Yah Mon!

Jamaica with Brother Deans and his right side steering wheel car

Our son's friends the Evans serving as the Jamaica Mission office couple.

Hola to family and friends . . .                                                    June 21, 2013

Oh yes, today is an exciting day for our oldest grandchild . . . turning 16!  Watch out for the crazies on the roads Briley - be safe and have a great day!!!!!!!!!  No texting while driving please . . .

We were in Jamaica for the weekend - not the beaches tourist thing but we really enjoyed the trip.  It was mostly cloudy, humid and warm.  Speaking English was refreshing and Chuck can't quit saying "Yah mon!"  They use it often in greetings and talking w/each other.  We were there to meet and work with our new assistant Mark-Jeffery Deans.  We saw much of the country on Saturday driving up into the beautiful lush green of the mountains.  It looks alot like here in the DR. However the driving on the left side of  the road and the steering wheel on the right side of the car is VERY nerve racking! Not sure I would ever learn to drive in reverse thought process!  We had 4 separate trainings at 4 different chapels.  They are doing procedures better in many ways than we expected - just spending a lot of money on welfare which was not a surprise - but they also need to focus on training people to attempt to be self reliant and not just a dole.  Often hard concepts to internalize anywhere but especially in poverty.   

Darling little girl -most all little girls have
very fancy braiding and beads in their hair! 

We went to a Sacrament Meeting Sunday and I was amazed at all of the hair!  Most wore dreadlocks woven into their own hair - lots of it!  There was a family that came in with triplets - darling little two year old girls.  Wanted a picture but the little ones were having none of that.  We loved meeting with a District President - he rides his bike all over about a 50 mile broad area.  He expressed how it was so worth any effort on his part because of his many blessings from the Lord.

The training in Santiago the previous weekend had a great attendance of 36 men.  Most of the leaders that were requested to be there showed up.  They served the "bandera dinner" (traditional) of rice, beans, chicken and a potato salad kind of dish.  I have never seen such a huge pot of rice - was at least 10 gallons.   They certainly ate heartily and cleaned out the pans! 

Chuck training the 36 in Santiago meeting. 

A lady met me there at the chapel when we were at the training in Santiago - we had talked w/her months ago and she wanted to make us (sell) an embroidery.  She was excited to show it to me and I hope I was equally grateful for her work.  It is crude stitchery but filled with desire to please . . . the flag of the DR, stick figures of us as missionaries, our name at the top and the year.  I always appreciate handwork and love her effort!   She was so pleased - how can I not adore it???

The Buttons returned from training in Salt Lake and were kind enough to deliver to us a suitcase full of 45 white shirts and 3 gallon ziplocks packed with ties for the MTC!  Our daughter Jenna's ward in Pleasant Grove, Utah gathered and sent them along with the suitcase to be donated to a needy missionary.  It was fun to be the ones to take these things to President and Sister Freestone to be handed out when needed.  Once in a while missionaries come with only two shirts and are washing one every night.  This will be a blessing to them!  Thanks Jenna for all your work to gather and individually mark and pack each shirt in it's own ziplock.

Shirts and ties to the MTC

We are enjoying hearing all of the summer activities . . . such a great time!  Love to all of you Mom ad Dad, Chuck and Vickie, Grandma and Grandpa   XOXOXO