April 28, 2013

Jamaicans really aren’t all that laid back. They are a hard working people, it’s just hard to get work and a lot of them get offended easy.  It’s weird, but some definitely are chill. There is one regular grocery store, but we really don’t have that much time to cook! I made some breakfast burritos the other day for breakfast and Mama Maxine she feeds us like 3 times a week so that’s nice! (Mama Maxine is an investagator, met her on day one, she is preparing for baptism on the 11th of may she has gone through a lot! love her!) Rice and peas(beans) is popular and some kind of chicken, but we just don’t have the time to cook and we don’t have an oven!!  Nothing super exciting this week!  We did have an investigator coming to church and some guy rear ended him, but since he didn’t have a license he got blamed and got locked up for it!  The other terrible part is he had 3 other investigators in his car and none could come to church, all had to go to the station!  We are bailing him out today.   Our new elders are Elder Gurrero fresh from Ogden, Utah and Elder Shurtlif from Bringham and he has been out 13 months.  They are weird.. but it’s nice having a four man house again, I guess. I read a sweet talk this week, it’s by Lawrence E. Corbridge.  It’s called:The 4th Missionary. Sweet talk!  It let me know I need to finish boxing up all my desires I want and all my home desires and leave them with all my physical stuff back home. I can unpack them when I get home but this is the Lord’s time and I need to focus!!  Loved it!   Oh, another food I have had a lot this week is crab! Sis Kelly cooks it and its good!! (Sis Kelly is a church sister she sells crab.) It’s been a rainy week .. but that’s the best time to go visit people cuz Jamaicans think the rain will make you sick so they always stay inside!!  Ha, not much to talk about this week.  We have like 4 new investigators, the work is going solid.  Oh, another thing, my bike got stolen!!!  Haha, luckily for me the kid that stole it was an investigators little brother!!! Haha, got my bike back :) had lesson in gospel principles this week. It went super well talked about the covenant people!  Lots of bike repairs this week.

Sorry, the computers are being weird again and it's not allowing me to upload my pics. Will try the other internet cafe next week, this one just had a bunch of things done to it.

I asked Sterling if he’d learned any new Jamaican words, here's his reply:

Hmm, Jamaican words, not many I know and a lot are just bad what people call us. Just a couple phrases like whong gwan= what’s going on,   liccamor= talk to you later,    whattum= whats happening   People say bumbah!  wha cha!! and my Ute!! alot!  That’s just some popular and what I have picked up!

April 22, 2013

This week really got lost in the work! This week flew for me! Everything came pretty easy but it was hard work!! We had some awesome lessons, thought we would have tons at church, but only 2 showed up. The ones we thought were progressing... aren't really.  We dropped 2 people on sunday and almost a 3rd, she's trying though. I gave a talk on sunday on the atonement and repentance. It was good but different!! The power went out so I was shouting in a dark room, reading my notes using the cell phone for light! I felt like I wasn't speaking to anyone, it was interesting but went well!! I'm getting a hair cut today, it's going to be scary. Like Jamiacans don't cut american style... they shave. I have looked at all the other recent missionary cuts, jeezum they are short.  I'm scared!! But they are cheap, like one bill so like 1 dollar american haha. So I had like an allergic reaction to something I ate this week,  don't know what it was. I woke up and my face was fat and my arms!! But it went away, haha. Should have took a pic but didn't! So I ate something weird but this week sticking to the basics- oatmeal, top ramen, and peanut butter jelly sandwiches, and fried chicken and rice!! Wednesday we get new elders. That will be nice not holding down both areas! It's been rough time to crank out our side. 1st transfer will be over this week, that's crazy! But it totally feels like its been 6 weeks!! Oh, another crazy thing that went down -  we were like a quarter mile away from a shooting. Two guys got shot. They didn't catch the guy that shot them but the weird thing is people acted like it was nothing.. so crazy!! Eh, not to worried though only happens like once a month I guess.. ! We started having family home evening at the church every monday night and we are getting big turn outs there so that's been a fun way to begin teaching people and get them out!! Uh yah, that's bout it for this week! At least all I can think right now! If I left anything out I'll pick it up next week! Love you guys! Keep being awesome!! Talk to you next week!

 How much oatmeal I have eaten!

 FHE at the church.

April 14, 2013

 Motivational wall of good scriptures.   Scripture of the week 1 Nephi 21:16 Christ NEVER forgets us!

