Back to Jamaica and lovin it.

We are busy busy with travel, visiting classes, reconciling the PEF account and Sister Andersen's new assignment of calling and talking with every PEF student on the island once per month. On October 31st we visited the Junction Branch for all three Sunday Meetings.  They had 4 young men in attendance who as of yet do not belong to the church.  I do not think they yet have the understanding of Sacrament meeting as all 4 came into the meeting with their coke soft drinks and put them under their chairs while meeting was going on.  One of the Elders from Bountiful played the keyboard while we sang the opening and sacrament hymns then a little girl kept wandering around during the meeting and tripped over the electrical cord and rendered it unusable so there went the music.  Our purpose for going was to meet Sister Green the institute teacher and find out when she holds her class.  She advised us that it would be held on Thursday evenings at 6 pm. On Thursday we were about to leave for the branch (45 min to one hr away) and I thought we should call the branch president to make sure it would be held that night and he advised us no - she had held it on Tuesday and had permenantly changed the day to Tuesday.  no problem... we did manage to visit her class however last Tuesday the 9th. There was one non member in attendance and we certainly enjoyed our time with the 5 in attendance.  That started our busy week. On Thursday we went into Kingston and I worked Thrusday and Friday on the PEF account while Fran did her student calling. She was able to complete all calls in the 2 days and now will repeat the process next month.  On Thursday evening we attended the Jamaica PEF committee meeting and made plans for starting the firesides again in April/May time frame. We would like to get several more members into the program...especially the male population.  Worldwide in the program the percentages are 49% male and 51% female.  Here in Jamaica we are running only 36% male. Hopefully we can get more of them interested and enrolled in University or a trade school.

Neighborhood update.  This past week we were disappointed in that Elder Higgin and his wife could not come to our home to discuss the Book of Mormon he is reading.  However, in a subsequent conversation I said "you are reading the Book of Mormon but I think it is not fair that only you have the book, would you like one for Sister Higgin so she can read too."?   I am happy to report that he was very accepting of having a book for her too which I promptly delivered.  In addition, I have gotten 2 more books out in the neighborhood and one more to get to another neighbor I talked with last week.  Fran and I are planning to have a "cottage meeting" one of these evenings and invite the whole neighborhood to see how many will actually come and listen to us about the church.  Elder Higgin and his wife will come to our home as soon as here health permits and we are anxious to share the Joseph Smith story and our testimonies with them.  The Jamaican people are very friendly and outgoing people and we are enjoying our service here.  We do not know if we will see any fruits of our labors but even if we do not there will be one neighborhood that will know of the church.  Signed: 7/11....Seven down and eleven to go... but whose counting..  Jack.