June 24, 2013

Alright, so tonight is out last family night at the church. Turning it into friday night activities! But we still have some house projects to occupy our time on prep day! We are making a tang mario, mr mac, oatmeal- keystone of our religion, Jesus wall, its nuts!! Companionship unity! This week though was full of meetings, learned a lot! Tuesday and Wednesday we spent finding the rest of our area and visiting members who could help us out in those areas! Our area is just ridiculously big! 

So Wednesday we talked to Sis Williams’ (less active) grandkids and we picked up like 6 new investigators in that house! They are just like so prepared it’s awesome!  So more of our area is like a bunch of St. Jagos... like St Jago Meadows, South, North, Gardens, Gate and the normal one we went up St Jago Heights.. it was like mini America!  Like a 20 min bike ride straight up hill!!  The houses were so big like 3 cars in each driveway and GRASS!!! Beautiful yards that I didn’t think I would be seeing for a long time! Guess that’s where all the pastors and preachers live also Keystone which is just a crazy bike ride, so far from the house, but a member showed us a short cut across this HUGE river that cuts the bike ride down to like 5 minutes instead of 25 min ride!!  We had tons of temple lessons on Thursday getting people to get temple recommends and show that faith before THEIR temple is built here in Jamaica!  Something they are stressing... oatmeal containers work great for temple jars.. gosh wonder where we could get some of those!! 

Thursday had a few very Powerful lessons!! Claudia, a referral from a member, had a great restoration lesson with her and her family even though we were in a noisy work shop cuz that’s where her husband works!! The spirit was so strong we kinda forgot about the noise.. also had a return missionary come with us! I think everyone learned something and we know she felt it, that’s awesome!! Also had a sweet temple lesson with Rickey. He didn’t like our temple jar idea, too easy to get into! So he cut a slit in a propane tank for his temple savings jar!! He is such a boss, he is like so consecrated, does everything he needs to do!! That’s something I have been focusing on this week! Laying everything on the altar of sacrifice and give every ounce of energy to the lord and the results have been awesome! I just crash at the end of the day, but once I put that badge on I sure better act like a disciple of Jesus Christ ! What an opportunity to serve and change my life around! And to my benefit for that goal! Friday we had a full zone conference on being consecrated missionaries laying it all down and holding no part of the offering back! It was such a powerful zone conference, it was President Hendricks last one so he laid everything down on the line and held nothing back.  In his testimony a few things stuck so far out to me:  a mission is not to change our behavior it should change our nature so when you get home you can’t go back! You don’t go back and grow facial hair and long hair, wearing funky color shirts to church, you are a Priesthood man and you better act like it. Having your personal studies everyday and still being obedient giving your all! That all made me think of my Dad! Not a greater example I can think of bout living a consecrated life! I love him! Anyways, the conference ended with testimony bearing and even though I didn’t know Pres Hendricks super well, neither Elder Stubbs, Elder Hitchcock, or Elder Gray, their testimonies were so powerful we were all in tears by the end and the last hymn was super quiet like no one could sing! Such an Awesome day!  We went and got food after... 22 people in the mission car! No more Mexican jokes, that’s just how we roll in Jamaica! Everyone is everyone’s seat belt!!! Haa, it was good times though!! Saturday we worked hard going all over our area, tons of spiritual lessons though!! Sis. Roy’s grandkids in particular. We talked about the restoration and her daughter Tracey, the mother of the grandkids, loved what she heard and is so excited to read the Book of Mormon. After we told her about the temple and it also helped Sis Roy!! It was sweet!! That mission conference on Sunday was crazy though right?!?! FB and blogs and stuff? Craziness, just exciting times to be a missionary when all this going on. Fun to watch the work seriously progress!! Well that’s kinda my week in a wrap! I’m starving, have a great week, liccamor!!