HELLO!!  It hasn't rained this week and I don't ever wear the sandals, probably never will! But I wear flip flops everyday in the house. They are good to kneel on and bugs EVERYWHERE!! so yah like always wear them! It's cool to hear about the mission calls! It's HARD work no joke but learning so much!! Kinda got home sick this week! Learned about sincere prayer in zone meeting this week.. Tried it out, it was such a powerful experience cried through the whole thing, the spirit was so strong! Teaching has been rough but it's really not much of teaching, it's testimony bearing just about what you know is true! It's been a rough week with the investagators keep pushing back baptism dates, we might have another one this week! We will see what happens!! So I thought I left the drama all at home, haha NOPE!! There was so much this week with the members and just people in general it was crazy, but got through it!! Saw a Sweet Hummer the other day, probably the only one in Jamaica but haha it was good to see something different! We started working out this week.... bad idea.. so flippin sore! With the biking, covering both areas, and just trying to be obedient and work hard it's been rough! Just going to have to be a fatty for this mission. I can see the pounds gaining, but not much can do about it! It's weird!! Had my first conference call this week with my MTC boys Elder Groesbeck and Elder Bateman. It was sweet to hear them and some of their experiences! Jamaica isn't totally a ghetto place. I have a washer, Groesbeck has hot showers and Bateman has A/C so you get a piece of something great anywhere you go!! Finally got some mail! Got that picture from mom and the camera card! Thank you so much!! And a letter from Sarah! Took, you know, about a month um pouch mail is faster... but the zone leaders still have to bring it from downtown so like every other week. Don't know about packages heard anything from1-3 months! Idk what it depends on! Got a letter from Aunt Amanda but no return address or email address so couldnt write her back if you could let her know i did get that!! You are all in my prayers! Thanks for al the love and support talk to you guys next week!!! <3 Elder Wilkerson

April 8, 2013

It’s been a crazzzzy week! I learned a lot of new things!! First weird random thing.. all women shave their heads. They all wear wigs or glue in hair or whatever they do. They think hair is disgusting and it probably is out here since many just bucket shower!!  We had zone conference this week and it was great! Just what I needed!  I got a great companion who can chastise me and help improve me! My attitude was sour towards role plays in our additional studies. They still are ridiculous but I put forth my best attitude towards them!  Anyways zone conf. talked about change of heart a lot and that hit home with me, loved it! Also talked about this mission isn’t a sacrifice it’s a gift from God so better treat it like one!  We went to a mall afterwards for lunch.. and inside it felt like we were in America.  It was so weird but still with their same weird food, nothing American, haha.  I had a chicken salad. I was craving something other than chicken and rice cuz that’s what everyone feeds us! we transported there like we do just about anywhere.. back of the trucks! Craziness!!!  We took a bus down there to Kingston, it’s like a 30 mile drive and it was terrible. The bus stops and goes and stops and swerves and about 90 minutes later we get there! It’s like 80Cents american and it makes sense now they jam those buses so full when they make an emergency stop everyone falls on top of everyone else!!  Thursday we went over to the other area to learn it cuz Elder Lacey leaves today so we will have 2 areas for the rest of this transfer so we will be SuPER busy this week!! Friday we had a friday fun night with a fireside on how members are so important to the work and got them stoked about the work. It was pretty good!  Saturday we were at the church ALL DAY! Fellowship. conference.lunch.conference.dinner.conference. sleep haha. It was kinda weird, it was like just the missionaries and like 12 others, pretty weak attendance. Kinda made me homesick, but it was good and fast for sitting on wooden benches for 6 hours! Sunday was a bit better for attendance! We had 7 of our investigators there!  The last session a huge rain storm came in and the satellite turned off for like 30 minutes!! It was pouring and got like super musty inside!  We just sang hymns til it came back on, super cool! I loved the talks! Conference went by sooo fast, it always seems like it was so freaking slow!!... but that doesn’t mean I didn’t fall asleep... IT’S tough!!  We got fed three times after! Guess what we ate all three houses?! Oh yah, rice and chicken. ha! So something bad is happening. We see so many Japanese cars drive by, they are starting to look nice! Haven’t seen a Chevy in weeks!!  There is only Nissan,Toyota, Mitshibushi, and Honda!! I have seen one dodge and a couple gmc’s, ha it’s terrible!!  Everything that doesn’t do well in America comes here and does awesome like: blackberries are like equivalent to iphones.  All off brand products!  America gets the good chicken, they get the bones with little meat!  Selfish! Haha, it’s good though, I’m surviving!! I’m getting a gym pass this week cuz I’m getting fatt! Our whole companionship blew out our tires this week, the roads are terrible and where they are descent glass and garbage is everywhere! Still haven’t received mail or anything.. but neither has anyone else! Elder Lacey got a package this week! Guess you gotta declare everything, if you don’t, they take it!! His mom didn’t declare an ipod and they stole it with some shoes!! That’s about all I got. Off to lunch in hopes to try some ox tail today! Peace out love y'all !

