A loss, a school, a container, a race to the finish

We dedicate this blog to the memory of Sister Palmer from Mandeville and Brother Robinson from May Pen.  Both of these great people died suddenly and unexpectedly.  It appears that both had heart attacks.  Sister Palmer at her home and Brother Robinson in his car on Sunday traveling home to May Pen from Hopeton after church.  His wife responded quickly so the car accident was minor.  We wish the families the best and know testify of life after death and going home to a loving Father in Heaven.

The light at the end of our tunnel is getting very big, very fast - I think these last few weeks are on hyper-speed.  Last week found us at the west end of the island in Sav-la-Mar installing a 12 station computer lab and 6 computers in the new library.at Mt. Grace Junior High School   We did have a little time to take a dip into the ocean and on Saturday we rented jet skis and explored the area around 7-mile beach in Negril.

Installing computers in the lab.

The remodeled library - Sav Branch painting job and installing computers.

This teacher is so excited - well, she doesn't look it here, but she is absorbed.

This is the cover to a textbook - Fran pay attention to this and the next picture.

Can you read the evaluation section heading?

The computer lab will help the teachers encourage kids to read and will help them teach computer skills.  This school is located in the middle of sugar cane country.  Parents encourage their kids to start work in the cane fields early and forget about school.  The principal told us that there are about 40% of the students who read below grade level or are illiterate.  They are not encouraged to read at home and they really have very few books to read in the school library.  Our project included knocking a wall down between two rooms, putting new bookshelves all around the rooms, and installing 6 computer stations for the library use.   We were able to obtain many boxes of books from Food for the Poor and donate these to the library. The Sav Branch helped us paint the walls of the library.  It's a good project and we wish them well as they put these computers and this new library to good use.

Coming home, we started the week buying two more ncomputing modules for Pepper Primary School's computer lab, supervising the delivery of a 20' container for equipment storage on the Spanish Town farm, buying a dump truck load of gravel for Ewarton Primary School parking lot, delivering school kits to the Ochie Branch and buying paint and brushes for the St. Ann's Bay Hospital service project.  We are both preparing for presentations we have been asked to do at the Island wide YSA Conference on August 5 and 6.  In other words, we haven't had time to breath; Theron has spent 8 - 10 hours each day behind the wheel of the Toyota!  What we are trying to do is wrap up several projects before we leave so Whiteheads don't have so much to clean up.  We feel like this is a race to the end and the time is zipping past so fast that we can't believe it.  It is truly now a race to the finish.

Glad OSHA isn't on the job here.

We are the proud owners of a 20' container!

We have heard from the Springwood Ward at home that September 11 will be our homecoming.  Hope to see all of you who read the blog! :)

Sending our love and prayers to Brittney

One of the most difficult trials of a senior mission is leaving home and family.  We knew this going in and are grateful we chose this path, but we long to be home at times to lend our support and love.  This past week and yesterday was another poignant time when we long to be home.

Our dear daughter-in-law, Brittney, has been suffering for a time with nausea and general "not feeling well."  Marc has been keeping us up-to-date (somewhat) on what is happening and we have been doing the only thing we can do-- praying for her.  As a mother, I fully understand how difficult it is to be ill and have to continue to care for a nursing 4-month old and a hyper smart and active 2-year old.  You drag yourself around and just go through the motions of living.

Yesterday, she had surgery to remove her gallbladder.  This means some recovery time and we hope some time to catch up on rest.  Times like this try all senior missionaries -- we want so much to be home to help.  Brittney, we love you and send our prayers for your recovery and renewal of "mother/wife/sister/homemaker" strength.  People often say that they wish you a "quick" recovery.  Brittney, we wish you a complete, relaxing (yah right), and healthful recovery.   Take your time!

