Women Leaders of the Church Visit Barbados -2
Left to right: Elder Larry Rogers, Communications Director of the Caribbean South Area for The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sister Jolene Rogers, Communications Director of the Caribbean South Area and Instructor of Gospel Literacy, Sister Kristin Yee, General Relief Society Counselor of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Sister Susan Porter, General Relief Society President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.As part of the Caribbean visit, President Susan Porter, General Primary President, and Sister Kristin Yee, General Relief Society Counselor, visited Barbados in the Caribbean Area on February 12 and 13, 2024, with a message of love and unity. This was their second stop in their four-country visit to the Caribbean. Joining the sisters were Elder Moses Villanueva, of the Caribbean Area Presidency, and Elder Claude Gamiette, Area Seventy, and their wives.
On Monday, February 12, the group visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Saint Michael Barbados. Representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' humanitarian effort, they helped celebrate the acquisition of needed equipment donated by the Church for the hospital’s use. In the evening, they gathered with a small group of new members for a family home evening at Christ Church Chapel. President Porter and Sister Yee joined the families with hands-on examples of effectively using the Church’s family home evening program, which fosters a sense of belonging, joy and gospel knowledge within the family unit.
Women Leaders of the Church Visit Barbados -3
Left to right: Sakira Bakharia (President of Barbados Association of Muslim Ladies) and Ferozah Kothiwala (Secretary of Barbados Association of Muslim Ladies), Lisa Estwick, of the Bahai Faith, Sister Kristin Yee, General Relief Society Counselor of the Church, Kathie Daniel, Communications Director of Barbados, Elder Larry Rogers, Rhonda Farley, Barbados Ministry Of Labour and Margaret Haynes, Barbados District first counselor of the Relief Society from the Church.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The next day, the sisters met with a group of community and interfaith leaders to discuss matters of faith and service. There was a sense of sisterhood as the representatives of Barbados and the different faiths joined in conversations about how they could work together for the improvement of the community.
Later Tuesday evening, the leaders provided a unique opportunity for local women from the Church to participate in a discussion on the needs of women and family concerns in the Barbados community.
The final meeting of the evening focused on training by President Porter and Sister Yee, with an emphasis on the importance of ministering to the needs of fellow sisters and fostering love within Barbadian families.
Sister Yee advised, "How can we improve our ministering to our beloved sisters? Through genuine kindness, reaching out and serving, listening, and helping them develop trust."
Drawing from personal experiences, Sister Yee shared wisdom from her father.
"You're not learning if you're talking."
This powerful reminder stressed the importance of active listening and understanding in building strong relationships.
"We need to be intentional and deliberate with our love and caring to help them in their progress," Penny Lewis, a member of the Barbados District of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said during the focus group. "Once you are here, in whatever situation you are dealing with in your life, you are a child of God, and you are qualified to receive His love and support."
The visit of these Church leaders, coupled with important input and feedback from the local women of Barbados, left a mark on the Barbados community, promoting unity, compassion, and a strengthened commitment to faith and service.
