to come
to earth and she was born into this world to gain a body and to learn, develop
and grow.
(The Creation and Our Life on Earth)
Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus
Christ created this earth as a place for us to live and gain experience. In
order to progress and become like God, each of us had to obtain a body and be
tested during a time of probation on the earth. While on the earth we are out
of God’s physical presence. We do not remember our pre-earth life. We must walk
by faith rather than by sight. We have the moral agency or the ability to
choose between good and evil. This made it possible for us to learn and
progress. While on this earth God also provides us the opportunity to have
children, as is evidenced by Sister Marius’s daughter, grandchildren and a great
growing legacy of great-grandchildren.
Life on earth is an opportunity and a
blessing. Our purpose in this life is to have joy and prepare to return to
God’s presence. In mortality we live in a condition where we are subject to
both physical and spiritual death. If not for our Savior Jesus Christ, death
would end all hope for a future existence with Heavenly Father. While we are in
mortality we have experiences that bring us happiness. We also have
experiences that bring us pain and sorrow. These experiences provide us
opportunities to learn and to grow, to distinguish good from evil, and to make
choices. God influences us to do good. We also have influences on this earth to
do evil. We need God’s help to choose the right and to repent of the mistakes that
we all make. We cannot overcome the effects of physical death and the effects
of sin by ourselves. We are helpless without the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Without the Atonement of Jesus Christ Sister Marius and her loved ones would
not have the opportunity to be together again. Gratefully Jesus Christ has made
it possible to return to our Heavenly Father and to be with our loved ones.
(The Atonement, The Spirit World and the
Resurrection)
We will all suffer physical death, but Jesus
Christ overcame the obstacle of physical death for us. By virtue of Him
suffering in Gethsemane, dying on the cross, and then overcoming death through
the power of the Resurrection Christ overcame all. He provided a path for us to
take for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father. The reuniting of
body and spirit is called resurrection and is a gift promised to each of us. To
fulfill the plan of salvation, Christ paid the penalty for our sins if we
choose to accept it. This is called the Atonement. As we rely on the Atonement
of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can
be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can
be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Only through the gift of
the Atonement can we return to live with God.
Even though Christ conquered physical death,
all people must die, for death is part of the process by which we are
transformed from mortality to immortality. This is evidenced by Sister Marius’s
passing. At death our spirits go to the spirit world. That is where Sister
Marius is now. She no longer has her physical body. But she has her spirit body
and continues to live. When she left this earth she went to the Spirit World
where those who have passed before greeted her with open arms. I can only
imagine the sweet and joyous welcome she received by her parents, grandparents,
other family members. We remain in the spirit world until we are resurrected.
Resurrection is the eternal joining of our physical and spiritual bodies. Just as
Jesus Christ was resurrected – every person who has lived or will live on this
earth will enjoy the blessings of being resurrected ourselves. This again comes
to us because of Jesus Christ.
Through the resurrection all people will
become immortal—they will live forever. Immortality is a free gift to all
people, whether they are righteous or wicked. Eternal life is not, however, the
same as immortality. Eternal life is a gift of God available to God’s children
through the Atonement of Christ. It is exaltation, which means living with God
forever in eternal families. During our mortal lives we make choices. We
have the opportunity to live in God’s presence, become like Him, and receive a
fulness of joy.
In the Book of Mormon Amulek testified
Alma: 34: 31-32 31 Yea, I would that ye would come forth
and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day
of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts,
immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.
32 For behold,
this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of
this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
Concerning the resurrection: As
the Apostle Paul said, "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and
this mortal must put on immortality." (I Corinthians 15: 53)
This is also what Alma referred
to as he explained the plan of salvation to this son Corianton: "The soul
shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb
and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not
be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect
frame." (Alma 40:23)
And so when we see Sister Marius
again we will see a whole and perfect Sister Marius. She will walk and talk
with her family and friends.
And what will be her condition
until the time of the resurrection? Alma provides an answer in the same chapter
40, verses 11-14:
"Now, concerning the state
of the soul between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been made known
unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed
from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or
evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
"And then shall it come to
pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of
happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where
they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
"And then shall it come to
pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil--for behold, they have
no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil
works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and
take possession of their house--and these shall be cast out into outer
darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this
because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.
"Now this is the state of the
souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking
for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in
this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their
resurrection."
And so, we need not pity Sister
Marius. She is at peace now, and will rest from her struggles while she waits
in paradise to be reunited with her family. In spite of a crippling condition, she
lived valiantly to the end of her life on this earth, trying to submitting
himself to the will of our Father in Heaven, mostly without complaint, and trying
to show patience, long suffering,
and kindness to those around her.
Our pity should be reserved for
those whose souls are crippled by unrepented sins, whose limbs are twisted and
withered by greed, or envy, or infidelity, or unrighteousness in all its forms.
Those are the people who are truly handicapped and whose progression will be
limited, if they fail to reach for the light and shun the darkness.
Let us have clean hands and a
pure heart, and submit ourselves to what comes to us in life with hope and
faith in a loving Heavenly Father.
President Monson, President of
the Church of Jesus Christ has said: Every
thoughtful person has asked himself the question best phrased by Job of old:
‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ Try as we may to put the question out of
our thoughts, it always returns. Death comes to all mankind. It comes to the
aged as they walk on faltering feet. Its summons is heard by those who have
scarcely reached midway in life’s journey, and often it hushes the laughter of
little children. But what of an existence beyond death? Is death the end of
all? … My brothers and sisters, we know that death is not the end. This truth
has been taught by living prophets throughout the ages. It is also found in our
holy scriptures.”
President Monson also said:“If we are well
prepared, death brings no terror. From an eternal perspective, death is
premature only for those who are not prepared to meet God.”
And he also said:“Death lays its heavy hand
upon those dear to us and at times leaves us baffled and wondering. In certain
situations, as in great suffering and illness, death comes as an angel of
mercy.”
I would like to conclude my remarks by
reading the words of the hymn in our hymn book called “I stand all amazed”
I stand all amazed at
the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me;
I tremble to know that for me He was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died. O it is wonderful
that He should care for me
Enough to die for me!
O it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
2
I marvel that He would
descend from His throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine;
That He should extend His great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
3
I think of His side, pierced and
bleeding to pay the debt,
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no! I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
And testify all my desires He doth fully meet.
Sister Marius
Three of my favorite people, Sisters Samuel and
Shelton and Brittany Henry.
Elder and Sister Linton
Zone outing
Zone outing, Elders Day, Morrison and Glade.
Zone outing
Sister Samuel and Shelton
Elder Hansen couldn't quite lift the cannon.
The whole zone plus Denzel DeBeauville.
District meeting
The missionaries that transferred out, Sister Shelton
and Samuel and Elders Morrison, Glade, and Reyes (he
finished his mission and returned home to Australia).
.JPG)
