The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 12

Senior couples with Elder and Sister Vinas.

When we arrived in Jamaica in March 2010, we attended a zone conference in Mandeville.  Today was zone conference for the Kingston Zone and we attended our second zone conference.  We humanitarian missionaries are always invited to zone conferences but not really required to attend, so we figured one at the beginning and one at the end makes for a good missionary experience.  Elder Vinas, the Area President for the Caribbean, was presiding and teaching.  What a delight to be taught by a general authority and catch a glimpse of their vision and wisdom.  We are always grateful to hear from President Hendricks.  He has such insight into the scriptures and he is seeing them as a past Temple President.  What a highlight for our final days.

Elder Vinas pointed out a scripture that was hidden from me, it really touched me.  He was talking about the importance of the Book of Mormon in the our day.  Personalize this --(let grandma preach a little now):

D&C 84:54-58 - 54: And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received -- (Think of what we have received by way doctrine, priesthood, etc. in these days.  One of the things we have received above all else is the Book of Mormon.  How is our mind darkened or what do we treat lightly?)  55: Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. (I alone can begin to bring the church under condemnation if I begin to neglect reading the scriptures, prayer, etc.  This is done one person at a time.)  56: And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.  (It doesn't matter what others say or do about the Church and it's teachings, it is what a "child" of Zion - a baptized, active member does.)  57: And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written-- 58: That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.  (I was enlightened to think that not reading and applying the teachings of the Book of Mormon, individually, could have such a condemning power.  Do we take this too lightly? Think back when Pres. Hinckley asked everyone to read the Book of Mormon.  Wasn't he trying to lift the Church and elevate our lives and perhaps remove the condemnation that was eminent.  When was the last time you read the Book of Mormon or do you take it's teachings lightly?  Start reading today.)

The afternoon was spent moving our desk, filing cabinet and bookshelf to the Whitehead's apartment.  We are so thankful for full-time elders who bring enthusiasm to every job.  One elder in particular, Toutai, came up the stairs for the last time, "Sister Schaefermeyer, what would be to eat?"  (Now, these elders had just finished lunch at TGI Fridays.)  I told him I didn't have anything to eat, but we were giving away food in the cupboard, he loaded up and Sister Flake and I just silently laughed.  He took a large grocery sack full and told us we saved him for the month because someone had stolen his backpack on the bus with all his money.  You just have to love these elders, they are survivors and they do it with a smile.

Elder Toutai carrying the desk down the stairs.

The troop of elders carrying drawers and boxes.  Thanks guys!!!

Each day brings a last experience.  Our last zone conference, the last visit from the elders and the last of our food. I Guess this move is really going to happen.

Love to all. 

Appreciate the atonement and think about it's importance as you take the sacrament tomorrow!

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 13

This was lucky 13.  Tonight the Kingston Branch, the branch we attend on Sundays, gave us an "Everything Jamaica" party.  It was great.  They were so excited to entertain and cook some "real" Jamaican food for us.  The true group was there, this branch is so small and the regular people participate in everything.  That's okay with us, we love them -- President Martin who is not yet 30; his family of Icent, Ashley, and Duquan; Peaches and Amelia Malcolm the Relief Society President and her daughter; Brother and Sister Duhaney; Brother Williams who writes original poetry; Deidre Ferguson and her fiance Bro. Reed (we can't remember his first name); Brother and Sister Mendez and their 7 year old son.  These are the most friendly, loving people you will ever meet.

Just a few pictures of the night.  We have some video to show when we get home.  You have to hear the patois.

Sister Icent Martin and little Duquan

Amelia and Peaches Malcolm

Peaches performing Jamaican poetry.  It's a riot how they get into it.

Brother Williams reading his poem about Schaefermeyers.  Note the hat - he made it.

Rundown fish on the left and fried salt fish on the right. You eat everything of the fried salt fish - it's crunchy.

Here I go.  One of the elders challenged me to eat it all -- I did.  I'm so brave.

In the front is breadfruit - it grows in a large ball on the tree; back left is ackee the national fruit - tastes like scrambled eggs; and the front right are dumplings - fried dough balls.

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 14

This is our 2 weeks notice world, we are coming home!  That is if we survive the two weeks.  Today was going to be an easy day -- drive to Mandeville, meet for 1/2 an hour with President Morrison, go see his bees (another 3/4 of an hour), install some software and finish cabling the computers at Pepper Primary School and drive home.  No problem mon, we'll be home by 3:00 p.m.  Yea right, mon.

