Branch Christmas Dinner

Christmas Day we had a great Sacrament Meeting program, several of our members couldn't come because the taxis aren't running - the program was the story of the Nativity with scriptures, Joseph, Mary, the Star, the shepherds, wise men, etc. We sang a Hymn between readings. After Sacrament Meeting we had a Pot Luck dinner - very good! Here are a Young Adult from our branch with her friend from Yallas Branch. The dinner and our sister missionaries with two of the YSA sisters and then Abigal and Sebastian with the Poinsettia. We had a good time, lots of food and nice fellowship - the sisters had only one investigator and he has set a baptism date of January 7th! The Gospel is true and the only way to happiness here and hereafter!

Primary Nativity Scene

This is our small Primary - usually about 5 kids bigger! - Nativity Scene - the Angel holding the star is only 3! We had lots of fun and Elder Smith read Luke Chapter 2 - this was at the end of our Christmas Dinner after Sacrament Meeting. Wasn't it special to take the Sacrament on Christmas Day? loved it!

Christmas Activity III

This is Elder Gayle, he is serving in Old Harbor, his father is Elder Smith's 2nd Counselor in the Branch Presidency. These three handsome young men are really fun, Elder Unbarago (sp) is from Johnansburg, South Africs, Elder Campbell is an orphan, was living with his Grandmother before his mission, and Elder Nugent is the grandson of the first Jamaican baptized here - 30+ years ago- Victor Nugent. Elder Nugent's family lives in Mapleton and he graduated from Springville High School!!. We had pizza's and salads and garlic bread for our lunch - yummy and easy! The pizza man made three trips on a motor scooter to get them all delivered. The Senior Sister's all made sadads. We watched "It's a Wonderful Life" - while we ate - great movie. Several of the young missionaries had never seen it.

More Christmas Party

Here is Sister Everette and Sister Nautu with their Christmas boxes and the Charlie Brown Mission Office Christmas tree! Six of our wonderful Elders, the tie exchange was a blast - Dad got two different (not new!) ties! everyone had a great time. The Tie Exchange with the camera crew in the background...they are still taking video of Sister Walker for a Church production!!

Mission Christmas Party - 2011

Our Mission Christmas Party was on Friday, Dec. 23rd. We had lots of fun ... love it when the whole mission gets together - well minus the Bahamas, Turks, and Cayman Island missionaries! Here are the tables - Sister Hendricks asked me for ideas for them and she liked both of mine - placemats and mugs with candy. When Elder Smith and I went to the Farm Store to see if they had enough of the right size mugs, the clerk said, pointing to the back room: "There are some living over there!" made us laugh. These 5 elders crowded into a bench built for four - reminded me of Pres. Kimball ( I think) - that told a story of his friends all crowding into a pew and then flexing their muscles - and the ends of the bench fell off and they fell out! Here are our four beautiful Sisters - one part Jamaican from Canada, one from Hawaii, one from Utah and Sister Everette from North Carolina - aren't they pretty? Elder and Sister Daniels are next...she plays the piano for Mission functions, they are the office couple and the branch president in Yallas - very wonderful friends. When these two elders walked in with their "ugly Christmas sweaters" - I told the elder standing next to me when he laughed. Haven't you ever been to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party? Have now - was his reply!! Elder Baird and Ostberg are our Zone Leaders - stationed in Santa Cruz - they said at the shop they bought the sweaters they were told: "One size fits all" - maybe not!!

Patr. Blessing

On Thursday, December 22, we drove into Kingston with the sister missionaries and Abigail Robinson - a YW in our branch. We took her to get her Patriarchal Blessing from Elder David Smith...it was a great event. Elder Harold Smith took us all out to TGIF for lunch afterwards - we are happy to have a Patriarch on the island - it has been ten years since one was here ...Best to have a Stake and your own - but we are a couple years from that and Abbey was so happy!

Another new baby goat!

Before going to Alligator Pond we stopped at Bro. Gayle's to see his new baby goat! While there two of his neighbor kids came over...Maro is the boy and Brittanie is the little girl. They have been by before when we are teaching Bro. Gayle reading...they are related to him somehow. The little girl is disabled but so cheerful and always smiling - I gave them granola bars from our car and they were very happy...when the taller of the girls saw the bars she came right over to get one also - glad I had three to give them, her name is Rodricka, cute kids. Notice how hard the wind is blowing!

Alligator Pond - ocean

Today we drove to Alligator Pond, a small city right on the beach below Junction. One of our members sells clothes there on Weds. and Saturdays - and lots of other people sell fish, vegetables, shoes, lots of things! We like to go and see if we can purchase any thing from our members so they can buy food. Actually she has a cousin that fishes and when they don't sell anything her cousin gives them a fish to take home for dinner. There was lots of wind today - see the sea birds just gliding along - and Elder Smith's hair blowing! This 9/10 year old had made a toy from a bucket lid and a flexible stick like vine thing - one picture is close up and one further away. He would run with it and then make it go sideways and it would flip up sand! pretty fun we thought! The other boy wanted me to take his picture on the pile of fishing nets - so I did!

Hopeton Branch Funeral

On Saturday we drove one of our young ladies to the Hopeton Branch to be interviewed by Pres. Hendricks for her Patr. blessing recommend. Pres. was coming to Hopeton to speak at a funeral .. an elderly member - Frank McCloud. Pres. brought one of the Jamaican elders serving in Spanish Town - it was his great uncle who died. Elder McCloud is very tall - here is Abigail with him and his cousin, Abbey at the baptismal font - she was baptized there, Elder McCloud with his mom and sister, and the casket - with missionaries helping get it out and into the church building. Sister Allen in our branch, is a great Aunt also of Elder McCloud and we took pictures to show her - she is 91 and couldn't go to the funeral.

Cookies in Primary

We had only three young ladies come to Primary on Sunday, December 18th - so we made a plate of cookies for the Priesthood and one for Relief Society ... and the girls each took a big plate full home, plus a couple of small plates to give to neighbors! Shaneice said it was the best Primary she had ever had! Merry Christmas everybody!

Christmas Flowers

Poinsetta flowers here are called - six months green, six months red flowers! Here is one we purchased to decorate the church, also a huge bush in a yard and some really pretty ones by the side of the road....doesn't seem right to have flowers in your yard at Christmas, huh? Come to Jamaica!

Baby Goat

We got a phone call this morning early - we have our first baby goat! Bro. Lloyd was so excited ... and so were we! Yay! Several times the goats have twins, but our first was a singling - and very cute!

More Senior Outing

We stopped at a florist shop in Kingston to purchase a poinsetta plant for the branch Christmas decorations...there they had these orchids and I just had to take a picture of them! Some of the Jamaicans call poinsetta plants " six months green, six months red" plants! All the seniors and Pres. and Sis. Hendricks had lunch at a fun Jamexican place - taco Tuesday!! Here is Elder and Sister Sorensen in front of the Nativity scene on the grounds of Devon House ... kind of strange to see all the green around it, huh? The servants quarters at the back of the house are now shops - bakery, ice cream, etc. Devon House Ice Cream is pretty famous all over the island...and it is delicious.

More Devon House

This small hand turned sewing machine is about 170 years old! Here is Elder Smith in front of a gun cupboard - plus a sword chair - turned so the men could keep their sword at their side! The Steibel family had a son and daughter, the son died before the house was built. Their daughter had this darling doll bed in her room.