Lime Hall and Ocho

Saturday morning we drove to Lime Hall to get the car washed.  Of course it rained in the process.  When we came to the place where we normally wash the car, there was a mini van there with the whole back of it filled with large water containers.  Another car also drove up with some big barrels to put water in.  Wayne showed us another area where we could wash the car.  It was down by the big water pump.  It was so peaceful down there and no one was coming to get water.  In the summer when it is hot and there is not a lot of rain, the people can't get water to their houses because there is no pressure.  They have to go to pipes where they can fill up their containers.  The place where we  usually go is a very popular place to get water. I always wonder what the residents are thinking when they see W washing a white man's truck.  It usually takes W a little over an hour to wash the truck.  When we were driving up past our usual water pipe, the mini van was still there.  After we left Lime Hall, we drove out to P L's to get the remainder of the "food" for the poor."  We stopped at the store to get some bags to package the rice, beans and cornmeal so that Brian would have some food on hand when people call at the last minute.  We spent some time at the branch getting ready for Sunday and did a few odds and ends at home.  I watched the Women's Conference and enjoyed it very much.

Sunday we went to the branch at 8:15 as we had a sister coming early to church.  As it turned out, she didn't get there until almost nine.  She lives in Steer Town and the residents had blocked the roads by the schools so no vehicles could get up the road.  That is the resident's way of making the government deliver water to their area.  Because of the roadblock, she had to walk a distance to catch a taxi.  We did not have very many people at church.  A lot of the members are sick with the Chikungunya which is caused by mesquitos.   Our YW's president was not there so I taught YW's.  It would have been nice to have some time to prepare.  After church, the RS president drove me home so that I could give her some of the rice and beans and cornmeal we had packaged  for next Sunday.  When Brian got home, we drove to R's to deliver some food and a couple of envelopes and we also stopped at the L to see how Aunt was doing.  We heard that she had fallen again.  By the time we ate dinner, it was almost 7:30.

Water pump by the place where W washed the car.

Tree roots

Looking from the water pump up to the road.

Remember the nutmeg pod.  I put it in the sun and when it split open, this is what I found.   I will leave this in the sun until it splits open and reveals the nutmeg.

Sarah married Steve today

Today we picked up Brother J and took him to Huddersfield so that he could help us put the tarp on the N home.  Afterwards we made a trip out to Port Maria to see Sister N.  From her house you could hear the waves of the ocean.  She has a beautiful view of the ocean.  I asked her what it was like in a hurricane.  She told me they loved to watch the waves and the wind just seemed to blow over their home.  She has lived there for 27 years.  She has been a member of the church for about a year now.  It was her sister that finally got her to read the Book of Mormon.  She told me that when she did, she knew the church was true.  It was her sister that we had the funeral for last Saturday.

Tonight I was listening  to the talk that Elder Holland gave at BYU-Idaho.  It is well worth listening to.  He talked about the pursuit of happiness.  As I thought about happiness, I thought about Sarah getting married in the Salt Lake Temple today.  I thought about my family being together and being in the Temple with her and how much fun they must be having.  I thought about Justin and Tennille attending the Boston Temple and enjoying this week together. Happiness is knowing that the Savior atoned for our sins. It is living the gospel.  It  is the eternal nature of the family.  It is serving a mission with a worthy priesthood holder.  I will be eternally grateful that I was raised in a good home where the gospel was taught and where I felt loved.  These are the important things.  I am feeling very blessed tonight and  a little sad also that I wasn't able to be there with Sarah and my family.

Ocho Rios and Montego Bay

Sunday we left the condo at 8:30.  Brian wanted to get there early.  When we got to the branch, H was asleep on the information desk.  Our branch is in a commercial building.  It is on the second floor and the flight of stairs is a bit hard for a few members in the branch.  The grocery store is on the main floor so it makes it convenient for shopping because we can park free.  H had worked all night and walked over to the building after his shift. He fell asleep while he was waiting for us to get there.  I didn't have the heart to wake him up so we just left him there so he could get a little more sleep before the meeting started. Elder Jones and Sister Mouretson gave the talks in Sacrament meeting and they did a very good job.  After the block, I waited over an hour for Brian to finish.  We stopped off at L on the way home.  They are good people to talk to when it comes to the branch.  They have been around for awhile.

