The Days of Our Lives - To the end of days

We have been on the west side of the island where we don't have Internet connection.  However, today we are back in Kingston.  This will be our final post to everyone and the next time we talk to you of Jamaica, it will be in-person to family and friends.

Friends -- These past few days have been ones of emotion and sadness.  We are leaving some of the most choice people we will ever again meet in our life time.  Friday evening, the Mandeville District gave us a funeral like no other.  They had members, leadership, a RADA leader, the principal of Pepper School and our dear, dear friend Myrtle Hall talk about our work.  We were given a few moments and showed slides of various projects we had done across the island.  From branch to branch, they do not know the scope of the work which we did nor the scope of the Church's involvement across the island, but they are keenly aware of how their and our lives have been intertwined. 

The Morrison Family - Jackie, Courtney and the boys.

Some of our friends from Mandeville!

A rousing game of dominoes as part of our party.

Saturday was spent wrapping up some projects and doing month-end financial reports.

Sunday was the last time we will meet with our sweet Kingston Branch.  Just one-half hour before Sacrament meeting, President Martin called me to speak in Sacrament Meeting, then I had to teach Sunday School.  I love teaching the lessons here, they are so humble and so teachable.  It is a sweet experience.  I hope Pres. calls someone soon to fill that spot.  After meetings, we picked up Elder and Sister Flake and drove across the island to Negril.

Monday was a morning in the sun and some snorkeling in Negril.  The afternoon brought rain and that was just fine because we had to drive to Lucea (about 40 minutes) and spend an hour in a hardware store buying lumber and other supplies for the Lucea School project.  I had the primo hardware experience, we got to sit in the manager/owner's office and go through the order with him.  I walked behind the counter!

Tuesday, today, we drove back to Kingston, stopping in Pepper to teach some teachers about using the new computer lab.  Then in Mandeville to take the elders to lunch at Burger King and then to Spanish Town to get a bid for honey extractors and to look at the 6-pack chicken coop and then home.  It makes for a long day of Elder Schaefermeyer driving a dodge 'em car and us sitting!  That's life in the fast lane for us.

We have just completed our personal interviews with the Mission President and are quickly slinging things into the suitcases.  What a great ride this has been!  See you on Thursday if the airlines have their schedules back to normal from Hurricane Irene.  Love and Kisses -- Elder and Sister Schaefermeyer

Signing out for the last time on our blog from Jamaica!

The Final Days of Our Lives - Days 8 and 7

I have to combine two days at this point, tomorrow we close our Internet account and that means we will not have Vonage until we get home.  We will be at the Mission Home where we will resume Internet access, but no more Vonage -- the phone is gone until September 2.  Sorry Marc.

It has been so fun to have Marc and sometimes Curt call us on the phone in a morning as they are driving to work.  We have had lots of chats over the months and we appreciate our sons (Adrian doesn't go to work so she doesn't call then.) for wanting to still talk to mom and dad about "things".  Technology is amazing, we are only a phone call or video chat away.

What fun it has been most Sunday nights to video chat with Marc and Brittney and watch Mason run around and Ali laugh.  We have also had family home evening a couple of times with Adrian, Todd, Cameron and Taylor.  Taylor has performed for us on the violin and Cameron has demonstrated how to jump on the new trampoline.  We have met new people that Curt hangs out with from time to time.  Missions do not have to be lonely times away from the family.  The only thing you can't do is hug and kiss them.  You can always tell them you love them and we have done and will continue to do so!  Family -- WE LOVE YOU!!

See you in one week now.

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 9

The weather -- hot and humid, but no Hurricane-- We're really not complaining about that.  Whew, we dodged another one.  No earthquake in Jamaica either!  Today was a wild weather day on the east coast of the U.S. with a 5.8 earthquake and the upcoming hurricane.  Hope all the air traffic is back to normal the day we fly home.

Please remember our elders in the Turks and Caicos and Bahamas!  They are right in the direct path of the hurricane.  Wind and rain usually help the cleanliness of the elder's apartments but hurricanes take it to a whole new level.

Today's activities: Thanks to Sister Flake for helping clean the kitchen.  Sorry no pictures, but it wasn't a pretty sight.


Final meeting with our friends at Food for the Poor and formal introduction of Elder and Sister Whitehead.  Inspection of 500 new wheelchairs which finally arrived.

Back, L-R: Ryan Peralto, CEO; E. Schaefermeyer; Ron Burgess, COO.  Front, L-R: Susan Moore, Medical Director; S. Schaefermeyer; Faith Jumpp, Distribution Manager.

500 new wheelchairs!  Us and Susan and Isaac Millard.

 Dinner with Tracy Meddow and Rondal Anderson (soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Anderson).  We lined them up on their first date last Valentines day and are very happy that they are planning a wedding.  They are both returned missionaries and will form a very strong family in Jamaica.

Rondal Anderson and Tracy Meddow - our very special friends!

Stand-by for more exciting packing and cleaning tomorrow!

Days of Our Lives - Final Day 10 (Countdown begins)

Today found us cleaning the apartment.  All around us people burn their garbage in open fires, thus we have a soot build up all the time.  This is the last time to clean the black grime from things.  We also started cleaning out our closets.  There is a nice big bag of clothes we are leaving behind.  I will be so glad to get some other clothes.  I'm really tired of the skirts and blouses I have been wearing for 18 months!!!  Remember, I have written often that they don't sell clothes in hardware stores.

The stuff we have collected that won't fit in our suitcases.

We are giving kitchen and other items we have purchased to other senior missionaries.  It's great how you have someone who needs your items just as badly as you did when you arrived.  We were grateful for previous humanitarian missionaries for all the supplies they left for us.

We just finished a very informative FHE conducted by Elder Vinas.  It's impossible to express the number of things we learned, but his focus was on senior missionaries and their value and also their weaknesses.  One weakness is to be assigned to a branch and "go in and take over".  Throughout our whole mission, we have tried to remember "shadow leadership".  It is important for us to recognize the presiding priesthood authority -- branch and district presidents.  The second principle taught tonight applies to the Church worldwide -- traditions.  We, meaning all Church members, need to steer clear of creating traditions such things as always standing during the intermediate hymn.  This is a tradition here, but the reality is that if the presiding authority authorizes this, it's appropriate, but also it is appropriate to not have an intermediate hymn or to have various musical numbers.  The tradition is doing it week after week.  Anyway, we all understand these things and senior missionary couples need constant reminders about our roles just like every missionary.

What a wonderful experience to be taught in an informal gathering, chatting about the Church.  It can only happen in the mission field -- hint, hint to those who are reading this blog and are of such an age to serve!

Gineups -- It's the season for this fruit.  It's a little larger than a red grape, has a hard outer shell that you pierce with your fingernail, has a slimy fruit and a large seed.  You suck the slime off the seed.  Actually, a good ripe gineup is fairly sweet, but there's not much there to eat.

And so ends day 10.

The Days of Our Lives - Final Day 11

We love our little Kingston Branch.  Each Sunday there are the same people in attendance, it is pretty static and there have been no baptisms for quite a while.  Today, a fairly new priesthood holder, adult man, not sure if he is a Priest or Elder, was saying the prayer on the bread.  After two starts, President Martin, our Branch President, went over and knelt down by him and helped him through the prayer.  That was a precious moment for me seeing one priesthood brother loving another one and helping them along in the gospel.

One more Sunday and this week begins the 10 day count down.  Don't know why we are so focused on the number of days left, because we are torn and saddened about these last days.  I can understand why missionaries don't like to let people know how long they have left.  It's easier if you just leave, rather than continually saying good-by, but I guess good-bys are a necessary part of every life. 

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.