Week #72 - It's My Birthday Gift to Me... I'm So Happy! ~Emperor's New Groove

Hey Family!

Reunion in Spanish Town with Elders Evans & Stever

So this week was cool. We had a lot of fun going to Spanish Town and seeing a ton of people!  Brother Cooper let me climb up his coconut tree to grab some for us which was super sketchy but so worth it!

So Collin is for sure confirmed getting baptized on Wednesday, June 29 and everything is great. Happy birthday to me, I guess!

On Saturday, Sister Ebanks gave us a pineapple-melon. It tastes similar to a regular melon but is just yellow on the inside so they call it pine-melon.

I love this work. It's really hard, but it is so worth it in the plethora of blessings that come to the lives of the people we interact with, not to mention our own tender mercies!

Love,

Elder Graham

It's a beautiful day in Junction!

Week #14 - The Mothman Prophecies and Buh Bye Elder Fowkes

What up Family!

This week has been pretty great as usual! Most of the week was pretty average missionary work.

On Thursday I found a huge duppy moth (duppy means "ghost" in Patois) in our study room, so we thought the best course of action would be to play with it. They are harmless and are way cool!  Mom-like ew ew ew ew ew inserted here...

Messing with a Duppy Moth

On Saturday we got transfer calls. Elder Fowkes is being transferred to Savanna-la-Mar to be with Elder Stever! We got to meet Elder Stever and his family before they left for the MTC through some great friends in Battleground, WA.  I'll be getting Elder Davidsen who just finished training Elder Ostrowski (one of Cody's MTC companions). Elder Evans (Cody's other MTC companion) is going to Port Antonio which is crazy! Lots of changes are happening here. It should be great! 

Elder Fowkes' last Sunday in Yallahs

Today we went into Kingston to play ball one last time before Elder Fowkes left. It was way fun! We had probably ten missionaries there.

Oh one last thing... We were riding through Yallahs Bay on Tuesday or Wednesday and some guy yells from the sidewalk, "The Chiney dem de take ova!" People always say I look Chinese because they are not used to seeing white people ever and there are a surprising number of oriental people who live here. But it is usually just little kids that say, "China men!" or "Bicycle men!" and stuff like that. It is way funny though.

Love and miss you!

Love,

Elder Graham

Basically the entire Yallahs branch - finding the elders is like Where's Waldo!

What I do when I have free time

A Note from President Brown

THE CHURCH OF

JESUS CHRIST

OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Jamaica Kingston Mission
4 Garelli Avenue
Kingston 10
Jamaica
Phone: 1-876-618-1625

27 Feb 2015

Dear Brother & Sister Graham:

We are happy to let you know your son, Cody Reed Graham, arrived safely in Kingston, Jamaica. He is in good spirits and arrived anxious to become involved in the great work being done here. When he arrived we met him at the airport and brought him to the mission home where he spent his first night. We helped him with banking and immigration matters and then provided training and orientation.

He was interviewed and met his trainer, Elder Fowkes. They then went to their area where they began the work he came here to do. Your son will be serving in the Yallahs Branch. As parents we can appreciate your concern for him and his welfare and felt you would like to know he is safe and doing fine.

We want to thank you for raising such a fine son and for your support for him while he is here. Your support for the next few weeks while he may experience some homesickness will be very important. The work is really beginning to blossom here in Jamaica and the people are warm and friendly. We are confident he will have a special experience. We can assure you we will do everything we can to help him grow and develop and are confident his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ will increase. Through his mission experiences he will draw closer to our Savior. We are so grateful to have him here.

We will appreciate your continued support. Please feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance.

Gratefully,


       Kevin G. Brown               Sister Nadine Brown
           President
Jamaica Kingston Mission

First night in Kingston!  Elders Palmer, Ostrowski, Graham, Evans, Stever, and two nice sisters!

The Newbs! Five sisters, Sister Brown & President Brown, Elders Ostrowski, Evans, Stever, Palmer & Graham

Yallahs is on the southeast part of Jamaica - it is a rural community with around 10,000 people.

Yallahs Beach

Their church building!

A view down the road

Looking down at Yallahs from the Blue Mountains

Hopefully we get an email from Elder Graham with his take on the new digs on his P-Day, which is Monday!!  The journey begins...