Monday morning I made a batch of cookies for Tracy and Rohan.  Tracy was suppose to cut my hair at 4:30 but Brian had made an appointment with a couple in our ward at 4:00 so I had to change the time to Tuesday.  When I asked Tracy how much a hair cut was, she said a batch of cookies.  I told her I would make cookies and pay her also.  Brian and I tried to visit some less actives before his appointment but we didn't have much success getting in touch with them.  We headed for home after his appointment.

Tuesday we drove out to Mango Valley to drop something off for Sister N.  She was at her school and we were able to meet her teacher.  She is taking some classes with the PEF program so that she can get a job to help out with her family. Her teacher's name was Cinderella.  I think she was impressed with our PEF program.  One the way back, we stopped at Sister N's home so that we could measure her house for the tarp that the Whiteheads were going to pick up for her.  Every time it rains, her house leaks. Her house measured 13' by 13'.  If you ever feel like your house is too small, think again.  From there we went back to Ocho to pick up Rohan and drop him off at his home.  We then went home so that I could change my shirt and then went back to Rohan's so that Tracy could cut my hair.  After the hair cut we went back to the branch so Brian could get some things worked out with the MLS.  President Medley instructed him over the phone.

Wednesday we left the condo at 6:30 for zone meeting in Montego Bay.   We took the elders with us.  The sisters were suppose to meet us at the elders at 6:45 but they were running late so we told them to try and catch up with us.  Sister Mouretson had never driven to Montego Bay so she was a bit nervous about finding the chapel.  Brian drove slower than usual hoping that they would catch up.  They never did.  Elder Hall had to give them directions to the chapel. The zone leaders did a great job and it was very inspirational. We had a nice visit with Elder and Sister Pearson while we were there.  After the meeting we stopped at Mega-Mart in Montego Bay so that the elders could get a bite to eat and we could do some shopping.  It is like Walmart.  I wish I would have had more time to shop.  It was a lot of fun to be in a store that big and find items that were less expensive than the Ocho stores. It rained quite a bit as we were heading home.  It was almost 4:00 by the time we got home.  The rest of the evening was spent in studying and doing odds and ends.

Today Elder and Sister Whitehead came up from Kingston to bring us a tarp for Sister N's house. We drove out with the Whiteheads so that he could determine what was needed.   We needed a ladder so we called Brother J in our branch and he said he would check on one for us.  When we got to Brother J's home, the man that he was going to borrow the ladder from was not home.  He told us that he would go with us tomorrow to work on the roof.  We went with the Whiteheads to buy lumber to secure the tarp to and then stopped for lunch at the Jerk Center.  I had jerk pork and Brian had jerk chicken.  It was so fun to spend some time with the Whiteheads. After they left, I worked on my seminary lesson only to have no one show up. I did have a young girl who has been working with the sisters stop by.   She told me that she had to leave in 10 minutes so I showed her the video that I was going to show my students.  She seemed to enjoy it and asked me about the PEF program.  Her mother is a member but lives in Kingston. This young girl takes care of her grandfather who lives in the direction of Montego Bay.  I am not sure how far out she lives but I think it is at least an hour.  She is still in high school.  No one showed up for institute so Brian and I went grocery shopping and then headed for home.

Sister N's children.  Sdoes not have a shirt on because she hates to wear them.  The little girl in pink is either a granddaughter or a neighbor.  The building to the right of the picture is where they cook their food.

This is the N's home.  They have three children.  There are two twin beds inside.   She had it looking very tidy.

Brian's branch office.  He hasn't changed the decor of the office  yet.

Primary room.  Notice that there are no windows.  The two other classrooms look a lot like this one and they do not have windows either.

This is where we hold our branch meetings.  This is looking back towards the door.

