#23 Al Ain ~ Baptism/Kennedy&Mag

We began our day with a little message to everyone about carpooling: "Please let President know *as soon as possible* if you’d like a ride to Raymond’s baptism today! It will be at the Sinclair's and there will be a water activity with ice cream from 4:30–6:30pm and then Raymond’s baptism at 7:00pm. Our loaner car only seats 5 (not 7), so we will have to plan multiple trips to accommodate everyone; so you'll need to let us know ahead of time. President will be driving between 3:00–6:00pm to organize and schedule everyone's pickup times, then we will leave at 6:00pm to head straight to the baptism". 

The kids spent a couple hours in the pool and had a blast as everyone visited and ate ice cream! They all got cooled off and the pool was the perfect size and perfect temperature!

The Baptism of Raymond Sanceda Talabis

May 2nd, 2026

What a beautiful day for a Baptism 💙😇💙! Raymond and his wife, Cheza (who has been a member her whole life is strong and faithful, served a mission and is one of our RS teachers) grew up in the Philippines. They have a son, Prince, who is the Deacons Quorum President and they have a little daughter, Elli, who looks and acts just like our granddaughter, Dolly.  They are a beautiful family and Raymond has been reading the Book of Mormon to Prince each night, since . . . forever. One day Billy asked Raymond what was keeping him from joining the church; Raymond always attends all the activities and watches church through zoom with his family each Sunday. Billy found out that Raymond was addicted to vaping so Billy figured that could be an easy fix and bought him some nicotine patches and gum. Raymond threw away his vaping pen that next week, we gave him the missionary discussions and he was baptized the next month! What a wonderful blessing for him and his sweet family! We are so very excited for them. 

Just about everyone in the Branch came out to support Raymond in this most joyous occasion! Since Billy was carpooling he didn't go for a swim 😆 but managed to get everyone there for the Baptism even with a few more trips than normal!

There was delicious food and lots of socializing and the making of beautiful memories. It truly was a glorious day for everyone.

The following month Billy, me and Hygine visited with Raymond and his family and Billy conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Raymond and ordained him a priest. Now Raymond can administer the Sacrament bread and water to his family each Sunday while Prince prepares and passes it. This is such a huge blessing for this beautiful family. Now Raymond and Prince team-teach Elders Quorum once a month! Next year they are ecstatic to be able to go to the Temple and be sealed together forever as a family 🥰. In the left, middle picture Ellie is gently bringing the back of my hand to her forehead while saying “mano po.” In the Philippines, this gesture is called “mano” or “pagmamano.” It roughly conveys: “I respect you.” It’s somewhat comparable to the "wai" in Thailand or bowing to an elder in some other cultures, but it has a distinctly Filipino cultural meaning. It is the cutest thing in the world when Ellie does this to us and others in the Branch each time we see her. Whenever we visit them I always bring Ellie a bunch of Primary things from the previous month, which she loves. Previously, Billy had driven and stayed with Raymond at the driving facility to help him get his Driver's license. Fortunately, Raymond had the best instructor that wouldn't let him take the actual test until Raymond knew all the rules and could pass the test with flying colors. Billy has arranged now for Gabriel to have this same instructor at the end of the month so he will also be able to pass the test 🤗🥳🤨!

The pictures in the upper left corner is Hygine's wife, Joy, with her Pharmacy all set up. It will take awhile for her to make a profit but she is very busy getting inventory and her business established.  One night we had to run errands and Hygine needed a few things so we brought him along. Hygine has had a lot of stomach problems over the last few months and Billy has picked him up and taken him to the hospital with no real solution.  We think it has finally been figured out. Many times when Billy is with Hygine he has Billy take him to this meat place that Billy says is pretty disgusting, alas, the last Dr gave Hygine some 'worm' medicine 😳 so at this point we are hoping that Hygine will stay away from this particular store 😛. Kennedy, lower right corner pic, got a new job so he wanted us to come see him at work! Kennedy (Mag's husband) has his Bachelor's Degree in Finance but he has proven to make a mean hamburger at his current job at the Black Gloves. We ordered "the works" and with every serving you get a pair of black gloves. I haven't figured that out but it's a fun concept. the food was great!

