Branch Birthday Party

July 15th, 1966 - our wedding day! Now 45 years later we are in Jamaica serving a mission and loving it! At Zone Conference this week Pres. Hendricks said: "Sister Smith, I'll bet 45 years ago Elder Smith promised you that for your anniversary he would take you to the Caribbean!" nope - not really! It was also Kerry-gaye's 20th birthday - she was baptized in January - and she wrote the sweet message on the white board - we played some fun games and frosted cupcakes with toppings. The rope across the church served as a volleyball net and the balloons as volleyballs!

Fourth of July

Sister Daniels is our Mission Secretary and we stay at their apt. when we stay in Kingston - she and I wore such similar skirts that we needed a picture! This building is the American Embassy in Kingston, Elder Smith was getting gas across the street so I took a picture, but you can't see the flag - oh well - it was on the 4th of July! Here is our group at the Mission Home after a delicious lunch - Pres. Hendricks barbequed chicken and made a big pot of Texas beans for us...everybody else brought pot luck - potato salad, lemon cake, mint fudge, veggies, chips and salsa, etc. We always have a good time when we get together.

Graduation Party

We had a great party Friday evening - celebrating 10 graduations in the Branch - from junior high school to University! Here are the six graduates who came and the huge cake that Elder Smith carried about four blocks downtown - with people asking who's birthday or can I have some cake? We played the wrap up a candy bar game and try to unwarp it with gloves on and a knife and fork - before the person in front of you throws the double sixes with the dice! then we played the stomp on someone's balloon before they stomp on yours - lots of fun for all.

Hospital Bench

Here is the hospital assessment bench the Church Humanitarian Mission donated to the Saint Ann's Bay Hospital. They had wheelchair fitting training in Montego Bay and trained some of the St. Ann's Bay Physical Therapists - then we got to deliver this bench to them - nice to have a mission truck!

Funeral - gravesite

After the wedding celebrations we drove 1 and 1/2 hours to Brownstown to see if we could support the family of one of our inactive members - who died June 14th. We got to the church just as the hearse was leaving to go to the cemetery - another of our members was standing there - Sister Alexander, our Primary President. I took a quick picture of the beautiful old church and we went to the Cemetery - they place the coffin in the vault and then cement it on top - Elder Smith and I with Sister Aleisa Lynch - our active member, and one of her nieces. "Life is real" - great-grandpa Wood!

More wedding pictures

I made Spam sandwiches, also crab and cream cheese ones, ambrosia salad and coleslaw, plus the wedding cake - and mixed nuts and Cheers (like M and M'). Here I am giving Luke a Primary CTR ring - The cake cutting, and the new family. We took the curtains off our bedroom wall and put them up over the church blue ones, took the rug from the floor of the YW room - looked lots nicer we thought!

Elder Grant and Sister Dryden's wedding

We had a wonderful opportunity this morning to be the witnesses to Elder Dorran Grant and Sister Nadine Dryden's civil wedding in our chapel in Ocho Rios. Bro. Medley came from Kingston to perform the ceremony - he is authorized by the Jamaican Government to do so ... the Grants will fly to Panama City and be sealed in the temple next week. We are so happy for the whole family - Maria looked glamorous and Luke very handsome - yeah for LOVE!