This is the front of the chapel, Sunday school room, and RS room.  We also hold district meetings, seminary and institute here.  

High Gate and Linstead

Thursday we made a trip out to High Gate to take some food to Sister R.  I had picked up a large print triple for her while we were in Kingston and we wanted to deliver that also.  On our way back from High Gate, we got a phone call from one of our branch members whose husband had lost her job and they had no food.  Fortunately we were able to stop on our way home and drop off some food that we had got from President Lester.  From there we headed home to pick up our seminary and institute lessons and then headed for the branch building so that we could teach.  I had one student come and Tracy and Rohan came to Brian's class.  Of course I sat in on his class.  We headed home around 8:30 and ate another late dinner.

Friday we headed out to Huddersfield so that we could pick up some more "food for the poor" from P L.  We also stopped to see the husband of the sister that called us yesterday and Brian visited with him for awhile.  He gave them a little more food.  From there we drove to Wayne's house so that we could get the truck washed.  We knew that he wanted to go to the funeral and probably couldn't go if we didn't get the truck washed.  We invited him to travel down with us.  W was a referral from Sister Rose and she use to drive him to the branch before she got really sick.  We were going to take the elders with us and we had room for one more.  After the truck was washed we drove back to W's house and we read from the Book of Mormon.  I am amazed at the difference in his reading from the time that we first arrived and now.  I gave him a copy of "The Testaments" DVD and the D&C DVDs that we had also picked up in Kingston.  They are so inexpensive here.  I paid $1.00 for each.  The triple was only $1.10 for the large print.  After leaving Wayne's, we drove home and spent the rest of the evening fixing dinner and studying for next week.

Today we drove to Linstead for Sister R's funeral.  This was the first funeral that we have attended here.
I am sure that Brian would have loved it if Sister R had died while Lwas branch president, but no such luck.  How is it to have an American conducting the funeral for a Jamaican. Even though Linstead is one hour away, we had it at the chapel there so that we could have an LDS funeral.  Rose had requested that before she died.  She did not want all the Jamaican fuss that goes into one of their funerals.  We had already worked with the family and kind of knew the program but I was surprised when Brian informed me that I was giving the closing prayer.  We suggested to the family that they have a family prayer.  The father gave it and Brian said it was really nice.  Usually the casket is placed in the front of the chapel and people go up and look at the body before they sit down but we but the casket in the cultural hall so that they could have the family prayer.  Only the rich can afford to embalm the body so it is kept frozen until the day of the funeral.  I thought Sister Rose looked pretty good.  They had lace gloves on her hands and all that you could really see was her face.  The program was going pretty well  and then they started having the tributes.  Some of them were really interesting.  Most of them consisted of someone going up and singing good old Gospel music - some I had never heard.  There was a lady in the audience that was just sobbing uncontrollably and it was quite a distraction because she was so loud.  Sister R's extended family are not all members so the family wanted to be able to include the tributes so that family members could participate.  Tributes are just something that you do at funerals here.  Brian gave the talk and did a very good job.   After the funeral, we drove to Higgins Town in St. Ann's Parish to bury Sister R in the R family plot.  Last Sunday, W and H left after Sacrament Meeting so that they could help dig the hole for the burial.  When we arrived at the spot, there was a large cement vault lining the hole.  They use cement blocks and then cover them with cement so that the vault has a stucco look to it. They also paint the vault white.  The casket was put on top of some wooden boards that were placed across the vault and then  four men holding nylon webbing lowered the casket into the vault while everyone was singing good old gospel music. The family members dropped flowers on top of the casket and then a plywood covering that fits into holes that were dug out of the sides of the blocks was placed near the top of the vault.  Rebar was then put on top of the board and then they started pouring cement.  There were several men bringing up buckets of cement to pour on top. I would say that it was about 4 inches deep.  After they smoothed it over, they  poured some concrete around the base of the vault.  The vault is about 2 ft. above ground.  It is also about four to six feet into the ground.  When they finished with the cement, Wayne placed the flowers on top of the wet cement.  Brian gave the dedicatory prayer and then everyone went down to the road and visited.  With all the jazzy music going on, the site felt more like a celebration.   The family had arranged for a little shop down the road to fix some goat head soup for everyone.  It really wasn't too bad.  The bones were interesting and believe it or not Brian even liked the boiled bananas in the soup.    We were also given a plate of beans and peas, curry goat, and a piece of fried chicken.  The goat tasted better than I thought it would.

