Week #32 - This Little Piggy Counts His Blessings

Hey Family!

This week was awesome!

The District
Elders Koegler, Gardner, Biddulph, Knight, Jackson & Graham

I went on a trade off with Elder Koegler on Wednesday which was great. He goes home in December.

Sugar Cane

Ribena

Thursday was really eventful. I tried a ton of new food for the first time: ribena, a type of black currant used to make all kinds of juice, sugar cane which tastes like a block of wood soaked in sugar water (pretty good though), and pig tail which was super good.

Pig Tail

I also went to do a baptismal interview for a 12-year-old kid named Odane that the zone leaders were teaching. He is way cool and was able to be baptized Sunday morning!

On Friday, Lisa, one of our investigators was making a bunch of chicken back and chips and she gave Elder Jackson and I two small boxes of it for free. Chicken back is awesome.

Willowdene House Farm Puzzle - Check.
Elders Biddulph, Graham, Gardner & Jackson

Also, the zone leaders bought a puzzle so we would just do that when we got home at nights. We finished it this morning around 7am.

Saturday was transfer calls. Elder Jackson will be going to Port Antonio and I will be training here in Spanish Town. I'm way stoked!

We went to go see Rose Sunday night (she has been having a hard time getting her husband's approval to pursue church) and the first thing she told us was that she talked with her husband and told him that this makes her happy, and he totally supports her now. She told us she was going to pray about a baptism date! We're starting to see some great blessings this week. Also, Sister Murdock should be getting baptized next Sunday (September 27th)!!

Lots of blessings this week. The area is really starting to pick up which is a great feeling. We just need to keep it going and not slow down at all. That's about it for this week. Until next time!

Love and miss you guys!

Elder Graham

This week Cody’s sister, Brittani, asked him what five of his favorite things about Jamaica were – his reply:

1. Food

2. People
3. My tan lines
4. Wild animals that just roam the streets
5. Music that plays super loud from giant speakers around town
So glad to see his priorities are still in order...

Results of a bike crash thanks to not having a headlight in
pitch black Jamaica on roads full of potholes...

We bought pizza and went up on the roof to eat it
Saturday night because, well... why not?

Week #31 - Only One May Enter Here, One Whose Worth Lies Far Within - a Diamond in the Rough!

Hey family!

This week was awesome. We got a ton of stuff done!

On Tuesday, we got to the house of a guy we were supposed to see, but another guy named Everick came out instead. We thought we would give him a pamphlet and get his number and ask him if he was interested in learning more. For whatever reason, as we were about to ride off, I figured I would ask him if he had time right then and there to sit down and talk for a bit. He said sure and we had a great lesson with him. Not only was he very interested in the Book of Mormon, but we also found out that he is married and has kids, doesn't drink OR smoke, and is in the Jamaican military! This is someone that the creepy sand lion thing from Aladdin would call, "a diamond in the rough." Only issue is his work schedule is pretty random so it has been hard to see him since then.

President Brown came to my district meeting on Wednesday which was actually really great. We also had interviews with Pres, and that was awesome as well. He told me I would be training "or something" (whatever that means) next transfer which will be on September 26th. So to whoever's family of the missionary I train... I'm sorry. Just kidding. Well kind of.

Thursday morning was a little rough. I woke up super stuffed up which is weird. Never been sick out here until now. To make it better, I must have slept weird, but I woke up with a super stiff neck (no pun intended). So Thursday was interesting. We did a small fast with Sister Murdock to help her gain more of a testimony of the Book of Mormon which was great, just a little exhausted that day, but we still had a great day.

Friday, the sickness got worse, and Elder Biddulph got sick as well. Sister Ridler (the mission nurse) told us the best thing to do is rest, so that's what we did, and it was terrible. I hope I never have to sit inside all day ever again. Oh by the way, Friday marked my seventh month on the mission - What?!

Saturday, I went on a trade off with Elder Gardner. In one of our lessons, some rasta guy came up to the group of people we were talking to and tried to tell everyone that "Di white mon dem a use Jesus fi enslave us all!" Luckily, the people were not in the mood for that guy so they kinda just told him to shut up using creative words until he just sat down and was quiet. I love the people here - they are awesome!

Sister Murdock should be baptized on the 26th of September which will be so cool - I'm way excited for her!

That's about it for this week.

Love you guys!

Elder Graham

This is me trying to cheer up Elder Bidduplh with some Hercules songs... Just kidding. 

But I really was singing to him a little bit, and dang did I sound good.

Looks like it’s a Disney theme in Spanish Town this week:  

♫ “From zero to hero a major hunk,

Zero to hero and who'da thunk?” ♫

Week #30 - Humble Pie is Tasting Better

Hey family! 

This week was awesome! 

On Wednesday I was just on my bike and stuff, you know, the usual, and for whatever dumb reason, I wasn't paying attention to the millions of pot holes in the streets and I dropped right into one unexpectedly. At the same time, one of my tires hit a big rock and so I got knocked off the side. Pretty impressive, I know. I wasn't going fast, and I had no injuries at all. The wonderful part of that was all of the people in the neighborhood who were around. Not embarrassing at all. It's a clear sign that I still need to be humbled. 

On Thursday we invited Sister Murdock to attend a baptism for someone else that coming Saturday and she told us, "What if I get there and I want to just hop in and be baptized right then and there?" She is great. I'm really excited for her! She should be baptized September 26th which will be awesome! 

Elder Jackson and I spent Saturday morning doing some minor bike fixes. I had to put a new liner in my back rim. Elder Jackson got a new seat so now we are all decked out and rolling in style. 

Last night we got fed by a member which was a nice way to end the week. 

I'm doing great here! I'm learning a ton every day and there is no better work that I could be doing right now. 

Love you guys! 

Elder Graham

Elders Graham, Jackson, Nice Jamaican Lady, Elders Knight and Koegler
We were trying to get a picture with Sister Harrison, so we asked her sister to take it, 

but she is awful at taking pictures, so then Sister Harrison just said, Don't worry, I'll take it." 

Kind of defeated the purpose of taking the picture but her sister was nice!

Bought a cool planner case from a member in Linstead,
but it is too big for my pocket so it is now a sweet souvenir...