The Lost is Found

We hate to admit that we are getting old - well, okay, we are old.  Old people lose things and this week we lost a whole day. 

The English always celebrate Boxing Day the day after Christmas.  Christmas was Saturday, so Boxing Day was celebrated on Sunday and of course Monday (You've got to have a day off work you know.)  We finally found out what Boxing Day is -- it's the day you box up old things, new things, or whatever and give them to the poor, it's the original form of re-gifting - it's what you did before they invented the "return" lines at Walmart.  All this time I thought Boxing Day was a description of the fighting that occurs in the "return" lines.   

Monday we drove to the Shade House Project on Salisbury Plain and found that the pump still has not been installed.  Tuesday we stayed in the apartment all day and completed some much needed paperwork and made phone contacts -- still not many people are working this week.  In the meantime, we began organizing the senior missionary New Years Eve activities. We wanted to go to the Terra Nova restaurant for dinner on Friday but in calling, they wanted J$10,000 a plate (about $120 US).  We didn't think we could drink enough alcohol to get our money's worth, so we decided to go to dinner on Thursday.  Friday we will have a barbecue at the Mission Home and then attend the district New Years Eve Party and possibly view the fireworks in Kingston Harbor - if we can stay up that late.

Never let it be said that we are counting the days until we come home.  In fact its quite the opposite - we somehow lost a day and didn't recognize our error until we called for reservations for Thursday night and were told "we'll see you tomorrow".   Luckily I glanced at my watch and noticed the day was Wednesday and not Tuesday or I would have started to "straighten her out"!  

As we find our days again in order, we wish all of you a Happy New Year 2011!!  We send our love from Jamaica and will see you all in 8 months and 2 days, (if we don't get confused and stay a few days longer). 

The year of no Christmas program

Each year I look forward to the sacrament program before Christmas.  I marvel at the music, the reading of the Christmas message, the marvelous spirit everyone has in giving and merrily expressing our greetings of love to each other.  I love the lights, even though I complain in jest about helping Theron put them up, I love them.  (This year his holiday lighting consisted of putting 3 new light globes in our ceiling light and one in the refrigerator.)  Most of all, I love the message of Christ that resonates from everywhere.

With all these thoughts and anticipations, I was looking forward to the Kingston Branch Christmas Sacrament meeting.  In our past wards, we started singing Christmas hymns the first Sunday in December; this year we didn't.  I asked on the first Sunday why we didn't sing Christmas songs and was told that it was fast and testimony meeting; we don't sing about Christmas now.  My thought was why not we are singing of the Christ that we are testifying of, why not?  On this Sunday before Christmas, we did sing Christmas hymns, but that was the end of any mention of the season.

The first two speakers were the office elders, Elder Stone and Elder Packard.  They had been called to speak just a half-hour before the meeting started.  You would think they would chose the easiest thing to speak about - Christ and Christmas.  One talk was on keeping the Sabbath Day holy and the other was a testimony of the gospel.  Not one word about Christmas.  The main speaker was Brother Andersen, our new ward mission leader, who had also been asked to speak just before the meeting started.  He spoke on the Word of Wisdom.  He did make one reference to Christmas which was that he hasn't eaten his grandmother's rum laden Christmas cake since he was baptized.  The Jamaica Christmas cake is made with rum; they soak the fruit in rum for weeks before they make the cake.  The program was quickly going from bad to worse in my mind and heart.  President Martin, the Branch President, stood to speak because the other speakers had left 10 or so minutes remaining.  My thought was there is so much to speak about, we could have had two sacrament meetings about what we will celebrate this week.  President Martin rambled on about various things and testified of family and said that he too had to give up eating Christmas cake made by others.

Not one word in our precious Sacrament meeting time was spoken about the upcoming celebration.  No reading of the Christmas story written by Luke.  No expression of the ultimate trust our Heavenly Father had in Mary to nurture and love his precious son, Jesus Christ.  No mention of the miracle that happened in the other world of the night being as day testifying that Christ had indeed been born in Bethlehem.  No mention of the importance of the shepherds, humble men who came to worship.  No mention of the stable, the wise men, the star, and the angelic choirs.  Without the birth of Christ, we would not have the atonement; we would not have the fulfillment of John the Baptist's mission; we would not have the scriptures of the miracles; we would not have the earthly words of Christ recorded for edification.  The birth is a keystone.