After the funeral, we dropped the elders off and then went to the store to pick up a few items.  When we got home, the door was not shut tight.  I was a bit nervous about walking in and having both computers gone but everything was okay.  I really thought I had shut the door because I always check it before I leave.  I feel really blessed today.

Sister R's house.  Notice the limbs or trunks of trees that are holding her house up.

Brian talking to Sister L in front of the shop where people that attended the funeral are lined up to get the goat head soup.

Brian with Sister Alexander (Primary President) standing in front of the large nutmeg tree that is in the background.

Looking from Sister R's burial spot down upon the hurst.  There are loud speakers on the side of the hurst that play Jamaican gospel music as they deliver the body.

W standing by Sister R's grave.  The brown color is the freshly  pour cement.

This is a nutmeg.  As it dries, it will split open and then you dry  the inside.

Casket resting on boards before being placed in the vault.

Kingston

I decided I had too much catch up so I am starting with Monday of this week.

Brian had some branch business in the morning so I did two loads of whites, defrosted the freezer as usual and then we headed for Kingston around noon.  All was going well on our drive until we heard this funny sound like you would hear with a flat tire.  Brian pulled off the road and sure enough we had a flat tire.  I was kind of surprised because the truck is only three months old. Unfortunately for us, the tire that was flat was the one closest to the road.  Even though it was P-day, Brian had on his white shirt because we were in charge of FHE at the Browns.  It had been raining so the underside of the truck, where the tire was, was pretty dirty.  He grabbed the tarp to lay on but ended up with a few splatters on his shirt.  A Jamaican boy riding a bike stopped to help us.  I am sure Brian could have done it on his own but this kid was really helpful and seemed to enjoy helping us.  As it turned out, the jack didn't jack the truck up high enough and even though Brian told him to leave the tire on, he took it off because he was trying to be helpful.  Of course it wasn't high enough to put the good tire on so the boy went across the street to get some broken cement to put under  the wheel and another chunk of cement to put under the jack.  Frankly, I was glad he was there to lift the cement. I was a little worried about the cars and trucks that were going past because we were not that far off the road.  A police truck came by and then turned around and put his lights on so that traffic would slow down.  We finally got the tire on and Brian tipped the boy for his help.  Every little bit of money really helps these people.  You should have seen this boy's bike.  Deseret Industries probably would not have excepted it.  I think they can make anything work in Jamaica.  

We were going to stop at Price Mart on the way down but decided to go to the office instead in hopes that the office elders could take the tire and have it fixed.  We took care of some business at the office and then headed up to the Browns to warm up the gravy and start the rice for the Hawaiian Hay Stacks that we were having for dinner.  Brian gave the FHE lesson on music and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  It is really fun to hang out with the couples.  We spent the night with the Whiteheads, who are our new humanitarian missionaries.  We are really short couples in this mission and I understand it is that way everywhere around the world.  