June 17, 2013

So busy this week!!! Monday played monopoly with some other Elders and sorry to say haven't been humbled yet! And also played ping pong with walls, gotta spice it up! Tuesday we taught Maxine #2 again, she is just a tender mercy, such a boss. She asks great questions and is awesome just need to get the idea through her head she needs 'a next' baptism... it will come! Just an awesome day over all! Wednesdays they are my favorite! Zone meeting so inspiring and uplifting we bounce out of there just super ready to go out and spread the word! I went on trade off as well with Elder Shurtliff and just another great day in the vineyard of our Lord!  Thursday I kinda let the lord know he was forgetting to give me trials, it was a great week!! So Thursday, I finally blew out a tire and a light bulb! But that compared nothing to the spiritual filled day we had along with interviews for Rick and Kimanis baptisms, they passed!! Friday filling the font and super planning filled most of the day and the sad part with Saturday we always gotta go early to the church cuz Satan works hard and something always goes wrong!  So of course the plug popped out and we brought hoses in from outside and filled er up!!  But the baptism was so spiritual.  Niccola Campbell spoke again cuz she referred Rick over to us to teach. She just brings the spirit with her testimony so strong! Only had to dunk them once! I got the opportunity to dunk both cuz Elder Hamilton left! But yah it was awesome overall!  Sunday just topped the week off !  To see the branch really taking control instead of us missionaries was a sweet fruit! Maxine gave a talk in church on prayer, Xavier gave the lesson in gospel principles, and Jason and Steven( recent converts) gave Rick and Kimani the Priesthood!!  Was an awesome experience and less stressful on us and could focus on the investigators which was nice cuz we had 4 of them show up! And they are just solid! Looking forward to another baptism next month! Just a boss spiritual filled week! Yes I am still getting fat! But loving mission life! And love you all stay awesome talk to you next week!!

June 10, 2013

Whoa!  i just have such a spiritual drive right now to share the gospel with everyone. We just blew our numbers out of the waters this week!  We worked so hard and just really hope we can keep that drive going!  We should have got more members out to lessons but we picked up 9 new investigators and had 16 other lessons this week with 7 members present. We also saw 9 less actives and it was awesome to see 6 of those less actives come back out to church!  Loving the work!  The days are sometimes so very, very long especially when appointments fall through, but this week we just made it happen!!  We are in the process right now trying to help 5 people over come addictions right now whether it be ganjah or sex.. two major problems out here!

I always like dreaded Sundays out here cuz we have been teaching the lessons and giving the talks and stuff but Elder Cornish from the seventy took control of the situation. We now throw people under the bus to help them build faith!  We didn’t give the talks or teach gospel principles this week and never week after week should we have to do that again! Terrible, but awesome at the same time!

A  line up haircut is kinda hard to explain its more of a black man hair cut. Maybe I’ll just get one one time to show you!!

 Elder Strickland is a boss to serve with! He is always positive and happy! He’s weird and scares me at times, but I am learning so much from him and leading the area. I am growing so much!! He has a yuke that he is teaching us to play, it’s frustrating and reminds me of piano but being out on the mission it would be awesome if I could play any musical instrument!  Found a harmonica in the apt. so if you could find any music laying around for that instrument I would love if you would send it out!!! Elder Strickland is from Tennesse! He hit his 1 year mark on Wednesday and its tradition to burn a shirt so we did that and while at it used our flamethrower to take out some wasp nests! Does a great job if you are looking for some bug killer yourself :)  Also on Monday before we forget bout Elder Hamilton, he always floured people on their birthdays so he got floured for going away at FHE it was great! I’m just glad they let me in on it :) Will attach photos!  Well that’s kinda my week in a wrap. In a few words I would have to describe it as a plethora of Awesomeness! Love you all, have a fantastic week!!! 

 My boy (Elder Hamilton) all floured!

 Elder Hamilton's last FHE in Spanish Town.

FIRE!  Elder Strickland burning a shirt for 1 year out.

Book of Mormon ping-pong.