My heart is full of gratitude for all the many brothers and sisters who gave of their talents in expressing through song and testimony this magnificent Christmas miracle.  I am grateful for a LaRae Dillingham who learned to play the piano as a child and shared her wonderful talent with us in so many Christmas programs.  I am grateful for Michael Moody, the General Church Music Chairman, for composing such beautiful Christmas songs and freely giving them to us as a gift.  I am grateful for Leanna Willmore who shares of her limited time to direct the magnificent choirs and bell ringers.

My Christmas this year was different, it almost wasn't Christmas until I decided to write these thoughts.  My Christmas is now in most precious memories and thoughts of precious people who have touched my life over the years.  I have also reflected on the Christmas Day I gave birth to our baby son Marc.  That was a precious gift to our family.  Our Heavenly Father has entrusted us with three precious spirits of whom we love so dearly.  They are my Christmas presents; I love you Adrian, Curt and Marc.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned from the Christmas program that wasn't is that Christmas resides in our hearts, our minds, and should become the strengthening testimony of our lives not only at this time, but always.

May all of you have a very Merry Christmas and relish in the joy of this season.

Sister Shanna Schaefermeyer, far away in Jamaica, but not far away from home and family.

A Season of a Thousand Opportunities

We have a quote from President Hinkley that we used in our family history presentations back in Utah.  President Hinkley said, "Service, that's what rolls the work along.  This is a season of a thousand opportunities."  I had contemplated this quote last year as we submitted our mission papers.  My thoughts then were, "There are a thousand different places to be sent and a thousand things we could be called to do, I wonder which one of the thousands we will be given"?  Well, this week I had to take President Hinkley's statement a little more literally.

On Thursday the 16th, we participated with Food For The Poor and the Salvation Army in a Christmas Treat for the Elderly.  We arrived at the park an hour before the announced 10:00 am starting time and found a long line of old people waiting for the gates to open.  This is, in and of itself, remarkable because in Jamaica nobody shows-up anywhere earlier than an hour AFTER an announced event starting time. 

Shortly after 10:00 the gates were opened and the infirm were brought in and seated at the long tables placed under large white "event" tents.  Shortly thereafter the others in line were escorted to their seats.  They were "escorted" to insure that things were done in an orderly fashion.  Apparently elderly doesn't necessarily equate to orderly when lining up for the Christmas Treat.  But it was fun taking many of the women by the arm and walking across the stadium to their seat.  They were excited to be there and were certainly in a festive mood. 

There were tickets given out for the event and many came with tickets that weren't colored quite like the original - but they were allowed in anyway, along with many who showed up without a ticket. We kept setting up tables, chairs and tents to accommodate as many as possible. Eventually we were out of room and had to leave many people on the outside of the fence to stand and watch from afar.

Tents full of old people!

The salvation army played Christmas Songs and everyone sang.  They had a well-known Jamaican entertainer who sang and everyone danced!  You haven't lived until you've seen people in wheelchairs or standing with only one leg, dance and celebrate the Christmas season!

Here is a video of some of the dancing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXcjnqj-Eqc

A traditional lunch of chicken with rice and peas was served followed by many of the old people coming up to the microphone to sing or tell poems.  Some of them had pretty good voices - and some did not.  The event concluded with the gifts being handed out as people left the stadium - again in a very orderly fashion! 

The gifts consisted of a plastic bag containing a bag of rice, one of Lima beans, a can of Vienna sausages and a can of mackerel.  A second bag was given that contained a LDS Hygiene Kit and a t-shirt along with a cap for the men and a pair of slippers for the women.

Shanna handing out some of the gifts.

 Now, about that "season of a thousand opportunities".  We seated 1300 people, served 1500 chicken lunches and handed out 1700 gifts - including to many of those still outside the gates!  I'm pretty sure that I've never given 1700 Christmas gifts before, but we did this year, and if you've contributed time or money to the Humanitarian Center, you were right there beside us  - participating in a Season of a Thousand-Seven-Hundred Opportunities for Service this Christmas.

Discovering a new attraction

I hesitate to write another blog about the "non-missionary" activities we are involved in, but you already know that that is exactly what I'm going to do.  I have several blogs that need to be written so I hope I can get a couple done today.