Tuesday morning we drove back to the office to get Elder Lafayette (a Jamaican elder).  We needed to take him to Ocho so that the zone leaders could pick him up and deliver him to Negril.   We were also able to get the office elders to take our tire to get fixed so we stayed at the office for awhile.  When they got back, they informed us that the inside of the tire was shredded so they had to buy a new tire.  I guess we didn't pull off soon enough.  We understand that one mission president had 65 flat tires in the 3 years that he served here.  We took Elder Lafayette to Price Mart with us.  It is very close to his home and he has only been out for 5 months.  We treated him to pizza after we got through shopping.  Their pizza is a lot like Costco's and about the same size but they cut their slices smaller.  I bought a whole pizza.  I had two slices, Brian had three, and Elder Lafayette finished it off.  He seemed to be very happy because he loves pizza.  He is such a cute boy and he has a lot of personality.  I love working with the elders and sisters.  It fills the void of not being able to be around the grandkids.  We finally got back to Ocho around 3:15.  We dropped Elder Lafayette off at the elders apartment and then headed home to unload our groceries.  We then turned around and went back to the elders apartment so that we could take the three elders to an appointment that was scheduled at 4:00.  We then drove to P L's house to find out about a birth certificate and check on the " food for the poor" that he would some times get.  When we got to his house, we found out that he had picked up some "food for the poor" that week so we bagged up some rice, beans, and cornmeal  and then delivered some to a lady in the branch that had called earlier in the afternoon telling Brian that she did not have food.  P L told us that he would have his son bag the rest so that we could come and get it.  I think P Lwas in need of food also so that is probably why he picked it up.  We need to find out more about that program because it comes in handy when people call at the last minute with food needs.  I think one of Brian's biggest challenges will be welfare needs because by US standards, the whole branch should be on welfare.  The church wants the members to be self sufficient and not have to rely on the church.  We heard that there was a time when people joined just so they could get help from the church.  Unfortunately, when the helped stopped, they quit coming.  We have a lot of people on our branch list that we have never met.

We stopped at the branch on our back from P L to meet with Brother Hullet.  He is over facilities for the entire mission and is a very pleasant man to work with.  He wanted to check out our DVD player.  He also hooked up the computer to the television so that we can show conference to the members.  After Brother Hullet left, we delivered some food to a lady in the branch and then headed home.  It was another late night for dinner.

Today we went to district meeting, made a stop at the bank, and took some papers over to the L.  We ended up staying for two hours.  We made a trip to Pimento Walk and then headed home for the evening. 

 There is a lot to do here in this little branch.  Tomorrow I teach seminary for the second time.  Last Thursday I only had Mark Henry show up.  He is 16 years old and the only member in his family.  He has been a member for about a year.  I am so impressed with him.   Hopefully I will get more students tomorrow but I am not holding my breath.  

Life in Ocho

Sunday was a busy day for us.  President Brown attended the branch so that he could give Brian two counselors and ordain two of our branch members to the Melchizedek Priesthood.  It was fast and testimony meeting so it was nice to hear the testimonies of the branch members.  We had some investigators and also some less actives attend.  There was a lot going on after church. Brain met with brother Barbegee and Rohan for a meeting and it was close to 5 before they were finished.  I visited with Rohan's wife Tracy and her four children while they were having their meeting. Her children watched a few church videos on my ipad.  It has become a popular item so I have to watch it pretty closely.  We stopped in to see the L before heading for home.  M was not feeling well and when she described her symptoms, we figured that she had the mosquito virus that is going around.  We enjoyed visiting with M, her mother, and her sister E.  It was interesting to hear them talk about the branch as they have been around for awhile.  It was close to 7:30 before we ate dinner.  We had the opportunity to skype with Jenny and Wade before we went to bed.