June 3, 2013

Geezum, this week has been nuts!!! Monday after we emailed last week we went and got haircuts! When I go to get haircuts usually I think they cut your hair on your head!!! Not this guy, ha he started going at my eyebrows and between my eyes and stuff. I was like "what the freak?" so that was different. He also tried to give me a line up, thankfully my companion saw what he was doing!! Haha! We also played cricket with the other elders! That is so much fun!! Then went to the cook shop! Our favorite it's cheap yet delicious, it's called the Fireplace Gazebo! That night we picked coconuts from behind our  house with the other Elders and pulled out the machete and had us some drinks!! Ha, fun night on the roof! Tuesday our appointments fell through and God knows how to really make things work out. We went and saw Maxine and her family. Her and Junior had a fight the night before and we talked a lot about family unity and forgiveness. Their relationship isn't that great and it's really sad to see! But on the other hand, as we help them it's awesome to watch that relationship and family unity grow between brothers and mothers!! Really had to rely on the spirit to know what to say to them and that was a good experience!! That experience really clicked it for me that this isn't my mission, people need help here and I better by dang have the spirit with me so I can do all I can to help!! Today it Rained like MAD!! But we made a goal we would go to all our appointments no matter what! And with the mud half way up our tires and all over us and our bags, we went and found less actives, some referrals, and had a lot of spiritual, powerful lessons even though we were cold (for the first time!) and super dirty!! Thursday we didn't get a whole lot done, we moved our super planning to Thursday from Friday cuz the area seventy were coming and afterwards we helped Stacey move cuz they got kicked out of their rental house! We went to Irie Jerk for dinner and as group we played games and really built a Spanishtown Elder unity!! Friday is the day Elder Cornish and Elder Gamiet came and taught us!! It was such a powerful lesson! We learned 'bout following Holy Ghost promptings and also the new ways the lord will be hastening His work!! Some key points they brought up is we will not invite people to church... we accompany them to church!! Also we aren't going door to door anymore... it's not effective! We have been trying to get referrals from members! Wrong again... "members don't have friends, they have meetings! Less actives have no meetings cuz they have friends!" It is so true, as we went out and applied the teachings on Saturday it rang true. We found 3 less actives and working with their families now giving us a HUGE teaching pool with like 12 new investigators!! Transfer calls were Saturday and Elder Hamilton is off to the Bahamas and I am getting "mothered" by Elder Strickland a funny white boy! I'm excited but gonna miss Elder Hamilton. He will do great white washing out in Bahamas though!! Sunday was ridicoulous! The whole branch is going to miss Elder Hamilton, we really have grown to be a huge family!! President Lue's wife was exactly right though, anywhere you go if it's The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are going to find and feel that family love!! But with that love comes food! We had to turn down people wanting to make us food!! But the ones that already made food we ate.. and we ate.. and we ate 3 GIANT plates of heaping rice and peas and curry chicken back, Elder Hamilton's favorite! Lots of photo taking and journal signing! That's a lot of what consist in our schedule today as well. I'm thankful for my time I was able to serve with him and all the many things I could learn and my testimony to be strengthened!! That's kinda my week in a wrap! Favorite scripture this week has all members and missionaries names on it! (3 Nephi 5:13! ) and for the bible found a scripture passage reminding me of all the great women I have in my life!! (Proverbs 31:10-31) Love you all, have a Glorious week!!! And if anyone sees Chatlen! two knockings on the head each week he doesn't email me! Thanks!! :)

 Maxine and Junior

 Ricky

Sis. Booth's family

May 27, 2013

 Burger Grande!

 Three month cake with Elder Nelson.

 Elder Faimuii and banana cake - YUM!

 My mission father, Elder Hamilton.

Drinking coconut water with investigator, Ricky.

HEY!  Wow, 3 months today!!! Gosh, it totally feels like it, but at the same time I’m 1/8 done, that’s crazy!! Well, this week was great. We did a lot of street contacting. At first I wasn’t comfortable with it at all! I was like gospel retarded and now I’m getting the hang of it and it’s just interesting and really fun to talk to random people and try to help them understand and maybe pick them up as a new investigator! We are starting to teach a Jehovah Witness, we hear they are hard to convert, but I feel good about this one! Also started teaching a 7th day, they are rough too and know the Bible so well, but it’s been fun!  This week we started working with everyone in the Kelly’s yard or Mama Lee's yard. We got in a little fun loving argument that turned around on us and even though joking, they joke with no easement of pain! I got the belt to the face and a stick to the back, it was an intense battle but for the victory or 4 new investigators and getting super comfortable with that yard and letting them know, you know we are real people who have fun and not just teaching, preaching robots!! Taught the lesson in gospel principles on repentance today! They love playing hangman so that’s how we always start and we hung the man. They had a hard time guessing the word-  my words were YOURE AWESOME, haha, but the lesson was so good, haha .. that sounds humble.  But it was full of participation and I read a story at the end, if you haven’t heard it look it up, it’s called  “The file room”. Makes me cry everytime, but brings the spirit so strong! Was a great day! So today being my 3 month mark and forgetting that on celebration days in Jamaica they flour people on their birthday, or on their 3 MONTH marks, I got floured in the shower today!!  Followed by some cake Elder Faimuii and Elder Nelson brought over that my great father, Elder Hamilton, got me with a bag of bag juice!! Haha, pretty sweet dude!!  Oh goodness my finances are just off the wall.  This week was just rough- my bike axel broke had to get that fixed costing $2500, had to buy propane to cook with $3000.  Had to use my card a lot on top of groceries and hopefully survive this week cuz I’m outta money and we have to taxi and spend all Wednesday and Friday out in Kingston cuz Elder Cornish from the seventy is coming to talk to us!! So excited get to see Everyone on the island-  gonna be like Christmas!!  Oh so food this week was like awesome!!  Made A LOT of burger Grandes, and BLTs on pita bread with REAL CHEESE and BACON!!! Sooooo DELICIOUS!!! Also got a little work-out gear together! I got a huge like 10 gal propane tank for lifting, I guess some 6 gal water jugs a curling bar and stuff its super RedNEck. I’ll have to send some pics! But it feels good, being fat just isn’t awesome, okay!! Transfer calls in two weeks?! Gosh it’s crazy, leaders keep coming up and asking me if I’m ready to train next transfer. Hope it’s just rumors, but I don’t know!!! I love mission life, it’s awesomeee!!  Love you all, have a fantastic week!!! 

