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.