Christmas In Jamaica

We got to talk to Sister Kinghorn on Christmas, and it was wonderful to hear her voice! She's getting settled in, though it's been a little difficult to get everything set up. They got internet into their apartment awhile after they moved in, but it's been sketchy and so has mom's computer and phone.

They aren't working out of the mission office, but out of an office at the church, which is a house that someone rents to the church. This means that they don't have access to as much help as they might have if they were working in the mission office. They are currently working on a chicken project, something about helping the members to raise chickens? I didn't really understand, but it sounds like it's going well.

Mom also said that the progress towards becoming a stake seems good, they attended church in another area on Sunday and had to keep bringing in more and more chairs. It was quite the opposite in our ward where we hit an all time attendance low!

She was enjoying Jamaican music outside her window from an house next door, and was looking forward to dinner at a members house.

She's feeling more at peace each day, though I'm sure prayers would still be appreciated as she tries to get settled in.

Christmas 2013

It is hard to believe, but I think that there is more poverty here.  Everything here is gated if it's halfway decent.  We have a man who lives just outside the gate of the chapel.  He has a tarp that he uses to cover his "house" and a couple of buckets that he uses to get water somewhere.  We've seen him washing his legs and I'm not sure, but I think he was changing clothes there one day- I didn't look.  I don't know where he gets the water.  He picks his stuff up and stashes it in the afternoon everyday a little before we leave the church.  I don't know where he stashes it either.  He's always clean and when we talked to him one day, he was very polite.  This is the way a lot of people here in Kingston live.  About 45% or more of the branch is unemployed.  I don't know what they live on. Food is often more expensive here than in the states and yet $600 US is considered a good salary.  Life is tough for a lot of Jamaicans.

This is out of context, but something I wanted to send you.  My blog, is going to be kind of hodge-podge I'm afraid.  I'll send stuff when I can and as I think of it.  I usually remember to tell people something when they ask or when they say something that makes me think of something to tell someone.

It was so good to talk to you all yesterday.  I really miss you all. One of the elders got my computer working better yesterday and I feel like a new person today.  I think I may be able to access some of the information that I'm supposed to be learning.  I also have a project to work on that gives me something productive to do. 

We went to the beach today and picked up some shells. We'll see if I can get them back in one piece.  The sea anemones are pretty fragile. 

My companion's daughter is planning to come to Jamaica in February.  I may go with her to the other side of the island with them.  I'd love to go in some ways, but I'm not sure I want to follow them around and even bigger, I have a hard time justifying spending $250 a night at the resort when I see people here who can't pay that for a month's housing and are living on the street. 

Still, I think if it were you coming, I'd want to go in a minute.  We'll see how this all turns out.

Give everyone hugs.  I love you all so much and hope you are all doing well.

Settling In (Part 2) - email to the fam

I love you and miss you all.  I have Savannah and Landry's nativities on our end table in the living room so you're part of my Christmas. 

Yesterday we went to Spanish Town.  You'll have to look it up on a map.  Along the roads were lots and lots of fields of sugar cane, and a lot of other trees.  The missionaries there started planning a Christmas party and ended up doing an amazing Christmas program.  They had a missionary choir with some members.  They sang 5 songs as a prelude and then quite a few in the program, which included narration of the birth and life of the Savior.  President Brown, our mission president, spoke a little and then Elder Cornish, our Area Seventy spoke.  It was wonderful.  They really worked hard to put this together. 

They did a flash mob at the mall to advertise and then asked people to bring their friends.  They filled several buses from Kingston branches and not everyone was able to get on the buses.   Riding the buses was very expensive for the people here even though the branch subsidized it.  A woman sitting in front of us came with three of her grandchildren. Her granddaughter, who was fourteen told us that they had walked three hours to come.  That meant they had three hours walk back, some of which would have been in the dark.  And Spanish Town has the reputation of being a dangerous place.  The other two children were 9 and  3. 

Things are very expensive here in Jamaica even for us as Americans.  I talked with a young church sister today who is studying to be a nurse.  When she gets done with school, she will get about $60,000 per month, which sounds like a lot, but is less than $600 American dollars per month.  We have found that things cost about the same or more here than in America.  It''s very hard for the people here.  Many can't  find work at all.  Taxes are high.  The sales tax is 16 and 1/2 percent.  They tax their incomes and property as well.  There seem to be a lot of people who just live on the streets.  And yet they are clean and neat and pretty polite.

Driving is crazy.  I don't think Jamaicans could live without their horns.  According to the couple who live downstairs, their honks are mostly polite- like to let you know you can go ahead and pull in front of them, but I'm not totally sure.  They are very aggressive drivers and will pull in front of you or stop whenever they want to.  The motorcycles make their own lane or do whatever to go where they want to.  I haven't seen anyone drive on the sidewalks yet though and they usually let pedestrians cross in front of them at any time.