Do you ever wake up in the morning and the whole day seems a little off.  That was Monday.  It was suppose to be P-day but not so much.   We went to the bank early so Brian could get his signature on record.  After waiting in line for an hour (typical time) we were told that he did not have all the signatures he needed and that he needed two references from someone who banks at the bank and has known him for two years.  He informed them that no one in Jamaica has known him for more than two months.  They decided he could have the mission office send a letter and also our bank at home.  He also needed to have his tax number on the document and he couldn't remember where he put it.  The first time he went to the bank, the clerk gave him forms and told him what to do but I guess that was not enough.  It is like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing around here.  It wouldn't be so badWhile Brian was at the bank, I went to the branch building to meet with the electrician so that we could get one of our lights replaced.  He told me that I just needed to hit the light switch fast two times and it would go on.  That seemed to work.  Brian met me at the branch and he worked on a few things at the office.  When we left it was pouring rain.  We went home for lunch and luckily we found the receipt for the tax numbers.  I had mine with my copied passport.  Brian's was in my purse with a telephone number on it.  I was so thankful that I hadn't thrown it away.  I made a batch of cookies for the baptism that we were having at our condo at 5:00 and then we went to Brother L's to get a signature and also out to Brother Barbagees.  It was raining the whole time.  When we got back at 4:30,  Brian dropped me off and then left to pick up Rohan for the baptism and get his signature on the papers.  I tried to open the door with the key and it would not open.  All I could think of was that I had a few things I needed to get done before everyone arrived.  I was just praying that the door would open and it finally opened about 10 minutes before Brian got back.  We had the baptismal service in our condo and then went to the pool.  The baptismal clothing was for adults and we had to make it work for a 10 and 11 year old.  The kids were so funny about the clothing.  It was pretty funny.  The baptism was nice,  Eli, the father of the two children baptized them.  He got the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday so that he could perform the ordinance.  He seemed very happy.  We came back to the condo and Eli and his children bore their testimonies and then we visited for a while.  The elders had invited B to the baptism and he seemed to enjoy it.  Brian took the missionaries to their next appointment after the baptism while I mopped up the mud that was on the tile from all the rain.  When Brian got back, I heated up some leftovers and we had another late night of eating dinner.  

Tuesday started out very early for Brian.  It was transfer day and he had to go to Port Antonio to pick up the four elders and then take them to Spanish Town which is another 2 1/2 hours away and then pick up the new  elders and deliver them to Port Antonio and then drive back to Ocho.  He got home around 7:30.  I stayed home and did laundry, defrost the refrigerator, iron, and work on my lesson for seminary.  I skyped with Jill. We had a nice visit.  I would have gone with Brian but there was not enough room for all the missionaries plus myself.  It was nice to get some things done around here.  Ben called to tell us about some plumbing problems at home. We are grateful that he is there to take care of things.

Today we drove back down to Port Antonio with the sisters for district meeting.  I got to meet the new elders.  That drive takes a real chunk out of the day - especially when you only spend about 1 1/2 hours there and then turn around to come back.  We did find out that Elder Jones lives in the South Dakota Mission where Wade Anderson's father is mission president.  He lives in Wyoming but close enough to South Dakota to be in that mission.

The pictures are not in order.  My downloads show up all over the place.

Driving into Port Antonio

Eli with Tashera and Rashero

District Meetin
Back Row:  Elder Beldavis from Jamaica, Elder Guthrie from Peoria, AZ, Elder Havili from Oregon, Elder Lewis from Jamaica, Elder Jones from Wyoming, and Elder Hall from Canada
Front Row:  Sister Walker from Jamaica and Sister Mouritsen from Kaysville Ut.

Elder Wilkerson from Mt. Green, B, and Elder Hall from Canada

Driving through Port Antonio

Baptismal service in our condo.  From left to right, Elder Hall, B, Elder Wilkerson, Sister Austin from Los Vegas, and sister Mouritsen

Baptismal service in our condo.  Rohan, Tracy and Sister Walker sitting on the couch.

Ocho

Monday started out very busy for Brian.  I did the typical P-day laundry and defrost of the refrigerator freezer.  It seems to be a weekly thing.  I have gotten a little smarter with the defrost.  I unplug the refrigerator, take all the frozen items (not much because of the size of the freezer) out of the freezer and put them in the cooler.  I take two pans of hot water and put them in the freezer and then close the door for awhile.  We have one of those refrigerators where the freezer is inside of the refrigerator.  One half of the freezer freezes really well and the other side not so much.  I find that this method of defrosting also helps keep the refrigerator cooler.  Since Brian turned the knob up to the highest it will go, the refrigerator has been working.   I am sure our land lady is happy about that.

Brian worked on branch business all day.  I read the scriptures and did odds and ends around the apartment.  I made some oatmeal cookies so that we could take some to the Port Antonio Elders.  I didn't grease the pans for the first two batches, which was a mistake.  I had to scrape the cookies off the pan.  I greased the pan for the third batch but that didn't help either.  The cookies were more of a crumble and would have been great on ice cream.  We did make a trip to the store and played a game of shanghi for FHE.