May 20, 2013

 Maxine's baptism.  Niccola Campbell is the one in the blue shirt.

Whoa, where did the week go!!?! it feels like Wednesday! Yes, Maxine’s baptism went well. She asked me to baptize and I had to only dunk her twice cuz her foot popped up a lil!  It went so well though!  Her friend, Niccola Campbell, she is the one that referred her to us and she spoke on baptism.  It was so spiritual and I cried.. imagine that.. ha! But yes, it was great! Oh I miss all the sports, even baseball sounds fun right now!! We play games every family home evening on Monday, that’s about all the fun we have for activities, but we did play monopoly after emailing last week and Elder Hamilton tried to get them to work against me, but I’m sorry I haven’t been humbled yet!  That’s my game and I win! :) They held a huge primary fun day for the whole district which we helped prepare while we were filling up the font on Friday cuz it takes like 3 hrs to fill. That was a lot of fun. I don’t remember anything like that back home, but it was a lot of fun out here and just getting to know the branch more!!  Sounds like you guys are having some fun camping!  I don’t even wanna think about camping... along with the mosquitos that are out here they are so much more vicious!  I have new bites everyday! Elder Shurtlif got bit by a spider out here and we had to take him to the hospital and get two shots in the butt (cuz they don’t do the arm out here) to take down the swelling- soooo gotta watch out for spiders!! Next p day we are planning a trip to Ochi so maybe will get some awesome pics there. I hear it is really pretty out there! Not too much new down here! Got another baptism coming up in two weeks, his name is Rick, he is a boss! Studies and asks questions that are so deep -  he’s awesome!!  We are at the point now we need to find some new people.  We had quite a bit and were doing good,  but two progressing investigators moved and one got locked up for breaking his girlfriend’s jaw and stabbing her... Never saw that out of him, he was such a nice kid.  The week has been great. Church was so spiritual yesterday.  The theme this month is on temples and it was just awesome!  We are working with a lot of less actives and it’s really sad -  some we go see and they haven’t been visited by the branch in like over 15 years... missionary work is pointless if we can’t hold the fruits so we do tons there and personally I would be content doing less active work my whole mission!  But in the next 3 transfers we have 25 new missionaries coming in so like everyone will be training soon! And lots of leadership will be opening cuz ‘bout 12 going home that are like zone leaders and district leaders right now! Pretty nuts but exciting! Elder Cornish from the seventy is coming on the 31st to speak so way exciting there! And yah, that’s about it for the week! Nothing too exciting but it was a great week nonetheless!!  Love you all! 

May 13, 2013

We got to skype with Sterling for an hour on Mother's Day.  It was so good to see him and talk to him.  It was a little bit hard to hear him because he had to speak into a mic and with five of us trying to ask him questions it was a bit crazy, but it was good.  We got to see a few of the people from the branch which was cool and we could see the part of the church where he was sitting.  Everyone that walked by him would rub his head!  He says they like to do that because they think his hair is soft.  Most of the people just shave their hair and the women wear wigs. He seems to be doing well although he says it’s hard work – not physically, but spiritually.  He told us that they spend most of their time working with less active members and with referrals.  He said that they’ve only done two days of finding while he’s been out.  The branch has about 400 members, but only about 100 are active. The area is really poor and most people don't have couches or bathrooms. Only about 7 families in the branch have cars.  But most everyone has a cell phone!  Mama Maxine's baptism was delayed for one week so he's looking forward to that this week.  He's tired of ramen noodles and oatmeal so if anyone has easy microwave or stovetop recipes, he would love them.  Food is pretty expensive, especially fresh fruit, but he says they eat quite a bit of mongo (mango- but not too much or you get runny belly).  They just have dry milk and processed cheese.