Week #71 - No Bread

Yo Family!

This week was great. I felt a bit more like a missionary because we are slowly starting to figure out this crazy Junction business. 

We went to Santa Cruz for district meeting again on Wednesday, and I was able to get a TRN (Taxpayer Registration Number) this time so now I can get pulled over and ticketed if I ever drive so that's cool. I'm basically a citizen.

The baptism was postponed until this weekend and we are kind of leaning toward just baptizing Collin for now because not everyone in the family is quite ready with testimony and such so we will take it a little slower with the rest of them. More news will come as time goes on. 

Sunday is always a hoot. I don't think I have ever been able to conduct a Sacrament meeting without something going wrong haha. This week, no one brought bread and no one told me. So there I am, sitting, singing the Sacrament hymn, and the priest sitting at the table leans over to me and is trying to mouth words to me. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely SUCK at lip reading so I first think there is something wrong with one of the people who are about to pass the Sacrament. Finally, the kid comes closer and with a moist whisper yell, he says, "NO BREAD." Oh crud... So Elder Trinnaman and I get up and haul it to the house, grab some bread and haul it back. Lucky for us, the musical director is a returned missionary so she improvised by just singing like 4 or 5 hymns while we ran for it. But it all worked out in the end. 

Well there it is. Today we are actually in Spanish Town right now emailing haha, we are going to surprise Pres Brown at the Spanish Town Zone P-Day so that will be super fun.

Love you all... Keep praying for me because it is becoming more and more apparent how many prayers I actually need to function. I know that Junction would have burned to the ground a month ago had it not been for your faithful prayers. Seriously. So thank you and again, love you all! And I guess I'll pray for you too.

Elder Graham

Week #54 - Wop Bop a Loo Bop a Wop Bam Boom!

Hey Family!

This week went by scary fast.

We got to teach seminary Thursday night. There were four kids in the class and it was sweet! We went over 1 Samuel 1-2 all about Hannah's adversities and how she overcame them and all that good stuff.  Shout out to Brother McNeil, Cody’s seminary teacher extraordinaire…

Friday we went to zone conference in Mo Bay. That was fun - I always like going to Mo Bay. They have a dang good frozen yogurt place called Tutti Frutti and it's all futuristic and weird and reminds me of downtown Portland a little bit.

President and Sister Brown came to church and spoke in Sacrament meeting. Craig and CJ were there and Craig loved that talk. Plus President Brown came and talked with Craig after which was awesome! Oh by the way, Craig and CJ should be getting baptized this Sunday coming. His wife is being taught by missionaries in Brooklyn too so it's all great.

Elder Riding had a fever and chills and aches and stuff so after Sacrament meeting I went back to the house with him and rested up. Sitting inside was boring and Elder Riding was a bit flustered with his sickness. He kept turning the fan on him and then within like 10 seconds he would turn it away, and then back on and then away. But the fever finally broke later in the day so hopefully he gets better. He is doing a bit better today so that's good.

This week will be crazy. We have been told not to go out on Thursday due to it being Election Day so I will update you on how that all goes!

I appreciate all the prayers that come my way. Just know that they are answered!

Love,

Elder Graham

Week #47 - A Christmas Letter from President Brown

Technical difficulties this week resulted in pictures only, no family email, but we did receive a beautiful Christmas letter 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

Dear missionary parents,

There are not words to express our gratitude for the generous donations and packages received from you this season.  Every elder and sister serving here at Christmas received packages and mail, and thanks to your assistance, not one was left out, not one was without a gift to make Christmas special for them. 

This year each zone had a Christmas program focused on the birth of the Savior.  Sister Brown and I were able to spend a few minutes talking about the Savior’s birth and expressing our love to the missionaries. Following the program, we enjoyed a Christmas dinner prepared and served by Sister McPherson and Sister Medley.  They served a traditional Jamaican dinner of chicken, ham, rice and peas, potato salad, Jamaican vegetable, Jamaican pudding cake and ice cream.  

After dinner, Elder Havili, Elder Jarvis and I donned our Santa hats and distributed all of the packages.  As names were called out, there were smiles, and looks of surprise from some who thought there would be no gifts for them. We have captured some of the fun with pictures. We wish you could have shared in the sounds as well, but rest assured that your contributions were of great value in making each Christmas party a wonderful event for all of our missionaries. 

Jesus Christ is the true gift of Christmas.  That fact cannot be denied.  But as we stood and looked on your sons and daughters, it was very clear that they too are God’s gift to mankind. They are also part of the true gifts of Christmas as they represent the Savior of the world in their mission to the Caribbean people.

With sincere appreciation,            

President Kevin G. Brown

Jamaica Kingston Mission

President Santa (Brown) and a few of his elves!

Cody and his companion, Elder Sandmaier across from him,
Pretty sure two more are housemates but no clue of names yet!

It's a Christmas miracle... Elder Graham is singing.  Voluntarily.

Merry Christmas from the North Coast Zone!

Week #44 - Go West, Young Missionary

Hey Fam, 

Lots of exciting stuff this week.

We had to call the mission office this week and have President Brown call Cody to let him know his Grandpa Briggs passed away on Wednesday.  He shared the following experience, which was amazingly similar to one I had the same day – it's wonderful to know my dad is keeping his eye on Cody and all of his family… It's nice to know that Grandpa endured to the end and earned his reward. It motivates me to get my poop in a group and not..."fizzle out" for lack of a better term haha.  Cass shared a cool little experience she had about Gramps and I had a similar one the same day I got the call from President Brown. We were just chilling outside making some phone calls and I didn't really see it like a vision or anything crazy like that but I just imagined him across the street in a white suit giving me double thumbs up. It just stayed in my mind for a few minutes while I was making calls. Not sure if it was just my mind or what but I'm positive it was real. He's a baller. Translation:  "He’s awesome."  He really is… Grandpa’s Obituary

So yeah about transfers. I'm being transferred to Savanna-la-Mar which is on the opposite side of the island. I'm excited but of course, sad to leave Spanish Town. I'll leave on Wednesday. It's going to be a 4-5 hour drive so I'm not excited for that part, but anywho…

Savanna-la-mar (often abbreviated to Sav-la-mar or simply "Sav" by locals) is the capital of Westmoreland Parish, with a population of almost 23,000 (a tiny bit smaller than Spanish Town’s 147,000). A coastal town, it contains an 18th-century fort constructed for colonial defense against pirates in the Caribbean. Sadly, the most memorable events in the town's history is a series of three hurricanes which caused massive destruction. The first one to hit the newly established town was in 1748 which caused almost total destruction. Another hurricane hit in 1780, allegedly causing the sea to rise to such a degree that ships were found stranded amongst the trees. A third hurricane struck in 1912, causing a schooner to be washed in to town. Nowadays the town's economic activities center around sugar, retail and occasional benefits from the Negril tourism trade.

Today we went to a wedding. Ramon and Janelle, two people that have been talking with the missionaries for the last few weeks, got married today and are gonna get baptized on Saturday which will be SWEET. They are so cool. 

Congratulations Ramon and Janelle!

Tonight we are going to open our district Secret Santa gifts and have a nice last little P-Day before everyone takes off. It's gonna be awesome.

I'm keeping some stories off so I'll actually have something to talk about for Christmas - so sorry if I seem way boring!

Love you guys!

Elder Graham

Well hello, Elder Gardner...

DJ Graham throwing down a dope set in the club...