Last Monday we took Elders and Sisters Flake and Herbert over to see the Eighth Wonder of the World. We had been there before (see July 11 post) so they wanted to go.  Its a little exercise for the old folks so its a good outing.  Enough about that.  On the way home we stopped at a water diversion dam in Bog Walk Gorge just above Spanish Town.  This is a place we get a glimpse of as we travel up the canyon.  The dam is used to raise the level of the water to divert it down an irrigation canal and we have seen a security guard there so we assumed that we could not get too close to it. 



People walking across the river to Spanish Town



We parked a way below the dam and walked down  a steep hill where we found a small bridge to take us over the canal and a path that lead up to the diversion dam.  We quickly realized that that people living on the other side of the river had to walk across the river at the foot of the dam to get to town.  We spoke to a woman who was going to work, carrying her shoes and she walked.  As we walked across the river we passed two very young girls who were walking home from school together holding hands so they wouldn't fall down in the shallow but swift water.

There were  hundreds of Black-Fish swimming right at my feet

It turns out that the guard was responsible for adjusting and maintaining the flow of water in the canal and not for keeping people off the dam.  I asked him if anyone ever slid down with the water on the face of the dam and was told that yes, it happens all the time.  We then saw several young boys who said that they were going to slide but they had to wait until their food digested (somethings are the same all around the world).  They waited a good two minutes and then pulled off their pants and climbed up the stairs to the top of the dam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IteRG50I7s 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfyrTxgj5bI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KCNiUt3hUI

When I spoke of sliding, I pictured sitting down and sliding.  Sliding on their feet totally took me by surprise.  As much fun as it looked, I couldn't quite convince myself to take off my pants and follow suit (or suit-less) but I'm sure I'll have video of me one of these days.

The Family Visits

Missionaries often define their time on a mission as Lump, Hump, Bump, and Go Home.  Each signifies a six month time period - at least for those who are out for 24 months.  As our mission is only 18 months we  officially reached the Hump on the first of December, - we celebrated by hugging our other two children as they arrived the next day.  Nine months is a long time to be away from family - even when you are busy!  What a joy it was to hug our grandsons, Cameron and Taylor, our daughter Adrian, our son Curt, and our favorite son-in-law Todd.

In Jamaica, you want to look like you fit in.  Just tie the luggage to the top of the car.

They arrived in MoBay and we immediately packed the car and headed for Kingston - a 4-hour drive through some of the best winding, pothole laden, narrow roads of Jamaica.  They were witnessing our best, right out the gate. 

We stayed in Kingston for three days where we met the mission president, assistants, and met a favorite person of ours, Gerda Shand.  Gerda is the principal at Achievers Multi-Resource Centre.  We had just installed a new computer lab at this school and we wanted Cameron and Taylor to see a Jamaica school.  They didn't say a lot, but I think they will appreciate their schools more by having this experience.  Besides, we needed Curt and Todd's computer expertise to fix a problem we were having.  They came through and diagnosed and resolved the problems.  We could have gotten it fixed locally, but they work cheap and we will certainly use what the Lord (and Delta Frequent Flier Miles) has provided!

Elders Talbert and Lee with future elders Cameron and Taylor.

This was a vacation for them and for us (yes, senior missionaries can have vacation).  We traveled to the only beach near Kingston - Lime Cay.  Well, the beach is actually a 20 minute boat ride out of Port Royal to a small island.  The day was perfect; lots of sun, good snorkeling, lots of sand, and a real treat for Utahns' to get out of the snow and cold.  Actually, the water in the ocean was warmer than in our swimming pool - just ask Adrian who wouldn't get in the pool because it was too cold.

Gerda Shand at Achievers.

We almost had the whole island to ourselves.

December in Jamaica.

We were able to watch the Christmas Devotional at the branch in MoBay and then enjoy three great days at Sunset Beach Resort sipping virgin hummingbirds (ask Cameron about this drink, he turned into a lush of sorts - we're going to have to watch that kid), riding the water slide and lazy river, canoeing, paddleboating, and swimming, swimming swimming.  Taylor was waterlogged by the end of each day.  A cold front came through but Taylor didn't care, he was in the pool.  Theron, Todd and Curt went diving on Monday and on Wednesday we all went rafting down the Martha Brea River on bamboo rafts. The rafts used to be used to ferry the bananas down the river to market but now they haul an even better cash crop of tourists.

Vine swinging.

 

Sipping a hummingbird.

Just another day in Jamaica.

