The Miami Herald Newspaper came to our church to do an article on the new black mormon bishop. As the reporters were interviewing him, they spotted Marissa (we were there for mutual). The lady said she's never seen a more beautiful or angelic child, and asked if she and the bishop associated and how we could get her in a picture. Bishop suggested we sing and read scriptures together, and we could do a picture like that. Marissa pipes up,"I can sing the first Article of Faith!" So, she sang it, and this is the picture of it. The Miami herald covers the entire miami/Ft. Lauderdale metro--a lot of people!! and Marissa made the cover! I'm going to copy in the article--I know you don't know our bishop, but it may give you a taste of our world here.
Convert leads local Mormon church as bishop
Davie resident Fred Bethel was recently appointed a bishop in the Mormon church. No one who knows him is surprised -- but the path to his success was a difficult one.
BY LISA BOLIVAR
Special to The Miami Herald
This is the caption beneath the picture:
"Mormon Bishop Fred Bethel listens to Marissa Bodily, 4, as she sings at a youth meeting at the Fort Lauderdale church. Natalia Wilson, 3, is front."
From life as a Southern Baptist to one as a Mormon, Bishop Fred Bethel has always been focused on the Almighty.
Bethel, 36, lives in Davie with his Jamaican-born wife, Scherrie, and teaches mathematics at Madie Ives Elementary School in Miami Beach by day. By night he serves his 600-member congregation at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fort Lauderdale.
Being named bishop of the Mormon church in February was a surprise for Bethel because of his relatively short history with the church; he has only been a Mormon for six years. Another surprise lies closer to the common belief that the church traditionally is white-only. Bethel is African American.
''I think one of my roles is to expose this to the African-American community and defuse this idea that Mormons don't like black people, because that is so far from the truth. I see the missionaries go into neighborhoods I'd think twice about,'' Bethel said. ``There are a lot of people of color in this church, but they aren't necessarily African American. They are from the islands and from Haiti.''
There are 6,000 practicing Mormons in Haiti, according to Bethel.
The tall, quiet man who can frequently be found with children gathered around him grew up in Carol City in a one-parent home. His mother frequently went without so the children could eat.
His upbringing, Bethel said, although filled with love and with the Baptist church as the centerpiece, was very different from what he sees in his current congregation.
''Coming from the inner city, I've seen things in the family structure within the Mormon lifestyle I've never seen growing up,'' he said. ``They are so beautiful to me. Moms and dads and the family home meetings and the purity of it, they keep it wholesome. It's just a beautiful thing to see.''
Charlton Young, 35, grew up with Bethel and now is a basketball coach at Georgia Tech. He credits his success to Bethel and the guidance he gave when the two were in high school together.
''We're from the heart of the city, born and raised, inner-city Miami,'' Young said. 'We saw South Beach on TV and said `Is that Miami?' We never got out there.''
Young and Bethel went to Miami Carol City Senior High School, where those who ''make it out'' usually are athletes, Young said.
Bethel made sure that both he and Young went a step further.
''Fred was a baseball player, but most of all he was a tremendous student, he was student government president -- and that wasn't the cool thing in our neighborhood,'' Young said. ``Cool was either you were an athlete or you were selling drugs, but he had the ability to make the grades and do the right thing.''
Young credits Bethel's mother with rearing a righteous son.
''She refused to let the streets of Miami take her son. Guys who come out of our area aren't doing what we are doing,'' he said. ``When this materialized, him being a bishop, I wasn't shocked at all. I'm proud of him being a bishop because he didn't come from anything.''
Carl Haynie, 54, of Weston, is the state president of Broward County's Mormon church. A state is much like a parish, and represents 3,000 members.
Haynie was involved in the selection process that ultimately named Bethel as bishop. Like Young, Haynie was not surprised that the spirit moved them to appoint Bethel.
''He's a naturally gifted leader, and he works hard for it,'' Haynie said. ``He's always looking for the best in people, he's very positive and enthusiastic and I find him to be a man of great faith. When I used to see him in church I'd say, there's a bishop walking here, and I was right.''
Ben trying his hand at surfing. The fellow in the background is Brother David Lopez, from the Imperial Beach ward, who was kind enough to provide the wet suits and surf board and lessons on surfing.
A crab that the kids all found on a night hike treasure hunt.
Ben said that we couldn't have Christmas without a Christmas tree, so we went and purchased some lights, and strung them on the ficus tree. Rather festive if you ask me.
View from our balcony of the surf.
View from the front balcony, all those lights are Tjuanna.
Andrew learning to be a surfer dude.
Aaron mastering the surfer dude image.
Too many lessons from Jessica??? The anticipation of learning to surf.
Family picture, minus Jessica on Imperial Beach, CA. In front of our condo, our balcony is right behind Bens tushy. You can't see it very well, but it was the bottom condo. We loved our condo, it was very nice, and will use it again if the opportunity arises.
One of the many beautiful sunsets from our condo.
