Friday, December 25, 2015

Christmas 2015 - Negril, Jamaica

Brodey's  Christmas Phone call:
-Demetri wants to get baptized in a river because it will wash his sins away the ocean will just keep bringing them back. He was drunk when he said that 
-Orlando has to pay $5 to get to church. Brodey helped pay for his sister to come to his confirmation.
-Orlando's dad used the other money to get his kids to school 
-his wife died and he is still trying to pay off the loan he got for her funeral
-most people are very poor
-Brodey knew Orlando in Heaven.
-They have fun and definitely knew each other before this life. 
-hadn't had a baptism in his area for a year until Brodey got there
-2 more baptisms scheduled for Jan 16th
-there was a lady stabbing another woman on the bus, the bus driver stopped the bus while holding a beer in one hand and stopped the lady from stabbing the other one. Then he made her sit in the back by the missionaries. she sharpened her knife the whole way home
-take taxis a lot
-got a new frame for his bike today
-hymns sound different , they add notes and sounds in different places
-talked to us in Patwa-he sounds awesome, cool accent 
- Girls ask him everyday if he will marry them. He just smiles and says "no thank you"
-lives in the nice part of Negril
-can see the ocean and the boats from his balcony
-called George, his investigator, George. of the jungle because he reaches his hand in the open fire to turn the breadfruit
-Rastas play dominos on the street. They stop and play with them. He said they get really serious about dominos.
-played uno with the members, they loved it! We sent it to him for Christmas.
-loved the book of pictures of everyone holding the Merry Christmas sign. He has been showing everyone.
-wasn't homesick until someone mentioned Star Wars came out
-Canadians love jamaica and Jamaicans love Canada
-Lots of homeless people. One guy has huge feet! So thick, they call him big foot
-gonga is what they call "weed"
-they were caroling on the beach and a weed dealer said you are spreading the word of God and I am spreading the gonga
-sorrel is a Christmas drink basically strawberry ginger beer. They boil flowers to make it.
-they love ginger they have huge things of it and cook with it
-Jamaican ginger beer is really spicy, it burns your throat when you drink it 
-Orlando's 14 yr old sister wants to be baptized also
-teaching a guy named Wendy. He read two chapters of the Book of Mormon and wants to be baptized on Jan 16
-shoes are doing good
-washes his pants after wearing them 2 days and shirts everyday. He has a few stains so might need more clothes.
-cold showers were the worst... He would just run through them back and forth to get wet. Most places don't have hot water 
-he has a box under his bed of all of his extra treats that won't melt
-it is 90 degrees there night and day right now
-wakes up every morning with mosquito bites
-best part of his mission is meeting new people and seeing things he would never see before
-take turns teaching priesthood and Sunday school at church each week
-about 20 people including the missionaries come to church each week
-clothes are holding up good
-he is happy most days