Tuesday was a very busy day.  We left around 7:30 for Port Antonio so that we could catch the elders before they began their day.  We met them at the church and we would have taken them to some less active's homes but we got a call from the Ocho elders and they had arranged to take us to several less actives starting at 1:00.  Since it takes almost two hours to get home, we decided we had better leave.
We picked the elders up and loaded their bikes in the truck.  I am sure they appreciated the air conditioned truck and the fact that they didn't have to bike up the very steep hill where some of these people live.  They took us to three members that we had not met before.  One sister committed to coming back to church.   She is 72 and has been a member for a while.  One of the other sisters has been going to the Seventh Day Adventist church.  She was offended by one of the branch members and probably hasn't been to church in 10 years.  I hope she will come.  The third sister used to teach gospel doctrine.  I am not sure what happened to her.  We also visited one of my seminary boys.  He is such a sharp kid and he is the only member in his family.  We visited with two sisters.  One regularly attends church and the other does not come at all.  Brian gave school blessings to both sister's sons.  It was a nice experience.  We stopped at two more member's businesses.  They are little buildings about the size of a shed where they sale cookies, bread, drinks and candy.  You see these all over the island.  I bought some cookies at one shop and bread at another.  The elders also invited us to join them for a discussion with a new investigator.  We really enjoyed that.  This investigator was out to church on Sunday and seemed to be very interested in the Liahona magazine that the elders had.  He even gave it to a friend to read.  We dropped the elders off in Pimento Walk and then headed for home.  It was close to 7:00 when we finally got back to our condo.  I really enjoyed all the visiting that we did.

Today we headed out early to get a signature from Brother L.  His son, P, was home.  P was really looking forward to going back to school but I don't think his father has the money right now to send him.  It is so sad. I don't even know if he will have the money to come to seminary.  Now that they have moved to a better home, they live too far away to walk to school or the church so they now have to rely on taxis.  I think they don't have the budget for this home and Brother L needs to find a job. Afterwards, we drove to Lime Hall so that Brian could give H some  Melchizedec Priesthood instruction before his interview with President Brown this Sunday.  Brian is getting him ready to be an Elder along with R.  Since W lives up the street from H, we stopped and gave him a lesson also.  He is close to becoming an elder but Brian wants him to bless the Sacrament a couple of times before he advances him.

After we left Wayne, we went back home for lunch and then drove to Brother Barbagees to get a signature.  Brian visited with him about some branch business because he was the first counselor in the branch.  I showed his wife the video “Only a Stonecutter” while we were waiting for our husbands to finish.  We then went to the branch to get a few items and then headed home for the evening.  

Trip to Kingston, Black River and YS Falls

Friday morning we got a call from the RS president telling us that Sister R wanted to go home.  Brian  called Sister Walker and asked her to call R and talk to her.  He was worried about trying to get her home.  R speaks a fast Patwah and she is hard to understand.  Even Sister Walker had a hard time understanding her when she called.  I guess she had had surgery on Wednesday to relieve some of the liquid that was building up in her stomach.  We got a text while we were in Kingston telling us that she had passed away.   What a blessing for her to leave.  She was in a lot of pain.  I was happy that her daughter got to visit with her before she died.

We  went to Lime Hall to get our car washed and review the Melchizedec Priesthood with W.  He had been helping a neighbor cut down some branches the day before and one of the branches had a syrupy  substance that burned his fore head and eye.  He told us that he had spent most of the night trying to soothe the burn.  He was saying the closing prayer and the thought aloe vera came into my mind.  I mentioned that in Arizona they had those plants and he told me that he had one growing in his yard.  I told him to break off a piece and put in on his burn.  Sunday he told us that his burn was a lot better.