Here are Kennedy, Mag, Alma and Lehi (they have a daughter in Nigeria that I think is 9 or 10)!  We've had quite a chapter (or perhaps a novel is more accurate) with this little family. If you remember the first 5 months after we arrived Billy was going out at least every other day and spending 6 to 9 hours weekly helping get birth certificates for these 2 little babies. He had also gotten Kennedy a work visa and the family has been helped monthly from the food pantry. The whole situation came to a head shortly after the Birth Certificates were received. Before I begin that, though, I must tell you about a little funny incident that happened at the Nigerian Embassy on one of Billy and Kennedy's trips there. At the embassy there were a ton of Nigerians outside waiting and just hanging out because they are trying to get extensions on their passports or other issues. As Bill and Kennedy were leaving a woman shouted at Kennedy and said something in his language; Billy knew it must have been something derogatory just from the lady's tone of voice but Kennedy didn't want to tell Billy what she said. After Billy kept coaxing him, Kennedy finally told him that she said, "Tell your white man to buy us some food" 😂😂😂! Kennedy was embarrassed but Billy thought that it was hilarious and told Kennedy that that was the first time that he felt totally discriminated against 😆!

Now back to the saga. So after all the hours, energy and effort of getting these 2 little boys birth certificates, Kennedy told Mag that he needed to take the boys to get their passport pictures so she and the boys could go home to Nigeria (I guess I haven't mentioned this before but Mag has been here for the last 3+ years without her visa so technically she is not legal and will be thrown in prison if she is caught without a current ID card). So, of course, after finding out there was no record whatsoever for the two boys this became Billy's top priority and why it was so important for him to work nonstop at first and use whatever time it took to get the boys their birth certificate and then getting Mag and the boys passports and get them back to Nigeria. There are huge penalties along with prison sentences if you are not here legally but every so often the UAE will grant an "Out-pass" where you can leave the country without penalties but you have to leave within 7 days. So that was the next step 🤗! 

Unfortunately, when Kennedy told Mag all of this she refused to leave.  Her biggest worry was that without any money (and she and Kennedy have been fighting for the last few months and trying to live separately then together without talking) she would go home to Nigeria and her and the boys would starve; which is totally understandable and scary, especially with them not getting along. And, honestly, I would much rather live here than in Africa or the Philippines just because the living conditions are better than the places that they live in back home. It's hard to even imagine that back home is worse than the hovel they call home here but surprisingly enough here in Al Ain it is so much better. But . . . they cannot be here without an ID card so there isn't any other choice. I decided to write and explain the whole situation to Mag. Here is the very difficult letter that I had to write to her (her falling under my jurisdiction).

"Honey, 

1. I do not want to disappoint you, but I need to be very clear that it is no longer possible for you and the boys to remain in the UAE after the end of August.

2. Now that both boys have received their birth certificates, Kennedy will take them to receive their immunization shots. Once that process is completed, preparations must be finalized for you and the boys to get passports and return home to Nigeria.

3. Your airline tickets need to be arranged now so that Kennedy can sign the "No Objection Certificate", which is required for you to travel with the boys with the other spouse's permission. This is where it gets tricky.

4. I know you want to stay and have Kennedy take the boys home but if that is the case then YOU would have to go to the embassy and sign the "No Objection Certificate" in order for Kennedy to take them home. And, unfortunately, if you go to the Embassy to sign the form, because you do not have a current Visa, you would be arrested.

5. And because of this, the only way the boys can get home is if you take them. It is impossible for you to get your own Visa.

6. You will need to go home for at least one or 2 years. During this time get on pathways and learn a skill (like nursing) that will enable you to come back and make money. Right now that is the only solution.

7. After the "No Objection Certificate" is signed we will take all necessary paperwork to the embassy and apply for a "Transit Out-Pass" so that you don't have to pay the accumulated fines of 54,750 durham ~ 50 durham for every day you have been here not legally ($15,000 ~ friends, you know I say 'not' legal on purpose).