President Morrison was 1.5 hours late arriving at the Mandeville Chapel.  Plan B:  Have Bennie ride with him to his bee site and that way he can interview him while they drive.  Okay, we get to the bees (the best part of the day), everyone would really like to stay and help feed the bees.  This is the dearth season and the bees are fed sugar water.  However, we still have the school which is at least a 1/2 hour drive and at least a 1/2 hour of work.

Theron, Bennie Lilly and President Morrison at his bees.

Artificial feeding because this is the dearth season.

I made chicken salad sandwiches, guacamole (this is the pear/avocado season) and chips for lunch, we eat this in the car driving to the school.  Sorry about the tie Bennie (he spilled guacamole on it while we were driving on windy roads.)  We arrive at the school around 2ish, a few little glitches, but got it all done.  We left after 4 p.m.  The rains are very hard driving through Mandeville and down the dugway, but we made it again safe and sound and arrive in Kingston a little after 6 p.m.  The Chinese are cooking tonight and home - easy by 7:30 p.m.  What happened to 3 in the afternoon?  The best laid potholes.

Happy 1/2 year birthday Ali Jo!  We can't wait to come home and hold you!

You can't hug a picture, but it's darn cute to look at!

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 15

Over these 18 months, we have had the opportunity to associate with, work with, and become friends with some very special people.  These last three days of visiting project sites and saying good-bye is making us realize just how much we care about these wonderful Jamaican brothers and sisters.


Today, we said good-bye to dear Suzette Miller who was our bee trainer and mentor at Bodles Research Center and we said good-bye to President Deans and President Dennis of the Spanish Town District Presidency.  President Deans has been a wonderful priesthood leader.  He is a special priesthood leader who helped us through the days of organizing and writing the food initiative.  He wants to these projects to be successful and we want him and the projects to be successful.

The last meeting with Presidents Dennis on left and Deans on right.

Sisters Brown, Sousa and Smith of Portmore are wonderful sisters who love the gospel and express so much gratitude for the few things they have and for the small gardens they have received.  Each one has struggled through life and continues to smile and extend a hand of friendship and love to others.  They and so many others are showing us how to make lemonade from a life of lemons.

Paul, one of the farmers, standing in the field of sorrel and the new irrigation pipe.

Sister Sousa's garden.

Sister Brown standing in door to her house.

Sister Brown's raised be garden.  You have to walk through her house to get to this area.

Sister Smith and Sister Smith by the latter's garden.  Thanks Sister Smith!

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 16

Just a reminder that Bennie Lilly, Area Welfare Manager from the Dominican Republic, is here looking at our projects and learning more about our mission work.  Having said that, the itinerary for today was:  Salisbury Plain Shadehouses, Brown's chicken coop, off Stoney Hill Road, Eulalee Davis' coop on the roof, dinner with President and Sister Hendricks.

The Fruit Tree Shadehouses was a project started under the previous humanitarian missionaries, we have worked our entire mission trying to get the project finished.  It's getting close, but we won't be the ones to press the Submit button.  Today, we were in hopes that the pump could be used to run the first water through pipes.  Not so.  When Elder Schaefermeyer hit the switch, the pump did not go.  He decided to bring it back and "look" at it.  McGyver went right to work and fixed it.  Friday we will take it back to Salisbury Plain (another 2 hour journey) and make it work.  He thinks it just has sat around too long; things rust in this humid weather.  Stop #1 - not very impressive.

A good review of the pump with the "farmer" present.

The pump repair man reassembling the pump.

We then drove to "prospective member" Brown's to see his chicken coop.  This coop is built in a banana orchard on the side of a hill.  Brown's wife is a member and signed up for the project.  A requirement to get a coop is that you had to commit to help 2-3 others build their coops.  His wife told us that he would work on theirs but would probably not work on any other coop.  Not so.  He has helped build several coops and is delighted to help others.  Elder Flake continues to work with him and we'll see what happens!  We are hoping he is the first baptism from a chicken coop project.

The wide road leading to Brown's

Now the narrow trail at the end of the wide road leading to Brown's

Elder Whitehead, bennie Lilly, and Mr. Brown at his chicken coop.

Our favorite project is Eulalee Davis' coop on the roof.  We have to show everyone because this is our personal success.  She is planning on buying 25 more chickens in February (you can only buy layers 2 times a year - Feb and June).  She has more demand for the eggs than she can supply.  She expressed how for the first time in her life she is paying tithing.  She is teaching her grandchildren how to work by gathering eggs, cleaning, and maintaining the coop. We commented today how each time we visit, her home and self are cleaner and cleaner.  We love Eulalee as much as her chickens do -- they literally follow her around.