There are window washers and venders in the streets all the time.  They start washing your windows and then expect to get paid.  We've learned to tell them no.  Usually the banana venders are out in the mornings.  They charge the equivalent of $1.00 for 5 bananas that they have bagged already.  There also starfruit venders, newspaper venders and then venders of any and everything that people can think to sell, all walking between lanes (which are very narrow)of the street. 

I hope to be able to use my camera more.  I need to get an SD reader so I can send you pictures. 

I hope to be able to call you on Christmas.  We're going to dinner at 3:30 to a member's house. I love you all forever and ever. 

Settling In

My week and a half has been hard because of me.  I haven't really been able to get my tech stuff working.  Partly my fault, partly just that it's all new to me, and partly because the computer and other things have not worked as they should.  There are people here who understand much more than I do and are great at tech, but they're all busy and not where I have access to them.  And most of the training that I'm supposed to be doing is on the internet.   I've been very frustrated and I've taken some of that frustration out on my companion who is on her third mission and seems to know how to do and know everything with ease.  I'm learning a lot about the repentance process.

Most of the Jamaicans speak so that we understand.  The brother over our program is one of the most difficult for me to understand.  He is wonderful and is as new to the program as we are.  Actually, the program is not yet rolled out for us, so we're just in the preparation mode.  I think that Christmas has something to do with it as well as that church headquarters has been piloting the program and is still tweaking it.  I'm sure that the Lord has directed my call, so I'll eventually know what I'm doing and what I have to offer. 

The people here are very warm and loving and very gospel oriented.  I wish that everyone in America could get to meet them and hear their testimonies and the emphasis that they put on living the gospel, on following the Savior and the way they love each other.  Our branch president came from El Salvador at least recently.  I think he might have been Guatemalan.  All of the mission presidency and the people in the office except for the mission secretary couple are Jamaicans.  They are wonderful people with strong testimonies and total focus on the Lord.  

They are preparing for a stake in April and it will be such a blessing for them.  They are also preparing for a trip for the youth to go to a youth conference in April and to take parents of those youth who haven't been to the temple so they can go to the temple. 

Christmas is very different here.  Not nearly so commercial.  They celebrate (members and non members alike) by getting together with friends and family and eating.  (a lot)  I've gotten the impression that few people give gifts and they don't expect them. 

From My Mission President

Dear Elders and Sisters

We just wanted to share this Christmas journal entry activity that you may be interested in.  It is attached for your use.  Please do not feel obligated. 

Elders and Sisters The Gift of Christmas is the gift of the only begotten Son of our Heavenly Father even Jesus Christ. He anchors our souls, gives us hope and is the foundation of our faith. We love Him, we acknowledge Him as the Saviour and Redeemer of the world, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father. May His love and teachings fill your lives with joy and gladness this season and forever more. Merry Christmas to all our Elders & Sisters in the Jamaica Kingston Mission from The Brown Family!  Watch Video

Read Luke 2:8-18

Mangos

Hope you are all well and happy.  I'm extremely frustrated at my inabilities with technology.  The people here in the church have been so warm and sweet.  They are all pretty poor.  We have tons of people asking us for help in getting jobs.  It is so hard to not be able to help them right away.  We still need to set up an office and the new program is not ready to use yet.  I don't know if they have food to eat right now, but I guess they do since they're coming to church.  People who've visited the island see some of the poverty, but I don't think they begin to see how extensive it is.  There aren't a lot of jobs available and everything costs so much.  It's even expensive for us.  We've been treated well.  Lots of dinners and meetings with the mission leaders and Christmas dinners, etc.  We have a mango tree right outside our door.  Although it's not mango season, we have had ripe mangos from the tree.  Our manager tosses them up to us on the second floor. 

Got to go to bed.  Pleas share this with your family.  I love you all and appreciate being able to stay with you when I was there.

Have a great Christmas!

I'm In Jamaica, Mon!

We got here fine.  Been working some, eating quite a bit and getting used to one another and the accents. 

The Murdocks had us over for dinner the night we arrived.   We met the Mortensens then.  They know the Snows from the temple, but know Sandee better because she was in their singles ward.  Hi to all of them. 

 We went to dinner (Chinese) with Elder Almeida on Thursday night and to Lunch (Argentine) on Friday with the mission presidents's wife.  Tonight we have a ward party.  We've also been learning a little about the work we'll be doing. 

We still don't have internet up and running, but should have by Tuesday.  We're at our office right now and have it here, but I don't have a lot of time.

Love you!  Miss you!