Thursday came all too quickly.  What a treat this was for us to have everyone so close, to talk and laugh, and just share time with.  Families are so important and we are ever grateful for our wonderful family.  What a joy to hug Cameron and Taylor and everyone else.  We loved to tell our stories about our work and have them give us encouragement and support.  It was a great way to celebrate our Hump day and now we are starting to think (and worry) about our Go Home day in another 9 months.

A Christmas Activity

It has been a while since we posted a blog and lots of things have happened, so this may turn into two or three different blogs.  We'll start with the Spanish Town District Relief Society Christmas service project of two Saturdays ago.  The sisters in the district were asked to donate soap, towels, canned food, and other items to be given to the residents of the St. Monica Home for the Elderly. Many of the item they were requesting are contained in our hygiene kits and since we had just received a new shipment we offered to add to what the sisters donate.  (May we sincerely thank all the many sisters and youth that go regularly to the humanitarian center or put together these kits in wards and stakes throughout the Church.  We appreciate these kits, the people literally treasure these kits, and they are just so perfect!  Thank you, thank you.)

Singing Christmas Songs

We committed 50 kits for the project, one for each elderly resident and one for each staff member.  Elder and Sister Herbert and we arrived at the announced time of 10:30 a.m; we had a wonderful time talking with the Herberts until the sister arrived around 11:30 a.m.  Okay, Jamaica time, no problem.  The District Relief Society President, Sister Campbell, had the staff bring the residents to the dining hall.  As they assemble, some are capable of walking on their own, others are in a wheelchair, and one sister was carried by an orderly.  A sweetness filled the room as each one assembled.  The first song from our small group of Relief Society sisters was "I Am A Child of God."  The sister leading the music expressed to each that we are all children of a Father in Heaven.  Tears rolled down one lady's face.

Lifting Spirits

We then started in with singing Christmas songs --  Away in a Manager, Silent Night, The First Noel, I Heard the Bells, O' Little Town of Bethlehem.  Here we were sweating in the small room filled with people, the coconut tree, breadfruit tree, and ackee tree standing resolute in the courtyard, not a breeze in all the air and we were singing Christmas songs.  I guess it felt like Christmas, but it didn't look like the Christmas' I am used to seeing.  The resident I was standing by was singing loudly to each song.  Others listened so intently and other sang along quietly.  Eyes were wet and hearts were swelling.

The Relief Society sisters prepared sandwiches and cake.

After the singing, we handed out the hygiene kits -- they were hugged.  For those residents that were bedridden, we took a kit to their bedroom.  Everyone was appreciative.  Small sandwiches and cake were given to everyone and all the other items donated by various sisters were distributed.  Never have I seen a small gift so warmly received.  What a wonderful way to start the Christmas season.

We are seeing Christmas trees and lights adorning businesses and homes (and palm trees - we even saw an artificial palm tree for sale next to the traditional Christmas trees outside a store in the mall), but we still can't sing "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas."  The sun is warm, the palm trees are swaying from time to time, but that's as far as it goes.  We have no decorations in the apartment and we both received our Christmas presents from home last week when Adrian was here.  I love my new Kindle and Theron loves his new socks.  This Christmas isn't about presents, it's about service and we hope our service is acceptable to the Lord.  May all of you have warmth in your hearts for family, friends and the wonderful gift that our Father in Heaven gave us on that first Christmas.  Merry Christmas to all.

Love,
Elder and Sister Schaefermeyer

We weren't very thankful, but . . .

There are times when we have to do things we are not thankful for, but we do them and they turn out to be some of our best moments, greatest blessings and most profound learning expereinces.  Several weeks ago, we received word that during the Thanksgiving holida, we would need to be in the Dominican Republic for humanitarian training.  President and Sister Hendricks had already planned a great senior missionary Thanksgiving and my how we wanted to be there.  That's how we approached this thankless trip to the DR.  Oh, it would be a great time to meet with all the other Caribbean humanitarian missionaries and interface with Bennie Lilly our direct supervisor over welfare, but we would have preferred a different week.



Tuesday we traveled from Jamaica to Miami to the Santo Domingo.  It did give us a chance to get a US stamp in our passports.  This was important because Jamaica requires that if you live there for over a year you have to get a country drivers license (which make us eligible for receiving traffice tickets); one little hop to Miami and we're good for another year; problem for us resolved.  One blessing realized from our trip.