We drove to Kingston that afternoon and headed to the mission office.  With the new freeway, we probably saved 1/2 hour on our trip.  I don't dread it so much anymore.  After leaving the office, we went to Murdocks.  We got to meet the Whiteheads who are our new humanitarian couple.  They are taking the Murdocks place.  They had been here two years ago and the Murdocks replaced them.  They came back when Kingston was made a stake and President Brown asked them to come back so they did.  They will complete all the projects that the Murdocks were not able to finish.  They are from Preston Idaho and Sister Whitehead  reminds me a lot of my cousin Jacque so I really like being around her.  Elder Whitehead has a head full of white hair so people have an easy time remembering him from the last time they were here.  They will probably be here for 6 - 9 months.  We spent the night with the Murdocks.

Saturday,  President Brown and his family, Sister Wege, the Murdocks, the Whiteheads and Brian and myself met at the mission office at 6:30 a.m. and then drove in the mission van to Black River.  It is a 3 1/2 hour drive.  We met up with President Pearson and the Vances at Black River.  We took a trip on a small boat (like the ones you take for the jungle cruise in Disney Land) down the river. There are a lot of crocodiles in the river.  We probably saw four or five.  It was interesting to hear about the birds and  the plants that grow along the banks It was an overcast day and it was probably the coolest that we have been since we arrived in Jamaica.  It was wonderful.

From Black River we headed back in the direction that we came and went up to YS Falls.  Because we had our missionary badges and we were in a group, it only cost us $8.00 a piece to get in.  They have tractors pulling a flat bed coach to get us up to the falls.   We all brought lunches to eat and then some of the couples went on the zip line but we decided to wait and do it with our children.  President Brown and his children swam.  Brian left his suit at the Murdocks so we decided walk up to the falls.  It was a beautiful area and very peaceful.  Someone was telling us that the people who purchased the land paid $7,000.00 for the property and bought it without seeing it.  Can you imagine their surprise when they saw the falls.  A lot of people like to go there so it has been a very good investment.  They have quite a few horses on the property.  On the way back we drove through Mandeville.  President Brown showed us where Elder Ballard  dedicated the land for the preaching of the gospel in Jamaica.  We also saw the church there.  President Brown grew up in Mandeville and it is probably 10 degrees cooler there.  It is a beautiful place.  You also see a lot of expensive homes.  Most of the owners live in the states and come back in the Winter.  We got back to Kingston around 7:30.  I wasn't big on driving back to Ocho in the dark so we stayed the night with the Murdocks.

Sunday morning we left Kingston around 5:45 and headed to Ocho.  We knew Brian was going to be made branch president so we had to get back. It is amazing how fast your mission life can change.  I know he will do a good job.  After church, I waited around for Brian to complete some branch business.  President Brown had some branch business to take care and was planning on stopping by our apartment  to give Brian some instructions.  I had four chicken tenders and some potatoes and carrots and onions so I made a soup.  I also cooked up some rice and we invited President Brown to eat with us.  We knew he would be hungary as he had been in Ocho all day.  I had planned to grocery shop in Kingston but never did make it to Price Mart so I  was pretty low on food items. I thought President Brown would set Brian apart but he is already set apart as a missionary and he holds the keys of the branch through President Brown's authority.  After President Brown left we picked up Sister V and headed to Sister R's family to give them a message and a family home evening.  Brian conducted and did a very good job.  He gave a message and Tracy also gave a really good message on the Savior.  Brian then asked each of the children to share something about their mother.  Sister R and her husband have been separated for some time.  I do not know if he is still active but he was there and even gave the closing prayer.  It turned out to be a very good evening.  Both the elders and the sisters were there also.  We had this evening planned before she died and we were grateful that the family still wanted us to come.

When we got back to the apartment we had a lot of phone calls wishing me a happy birthday.  We got to bed around midnight.

Looking at a crocodile from the boat.  The Whiteheads with two of the Brown children.

President Brown's son holding a baby crocodile.  There is an elastic around its mouth.

One of the larger crocodiles.

YS Falls

Some of the trees along Black River

Brian and I standing by the falls