After Christmas

Saturday morning the 29th of December. We finally have a break from the mission medical rush.
We have had one Elder in the Hospital with Dengue Fever, a Sister that was suspected with Dengue on the other end of the island that turned out negative, and several with flu-like symptoms with "runny belly".
The big problem is finding a medical facility that is open during Christmas, let alone one that can do what we need in the time-frame we need it in.
Luckily we found Winchester Medical a few weeks ago. They have a great facility and Docs that are willing to work with us. We have certainly seen the Lord's hand at work when His Missionaries are involved. Lots of little "Tender Mercies".

This box contains One Braille copy of the Book of Mormon

This is 1 of 8 folders that are in the box. The missionaries that work downtown have a blind investigator.

This is a business card that someone distributed in our housing area.
Very interesting talents that Mr. Blake provides. Check out the last bullet point!!

For the medical types out there, check out what Dengue looks like.

                                                              A team of donkeys pulling a cart..                                                                                  the amazing part is that we see this right on the busy freeway...not on a dirt path.

This is Donovan 

This is Elder Charles from Haiti. Sister Nurse fixed a small problem he had and while there at his apartment I asked him about the big (7.0) earthquake in 2010. He lived just South and East of the center. He said it was terrible. His house was spared, but the neighbors toppled. He and his family tried to help others as much as they could but it was hard without any of the proper tools. By the way, he is an outstanding missionary.

Guess what this is? I can say it 's a Sister McKenzie creation that
turned out very good.

The police station here in Old Harbour has a tree every year for Christmas. It's quite creative.

Daytime pic of the Tree.

The neighbors dog had puppies and they were just crawling all over the porch, so Sisters Barney and McKenzie
rounded up a box, reinforced it and made her and the pups a bed. The pooch jumped right in with her pups

I think these would be cool names for a male and female cat pair.

Inside the Tony Thwaites Wing....looks nice aye.

The menu for Winchester Medical

Winchester Medical

Looking forward to Christmas

Good morning....

The past couple of weeks have been quite lonely. My companion has been back in the states to help relocate her 94 year young mother from Ohio to our home in Idaho. Mom Fell a couple of months ago and broke her leg and has been in a facility ever since. Sue went and sprung her out and now family will take care of her. The good thing is that she (Sue) returns to Jamaica tomorrow. Yippy Skippy.
The Sunday before last was Stake Conference in Kingston. The mission president, President Parker, called the night before and informed me that I get to fulfill his assignment at Stake Conference because he had an emergency on the West end of the Island that he had to attend to.
Someone told me one time..... "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not break when bent" I am so thankful for the Holy Ghost and His help. I guess I was inspired to have prepared a couple of talks over the past few weeks and parts of each fit the theme of Conference. So it was one of those times that my rambling was directed in the right direction. Strange how you never know.

Jamaica Kingston Mission Presidency
L to R  - President Me, President Fred Parker, President Ransford McLeod

View from the Port Antonio Government Hospital
North Shore

Port Antonio Government Hospital

Caroling at the Chinese Gardens Park with some of our faithful Missionaries

I went to get our SUV washed prior to exchanging it for a new vehicle and
the fellow that washed our car was soooo excited about the kite he made.
Bamboo and cut up plastic bags.

This tree is documented to be 280 years old.
And its huge.

Sister Barney standing in the center of an echo patio.
When you stand here and talk the acoustics are amazing.
Like Adam-Ondi-Ahman I suppose.

They call this a cannonball tree. Rightly so. The fruit is hard as a rock, super round, and weigh in at
several pounds. The flowers are amazingly pretty.

One of our mission apartments near Port Maria on the North Shore.
Those are the landlords dogs.

View from the Port Maria apartment is to die for.
What a beautiful country.

We had to stay over in Port Antonio. I know, someone has to do it.
This is the "Tropical Lagoon Resort" overlooking the Blue Lagoon where part of the movie was filmed.

Last but not least....fun little chart.

Surprise!!! Here it is, Saturday night already and the McKenzies are here with us for a couple of days. We checked out Medical facilities in May Pen and renewed a lease for the Elders apartment and inspected the Sisters apartment. What a great bunch of missionaries we have here. They are truly focused on helping the people of Jamaica come unto Jesus Christ. This afternoon we went to the Old Harbour fish market and bought 3 nice lobsters for $20 US, $1500 Jamaican. Tomorrow we are attending church here at the Old Harbour Branch, Monday we are rounding up junk at the missionaries apartments so they can clean out and organize. Tuesday Elder McKenzie and I are attending a "Religion and Crime Prevention" that is being sponsored by the Seventh Day Adventists.
Hopefully we will be able to make a short presentation. Well the part you are most excited about has arrived. PICTURES......

Marijuana is illegal in Jamaica-but it is everywhere?? Here is a small bakery on the coast near Negril that has a great variety of baked good that contain Ganja.

This is Ackee Fruit. It grows on a tree and it the main ingredient in the national food, Ackee and Salt Fish.
As it ripens, it pops open and exposes its black seeds. The seeds and unripened fruit are quite poisonous.  

Ackee Fruit and Salt Fish  that's cooked and safe to eat

Sister McKenzie picking Ackee Fruit

Brother Muswah near his pig farm. What a great member of the church.

Domino's pizza delivery guy. He made 3 trips to deliver the full order for Zone Conference.

Street vendor with a rolling barbecue

Check out the sign.
"Jahrell's - Flicking Licking - Jerk Chicken & Festival - Yah so Nice"

Sister McKenzie loves Lobster

3 for the price of 3

Old Harbour fish market

What's your small price

Pretty colorful fish and fresh off the boat

Putting up the canopy at Negril

Assembling Sacrament trays at Negril

Room used for Seminary inside Brother & Sister McKnight's home.

                                               Sister Freeman (Jamaica) left and Sister Terpend (South Africa) right.                                                          These fine Sisters have chosen to serve those that they are teaching by making personalized Christmas cards for all of their FRIENDS here in Old Harbour. 

                       These fine fellows were so attentive to the missionary message I was bringing to them.                                                                     What is the message, you may ask.                                                                        "Which one of you wants to be a part of our Missionary Christmas Party?"
                 We are considering roasting a pig in the ground, wrapped in banana leaves, for our dinner.

                    One of the Sisters' Apartments has, as they call it, ..A STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN.
             Really, the stairway just ends at the ceiling. There isn't even a second floor in this home.

                                                        Cutest urinal I have ever seen.

Negril Jamaica is now a better place. Sunday we held a Sacrament meeting at a members home. The members in Negril are part of a Branch in Savanna-La-Mar which is about a 45 min drive away. It's difficult for the members to travel that far, so President Parker is taking the Church to the members. Sacrament will be held in Negril 3 weeks out of the month and on the 4th Sunday they will travel to Sav-La-Mar (as the locals call it). I have to say it was a Spiritual feast to hear the testimonies of the members and even some of those that are meeting with the missionaries. 30+ in attendance. 12 were missionaries.

View from "The Waters Edge" hotel, looking at Montego Bay.

Another view from "The Waters Edge" hotel.

This is a street vendors cart.

Sunset from a restaurant called "The Push Cart"

Elder and Sister McKenzie at morning study.

Saturday Dinner at "The Push Cart"
Barneys, Mckenzies and Parkers

Easy to guess this and the next

Sister Missionaries with sign

Two Street Urchins 

The Sisters always draw a crowd of little ones. They are amazed at the mission bus.

The two sets of missionaries in Negril.
Sister Mitton, Sister Allen, Elder Day Elder Windous

Starting to gather for Fast & Testimony Meeting

The lane into the members home where we held church.
The bus is in the background.