Jamaica Mon! Hopeton Branch

Hey Mom & Dad, 

Yep it's my first P-day and I'm at an Internet cafe in Mandeville. My area is Hopeton Branch and Mandeville is about 3 miles away, we have to take a cab to get here. Our District is my companion and I and then three sisters.


Jamaica has about 55 missionaries with 5 sisters and about 50 elders. Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and the Turk Islands are in our mission so some missionaries go off Island.

We arrived in Jamaica and met two Sisters and an Elder who were in the Bahamas returning to Jamaica and then we met President Hendricks and went through Kingston to the mission home which was really nice. It was nighttime but it was still pretty hot and it smells a lot of ash in Kingston. There are a lot of people with fires and there are dogs and goats wandering around and people living in shacks etc. The food was good we had pasta that night and went to bed.


We all interviewed with President Hendricks in the morning and it went well he was pleased with my letter. My companion is Elder Powell. He is from Spanish Town Jamaica and is a convert to the church, he converted when he was 20 and is now 23 he has 4 months left of his mission.

Like I said we are in Hopeton a little North of Mandeville. There are a lot of hills here and we are biking and walking all the time. It is sunny here but I am actually at the coldest part of Jamaica, it gets really cold here at nights because we are right next to the mountains.  It is Elder Powell's first time in this area so we've been whitewashing and starting fresh by meeting members and teaching on the streets. You mainly teach outside here in Jamaica people don't usually invite you into their houses. Church was good, Sunday School class was funny because all the adults are all speaking at once and trying to fight to get their answers out and the teacher had to keep telling them to raise their hands. it was hilarious, they all get pretty excited about the gospel.


We hand wash our clothes, the shower is freezing cold and only has 4 little sprinkles that come out of it (the water pressure is horrible here), my stomach is getting used to the water so I've felt sick sometimes. Most of the people are nice  I get called white man everywhere I go. Ive only been chased by dogs a couple of times though so thats good. Elder Powell has been good in explaining the culture to me though so I can adapt. We walk and ride miles a day just to get around the hills and jungle and everyone is super spread out.


We went to one ladies house for dinner and that was really good I've had chicken a lot and sweet potato and rice and peas (which is really rice and beans). I miss you guys a lot and I've kept you in my prayers. Tell everyone I said hi and Sister Crespo thanks for her note on my blog. 


Thats great with Roxanna and Astrid I'll keep them in my prayers.


Hope all is well and keep me updated on everything.

Love, Elder Clark