 Chillin' on the roof - Elder Lacey's last night.

 The church looks like an apartment building.

 Riding in the back of the truck.

 Zone conference.

April 2, 2013

Sterling and his companion spent 2 hours emailing today so that he could send a bunch of pictures.  I guess his comp's mom called the mission office yesterday because he didn't email.  Here's his letter:

WAHGON!! Sounds like you guys had a good Easter!! Yah, they celebrate Easter here for like 4 days! That’s why p-day is today!  It was so hard to be a missionary those days, like no one was home and just parties everywhere!! Sports day, fish fry, family fun day, just events everywhere!!! Also hard trying to do both areas being in a 3some cuz Elder England went home! It’s been a rough stressful week but everything is for a reason!

There is no April fools out here! That was sad, haha, but we got one nonetheless.  We came home one day and our bathroom was flooded- one of the pipes burst haha so that was fun! On top of our light bulbs burn out like every 3 days, that gets old!!

 I’m starting to understand the people a bit! It’s still tough but getting better!! I had lesson in gospel principles on Sunday.. it was weird teaching people that were like twice my age but it went well was a spiritual day talking about the atonement!

 Ummm, I tried Cow Foot this week.. not bad but not great haha always trying new things here! I guess pig or ox tail is a rare thing and a delicacy so maybe one day!! Oh! cock roaches!! Everywhere! They started coming out of the drains the other night when I was peeing and were landing on me!!! Not cool!!! Hate bugs! So I had to stop using sunscreen. I washed my whites and all the sleeves and necks came out orange!!!  The wash lady scrubbed them out for me but she said the sunscreen and sweat and everything makes it do that!! But I haven’t burned yet, already getting mean farmer tan lines!!!

Had my first baptism on Saturday. It was stressful!! He showed up an 1.5 hrs late for his own baptism but that’s standard Jamaicans, they are bad at keeping commitments, but it was awesome teaching him and watching him turn his life around!  with stopping of drinking, smoking weed, taking care of his baby mother more it was just awesome! Xavier is 6.5 ft tall and  that’s how long the baptism font is and its only about 30 inches of water, its super short !!! It was tough, but we did it!! Had to dunk him 3 times, he was just too tall! 2nd time he went to his knees but his knees popped out haha . Super rough but finally got him on the 3rd splash! satan was working hard not to let him get baptized: 1st: power went out all day from rain storm    2nd: water didn’t work so we had to bring in a hose         3rd: Xavier didn’t have a fair to get a taxi to church so they were late, haha.   Good good experience though!!  Love the guy, he’s 27 I think.

Iit’s been a slow week but excited for the next with general conf, zone conf, and a ward conf game night thing we are doing! Should be a good week!! Haven’t got any letters or packages yet, but no one has. Everyone is waiting, the mail system kinda sucks, they just work when they want. Really.. like the garbage man, he hasn’t come for a month and sometimes they come every week, just whenever they need money I guess, haha!! Fun stuff ! Love you all, talk to you next week! Hope I covered everything, let me know if you have any questions ! Bye!

My sweet ride for the next two years...and my gym pass for buttocks and legs.

Our homemade meal...rice ham, dumplings, champagne

 Elder Wilkerson, Elder Hamilton, Elder Lacey and Elder England - that's our roomies!
 Living in a house of 4 is sweet!  

Our homie, Xavier - my first baptism!

Our room!  Fans going 24/7 it's soooo hot!

 Spanish zone and Kingston zone at Fort Henry on p-day.

 Sterling and companion Elder Hamilton from Provo.

What the houses in Jamaica look like.

April 1, 2013

We didn't get an email from Sterling today :(