Sister Davis and the coop on the roof. (grandson in yellow shirt on bottom right is nailing the drape to the weight at the bottom)

We added the Dunrobin Basic School to our list of sites.  You have seen this one in a previous blog.  It's the school that had the 650 gallon water tank stolen during the Christmas holidays, and a discussion of a follow-up project at an adjoining school.  Then, on to a little talk time with Bennie about the scope of our food project.  It's really good to talk to someone who kind of knows what it's about, but doesn't know the details.  We realized how many things we have learned, how many gospel principles can be taught and how a life can be changed just by providing them with a chicken coop.  (There's a good topic for our homecoming talks.)

We just finished having dinner at Gauchos and now we are full, satisfied and tired.  A great 16th day.

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 17

7:00 a.m. - Water aerobics in the pool for 1/2 hour.  No matter how hard I have tried, I can't lose any weight.  I'm just glad most of my clothes still fit.

9:00 a.m. - Grocery store for last minute stuff for dinner I'm cooking tonight and, the daily trip to the hardware store.  We needed 2 extension cords and some small screws for the Pepper Primary School computers.

10:30 a.m. - Drive to the airport to meet Bennie Lilly, the Area Welfare Manager.  He is touring Jamaica this week with the humanitarian missionaries.  Bennie is a great guy and we are so glad to have the opportunity to work with him.

Noon - Lunch at Chillitoes the Jamexican restaurant we eat at on Tuesdays (taco Tuesday).  They know all the elders and sisters by name, well we do wear a badge, but we go in and they know exactly what our order is going to be.  Today was Monday, they weren't quite prepared, but it was still good.  We invited Elder and Sister Flake to dine with us and talk with Bennie about their perspective of helping with the food initiative.

1:30 - 4:00 p.m. - Training for Elder and Sister Whitehead on CHaS and the financial program.  Bennie worked with them in answering questions and showing them some features of the program.

5:30 p.m. - Dinner with Bennie and Whiteheads.  I'm cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer and had a turkey roast so I put it in the crock pot to cook and then threw some other things together.  I was so much better than eating out, which is what the rest of the week will hold.

6:30 p.m. - Leave for the Mission Home for seniors Family Home Evening.  We love getting together with all the senior couples.  The event tonight was an evaluation of the YSA Conference.  Great comments and suggestions and it looks like this next year will be bigger and better than ever.  We always find out mission news -- Elder Harold and Sister Diane Smith were transferred from Ocho Rios to Junction.  That's the big news.  Quite a transfer from the north side city section of the island to the south side farm district of the island.  Three couples got engaged at or soon after YSA Conference.  Several youth were activated because of attending this event.

After 9:00 p.m. - Arrive Home and write a blog to finish off Day #17.  All is well.

The weather is hot and humid.

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 18

I love Sunday meetings here.  The talks and testimonies are so pure.  Today we attended the Spanish Town 2 Branch District Conference.  President Harold Smith asked us to be there because he was being released.  We have formed a bond with President Smith; he was the one who really got us thinking a year ago about the welfare program of the Church and the food initiative.

It was very evident that President Deans, the District President, had never conducted a meeting where the branch leadership and elder's quorum leadership were being reorganized.  He was nervous about making certain everything was done in order - after all, the mission president was sitting behind him.  The new branch president is the former elder's quorum president, Royce Britton.  I asked some sisters how old he was; their answer was -- he is a returned missionary of several years, married and has three children -- he has to be well over 25.  Yup, he is very young as are several branch presidents.  This is a new time in Jamaica; the youth are the leaders and most of them did not grow up in the Church.

This is a priceless picture:  The mission presidency - Ulett, Hendricks, Brown.  The Spanish Town District Presidency - Lawton, Deans (President) and Dennis.

Elder Schaefermeyer is helping out the Mission President.  I'm assuming that the president needed someone who is a high priest.  You read between the lines on that one.

One of my goals this year is to read one book about each of our modern day prophets.  I'm currently reading the writings of George Albert Smith.  Today being Sunday, I'm taking the time to counsel our children:

"If you were to take from the world today the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants were wiped out, we would have a world without any hope of eternal life in the celestial kingdom.  The people of the world wouldn't even know what it means. I don't say that disparagingly, but I am trying to say it so we will appreciate the blessings that the Lord has given to us."

As we have driven some 30,000 miles across Jamaica these last 18 months, I have written down the names of various Churches.  I have a accumulated the names of 193 churches with the Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists and Methodists counted only once.  It's tough going for our missionaries to teach the restored gospel to these protestant sects.  No wonder so many people are confused about life and eternal life.

Today I leave a challenge to our family to read the scriptures; this is the Lord's library.

Love to all this Sabbath Day.