8. We will hopefully be able to request an "Exit Pass for Deportation" as well, which will allow you to leave without facing imprisonment.

9. Unfortunately, there is no option for extending your stay in the UAE past the end of August.

10. We also found out that the church can no longer continue providing food, supplies or financial support while you remain here not legal, doing so would expose the church to serious legal consequences for assisting someone who is residing in the country not legally. We would be aiding and abetting a not legal immigrant. The ramifications for the church would be detrimental.

11. In addition, President and I are no longer in a position to provide further financial assistance other than helping with your airline tickets to get you home. We have already spent substantially more than we originally intended while residing here and many of those resources have been used to assist you and the boys.

12. President has also devoted a significant amount of time and effort in helping with your documents, legal matters, appointments, and arrangements for your return home.

13. We will make your travel arrangements at the beginning of August when we return from our 10-day leave. At that time, you and the boys must be prepared to depart the UAE and return to Nigeria by the end of August.

14. We will continue helping you with the necessary supplies that you need until the end of August.

15. Kennedy will also assist in finding you a place to stay in Nigeria.

We care about your well-being and want to see this process completed safely and legally. Your cooperation in making these arrangements is necessary. We do love you and the boys, Mag, and wish it were possible for you to stay, but our hands are tied as well and there is no other way that this can be resolved. With all our love, a heavy heart, and hope for the future, Sister Jamie"

Well, as you can imagine that went as well as a porcupine at a balloon party.  Mag went ballistic. She called and left voice messages with at least 3 members who then got in touch with me (like at 6am). Most of them had no idea what she was saying, let alone talking about. Finally, she texted me back because I couldn't understand the voice messages and we went back and forth a few times and then she vanished. Yep, she took off with the boys and went to Dubai and stayed at a friend's house.  We still communicated back and forth some and even though she wasn't mad at me (more mad at Kennedy) she just refused to go home to Nigeria or Al Ain. About 2 weeks later she told me, 

"Mummy not this month I we let you know." and "Hello Mom, yes, I will go back to Nigeria, but not at this moment. I need some time to sort things out first, especially to get an apartment and secure a safe place to stay. Right now, I don’t have anywhere stable to live, and I can’t return with my kids without having proper arrangements in place. When everything is ready, I will let you know. Thank you very much for your understanding. I really appreciate it."

Mag and the boys came back home and Kennedy had to stay there, too, because he had nowhere else to go. He keeps losing his job but he's really good at finding another one.  He will work 2 jobs just trying to save enough money to send Mag and the boys home to Nigeria with some money so she can start up some sort of business and survive. It's been interesting to say the least. We worry mostly about the boys. They need to interact with other children and be able to play outside and be free.

Unfortunately, this had to be done; last year when Sunshine and Hygine were riding with President Ashby they were pulled over and both the boys were required to show the officer their UAE ID's. Had Mag been in the car everyone would have been thrown in prison.  No exceptions. 

Kennedy is a hard worker but I'm afraid that when his visa runs out there won't be money to renew it and no work place wants to pay for it. It's hard to imagine this being better than their home country but it is. I just feel bad for the two baby boys.

Mag is still on our group chat which actually makes me glad. I was happy she was at least getting all our messages and staying connected in that regard. Kennedy is supposed to get photos of the boys for passports but he can never get them away from her to do that. There is supposed to be a time when the UAE will let non legal residents go home without a penalty but I don't know when that is and even if we did know when that was, it might not be enough time for them to get their passports. It's a pickle.

Doctrine and Covenants 104:17 

“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.”

Heavenly Father has blessed us with resources and opportunities, but He has also given us the gift of agency. Sometimes, in our desire to help others, we may give so much that we unintentionally prevent them from learning to make wise choices and become self-reliant.

Loving someone doesn’t always mean continuing to provide everything they need. Sometimes love means setting boundaries, allowing natural consequences and encouraging them to take responsibility for their choices.

As we help others we are trying to seek the wisdom to know when to give, how to give, and how to help in ways that strengthen rather than weaken.

Weird sad situation.