We have reflected of late hearing about Brittney's condition and knowing the frantic life she is keeping in being a mother with young children and marvel at our children's strength and endurance.  We are grateful that our son, Marc, is showing compassion and taking his fatherly responsibilities seriously of entertaining the children, changing diapers, and preparing meals.  We know from personal experiences that he can cook mac 'n cheese and chicken nuggets and he likes to eat them.  We understand that he is away most of the day at work and are thankful that when he is home, he is home.  Yesterday, we called several times and found him holding Ali, taking the kids for a milk shake at In and Out, and putting the children to bed so that they could have a sense of "normal" during this experience.

We are learning a new appreciation for "in-laws."  Cindy, Brittney's mother, is wonderful.  She is giving so much time and care that only a mother can give, but also giving so much to the two little one's who love Grandma Cindy.

Through trials come our blessings and we are seeing blessings come to our children.  We wish they didn't have to have trials, but that is the only way we are strengthened. 

Lest our Adrian and Curt feel left out, we love you and miss you, also.  We have smiled each time we see our children get together supporting each other.  We are grateful for family and the strength of family.

This week finds us traveling to the west of the island where we have limited Internet access.  Catch you for the update when we get back on Saturday.  Love and Kisses -- Mom and Dad

14 Jamaicans, 19 wheelchairs, 1 wheelchair training

Today we attended Fast and Testimony Meeting on the North side of the island at the Montego Bay Branch where we had been conducting a three day wheelchair technician training seminar.  This is the third (and final!) Wheelchair Training session we have conducted on the island.   The first two session were held last October in Kingston where we trained people from health care groups in the Kingston and Spanish Town region on how to properly select, assess, and teach wheelchair recipients about use of a wheelchair (yes it does take two days of training and yes the trainees have the same question). 

MoBay Wheelchair Training Class, July 2011

This last session was to provide training to health care workers from the resort communities of the North and the rural towns from the East and West sides of the island.  We held the training in MoBay and required that the 12 trainees provide their own transportation which involved several hours of travel for most of them.  Because of the distances involved we paid for them to stay three nights at the Holiday Inn resort and we provided daily shuttle service to our church in a 12 passenger bus.  There are a few facts that we have to explain so you get the right picture.  First, most of these individuals have never stayed in a hotel, let alone an all-inclusive resort.  Second, some of these people have never left the parish they live in, let alone travel all the way across Jamaica to the other side of the island.  Third, they never ride in a 12-passenger bus with only 12 people; it's usually 15-20 people in rub-a-dub-dub style (this refers to a rather suggestive dance move that is performed on the island).  It was fun to see them out enjoying the amenities of the resort including the all you can eat buffet, entertainment, pools, drinks (with little umbrellas) and hot showers!

These Jamaicans were all there to learn how to fit people properly into a wheelchair.  They attended two full days of training (Thursday and Friday) and Saturday they applied their skills and measured and assessed people who need wheelchairs.  As before, our hearts were touched with the results of this program.

This 14 year old young man would not stop smiling, literally would not stop smiling!  He said he could scoot around the house without a chair, but he needed the chair so his mother could help him outside and getting him to school. 

Marshal observing Marshal Jr's. evaluation

When calling to remind the recipients of the time and place we were told by one man that we had a wrong number, however sometimes we're given the phone number for a friend of the "mobility impaired" so we asked if he knew the person, or if he knew someone who needed a wheelchair.  He thought a moment and said that his nephew, Junior, needed a chair.  Thus by calling a wrong number, this second 14 year old boy is now very mobile in one of the out-door Ruff-Rider Chairs.

The training ended and the trainees returned home with some great memories of new experiences, new friends, new knowledge and abilities, and new resources to help their fellow countrymen.
 

Moving wheelchairs into the chapel in the rain.

This was a week of finalizing one more project.  We worked hard, we relished the new experiences of our Jamaican friends, and we witnessed service to the poor and needy.  We are now back in Kingston ready to resume a hectic schedule of buying material to build chicken coops. We wonder what it will be like to be home without a schedule, but we're sure that one of us will quickly start developing one!