Elder Soares Visit Highlights God's Promised Blessings Being Claimed in the Caribbean
Contributed By Jason Swensen, Church News associate editor
Elder Ulisses Soares and Sister Rosana Soares greet members gathered for a February 19, 2019, member meeting in Curaçao. Elder Soares dedicated the island nation for the establishment of the gospel.
Article Highlights
- Elder Soares visited members in the Caribbean on an 11-day tour.
- Latter-day Saints in the Caribbean are an example of how the Lord’s promised blessings are being fulfilled.
“The Caribbean members are focused on strengthening their family in the gospel. … There is great joy—the people are enjoying the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives.” —Elder Ulisses Soares
Related Links
Planning a Latter-day Saint-themed tour across the Caribbean? You’d be wise to download a versatile translation app.
The region’s linguistic diversity signals its rich history and culture. Many of the Caribbean people will greet you with a buenos días—while others will offer a bonjou, a good morning, or even a goedemorgen.
A traveler can drop in on a Relief Society or Sunday School lesson in, say, the Dominican Republic, and hear the gospel taught in Spanish. Drive across the border into Haiti and expect to hear that same message in Haitian Creole or French.
English, meanwhile, is spoken in Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, and several other island nations. And in the baseball-mad lands of Aruba and Curaçao, you will hear chatter in both Dutch and Papiamento.
That mixture reflects the rich wonders defining the tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints living across the vast Caribbean Area, Elder Ulisses Soares told the Church News following his recent visit to the region.
“There is a diversity in that area that is very attractive and beautiful to see,” he said. “There is a mixture of cultures—you have influences from all over the world.”
But most importantly, the diverse Caribbean members remain anchored to their shared devotion to the Lord’s Church. “We learned of their faith and their desire to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Elder Soares.
Elder Soares’ 11-day tour (February 14–24) marked his first visit to the Caribbean Area. The Apostle was accompanied by Elder José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy, along with their wives, Sister Rosana Soares and Sister Filomena Teixeira.
“When we read in the scriptures about the ‘isles of the sea’ we tend to think of, maybe, the Pacific or other parts of the world,” said Elder Teixeira. “But the Caribbean Area is also truly the ‘isles of the sea.’ With the exception of the three countries on the northern tip of South America (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana), everything else is an island.”
That island culture, he added, is embodied by kindness, families, and hard work. It’s an ideal, promised land for the gospel to flourish and grow.
Dynamic moments for Caribbean Saints
Elder Soares’ and Elder Teixeira’s recent travels came at a dynamic moment in the Caribbean Area.
The area’s only temple—the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple—was dedicated almost 20 years ago. But that’s about to change.
The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple is expected to be dedicated this year. Meanwhile, hurricane-battered Latter-day Saints in Puerto Rico are still celebrating last fall’s announcement to build a temple in the capital city of San Juan.
Sister missionaries enjoy a February 16, 2019, devotional in Santiago, Dominican Republic, presided over by Elder Ulisses Soares.
A young man attends February 21, 2019, member meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, presided over by Elder Ulisses Soares.
For many Latter-day Saints in the Caribbean, traveling to the Santo Domingo temple “is not easy,” said Elder Soares. Members from Trinidad and Tobago, for example, often have to fly to Miami, Florida, and then boomerang back to the Dominican Republic and visit the temple. Such travels exact both time and money.
“It was beautiful to see how many of the members have received the ordinances of the temple, and I praised them for their sacrifices,” he said.
Reviewing plans for the future temples were key highlights for the visiting Brethren during their annual area review of the Caribbean Area (February 18–19). Elder Soares and Elder Teixeira also participated in ministering-focused leadership meetings for local priesthood and auxiliary leaders. They presided over member meetings and met with missionaries serving in various nations—including a tender gathering of missionaries in the Dominican Republic mourning the recent death of Elder Brennan Conrad.
They were joined at many events by the Caribbean Area Presidency—Elder Walter F. González, Elder José L. Alonso, and Elder Eduardo Gavarret.
Dedicating Curaçao
History was also made in the Caribbean during an Apostle’s visit.
On February 20, Elder Soares dedicated the island nation of Curaçao for the preaching of the gospel. Members, missionaries, local journalists, and many others from the community gathered in the branch meetinghouse in the capital of Willemstad to listen to the visiting Apostle’s dedicatory prayer and counsel.
During the meeting, a pair of Curaçao “pioneers”—Ingeborg Zielinski-Reni and Yvonne Antersijn—shared experiences from their decades of resolute Church service and dedication in a “corner of the vineyard” still young and largely undeveloped.
“You can see the influence of these two great sisters on the island,” said Elder Soares.
A former Miss Curaçao, Zielinski-Reni joined the Church in Holland in 1970. When she returned to her native land she hosted an hourly radio program, frequently drawing upon family home evening lessons and other gospel messages. She became the face of the Church for many on the island.
Missionaries first arrived on Curaçao in 1978, and the island’s first branch was created in October of 1979. Growth followed the 1982 decision to conduct Church meetings in Papiamento. The Curaçao meetinghouse was dedicated in August 1988.
Dedicating the country and worshipping with the Curaçao members “was a beautiful experience,” said Elder Soares.
“The Church has a great future in Curaçao,” he added. “The people are faithful and willing to receive the gospel. ... I could see in their eyes the hope that the gospel brings to them.”
Enjoying Christ’s gospel
The February 16 leadership meetings in Santiago, Dominican Republic, offered further glimpses into the hearts, minds, and capacity of the Caribbean Area members. They are “happy people” focused on the gospel and the guidance offered by President Russell M. Nelson and their other leaders.
“They asked about how they could become closer to Christ and how they could show Christlike love to one another. They wanted to know how they can utilize the power of the Holy Ghost. They asked questions about issues related to their families and their youth,” reported Elder Teixeira.
Elder Soares noted the relative “newness” of the Church in the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean nations.
Prior to the 1978 revelation that gave all people full access to the blessings of the priesthood and the temple, the Church was all but non-existent in the Caribbean—a region with a large population of people of African descent.
“The Caribbean members are focused on strengthening their family in the gospel,” he said. “There is great joy—the people are enjoying the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives.
“I see a great future for the Church in the Caribbean Area. They are good people who are dedicated to their families and their desire to serve the Lord.”
Elder Ulisses Soares offers counsel during February 16, 2019, meeting with elders and sisters from the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission.
Elder Soares and other visiting Brethren and their wives with the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission on February 16, 2019.
Elder Ulisses Soares bids farewell to Latter-day Saints who gathered for a February 21 member meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Elder José A. Teixeira and Elder Ulisses Soares greet missionaries from the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission at a February 16 missionary meeting.
Families gather for a February 17 member meeting in Santiago, Dominican Republic, presided over by Elder Ulisses Soares.