Bennie Lilly, Elder and Sister Atkinson, Brother Theodore



We started the training early Wednesday morning and met Elder and Sister Angus (from Vernal) who serve in Guyana/Trinidad/Tobago, Elder and Sister Atkinson (from Alpine) who serve in the Dominican Republic and Brother Bertonie Theodor (from Haiti) who serves in Haiti.  We are the humanitarian corps in the Caribbean.



Training room at Area Offices.  Elder and Sister Angus and Theron's back.

 We were taught from the new Church Handbook of Instructions which contains several significant changes.  Perhaps the most important one is the new guiding principles of the Church.  We all know the - preach the gospel, perfect the saints, redeem the dead, but a fourth principle has been added -- care for the poor and needy.  With this change we learned that welfare councils are done away and ward councils (using all ward leadership) have this responsibility.  It brought our work so much into focus.

We also learned the difference between a bishop's storehouse and the Lord's storehouse.  My immediate reaction to this topic was 'we can't have one of these in Jamaica because we don't have a stake and bishops.'  Little did I know how much we now have to teach on this topic in Jamaica.  Look at D&C 82 and read alll the things that we are to bring to the bishop's storehouse.  I have always lumped 'talents and skills' with material resources, but after our workshop I will no longer think this, as I have now learned that even in places where no physical bishop's storehourse exists, there is the Lord's storehouse; it's stocked with all the talents, skills and testimonies of the members.  Immediately, my thoughts flowed to our food new initiative and that's exactly the way it was organized.  We give all the credit for this direction to the Lord.

In one of our discussions, Brother Theodore from Haiti whos native language is French, asked, 'What is a slum?'  For a brief moment, everyone in the room stopped breathing.  How do you answer this question?  The reference is all in our perspective and background.  He lives in Haiti; they are struggling with adequate housing, food and clean water which are all terms I would use as 'slums' yet to him this is not so.  What a narrow view of life I have.



If we had only attended this one day of training, our time in the DR would have been well spent.  We weren't very thankful to go, but we are indeed thankful now for the change it made in our hearts.

However, the day was not over.  In the early evening, Elder and Sister Coleman of the area presidency (from North Salt Lake) hosted our group to a complete Thanksgiving dinner.  Sister Coleman had baked for a couple of days the pies and turkey.  Sister Almeida (wife of the DTA - Director of Temporal Affairs)contributed part of the food as did Sister Anderson (wife of a member of the area presidency).  What a treat to be in this special home at this thankful time of year.  Thank you Colemans; we love and appreciate them.

Elder and Sister Atkinson (DR) and Brother and Sister Almeida

Elder and Sister Angus (Guyana) and Elder Coleman

Thursday's meetings started with Elder Coleman's weeping testimony of humanitarian work.  He talked about projects and people in Mexico when he was the Area President there.  Marc do you remember the first employment center in Monterrey?  It would have been about the time you served there.  He talked a lot about Monterrey, Mexico which is also a special place in our hearts because our son, Marc, served his mission there. 

Schaefermeyers, Almeidas, Atkinsons, Bennie Lilly, Bertonie Theodore, Angus', Elder and Sister Coleman



There is so much from this day that we will take back and try to implement and teach in Jamaica.  Our hearts are full and thankful.

The most special occurance was attending the Temple on this Thanksgiving Day.  What a special time for us.  It had been 9 months since we were last in the Temple.  That's the longest time we had ever been absent from participating.  If nothing else had happened, this would have been a highlight.



We weren't very thankful, but our hearts were touched, we were taught, we learned, our minds were opened and our attitude changed.  It still would have been wonderful to spend Thanksgiving in Jamaica, or even better at home with family, but this Thanksgiving opportunity will always be a highlight of our mission.

These comments from a talk that President Monson gave in May of 1986 summarize our charge and focus.  We share this and hope you feel his spirit and the spirit of our work:



He was speaking of the welfare program and it's initial purpose, "Our (the Church's) primary purpose was to set up, insofar as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more established amongst our people.  The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. . . . As we look back through fifty years and reflect on the development of the welfare program, as we look forward to the years ahead, let us remember the place of the priesthood, the role of the Relief Society, and the involvement of the individual.  Help from heaven will be ours."

Then he quotes, "How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is giv'n!

So God imparts to human heart The blessings of his heav'n.

No ear may hear his coming; But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still.  The dear Christ enters in. (Hymn 208)

I had never thought about these words from this song in conjunction with our welfare program, but I am thankful for the new perspective.