Pictures Yea!!

Hi Mom and Dad,

Hey dad thanks for the message. Things are going very well here in Mandeville. We have two investigators with baptismal dates and are working with some others and continuing to try and find new ones. I didn't get the package yet so hopefully it will come.

My companion and I work really well together and we are working hard. I had Zone conference this past Friday which was really good. President Hendricks spoke to us on goal setting and planning and we watched a talk that Elder Holland gave in the MTC  to the missionaries on January 11, of this year which was probably the best talk Ive heard him give. Im glad to hear about Astrid, are they still getting baptized? 

We are making spiced bun with Elder Mcloud's mom today (he came out on the mission with me the same day hes Jamaican from Mandeville so he can't serve in this area but his parents and family live here).

Ive been reading in Doctrine and Covenants as well, I think I am on Section 58 right now. I am also reading the Old Testament all the way through I am in Exodus chapter 12 currently and I am in 2nd Nephi chapter 20 right now. Ive been reading all three starting from the beginning at the same time.

The food is good here a lot of rice and peas (beans). Ive had jerk pork and jerk chicken, curry chicken, curried goat, Jamaican meatballs, brown stew chicken and some Jamaican fruit since Ive been here.

Hope all is going well and Ill continue to keep you in my prayers. Keep me posted.

Love, Jake

Hey mom. you'll have to read the email I sent to dad too so you can get the info in both. Zone Conference was good you'll have to let Kyle Shields know that I wore his tie that he gave me to that. I spent the day in Negril on Thursday and went on splits there. It was hot but awesome. There was a lot of white people there too cuz its a tourist spot. We worked at a soup kitchen for an hour that was fun. It was so hot though a lot different from Mandeville area. Im enjoying the cold thats for sure.

We drove by the Negril Lighthouse and Rick's cafe which are two big tourist spots. The beach looked so nice the water is so clear its crazy it looks like drinking water. Zone Conference was on Friday and it was in Savannah-La-Mar. Elder Larsen was there the day previous while I was in Negril. I went with Elder Krauss one of my zone leaders to Negril. Zone Conference was awesome. So far I have been to Mandeville (where I am currently just a branch there) Ive been to Santa Cruz for a day on a tradeoff, Savannah- La -Mar, Negril, Kingston, and Spanish town. I have been able to see a lot of the island which is cool.

I will miss you guys on Easter I'll have to tell you what people do here when Easter comes. Tell Adam Happy Birthday. I miss him and hope he continues to work hard and not get down on himself. Hope all is well your all in my prayers.

Love,

Elder Clark

 

Jam - Rock 3

Dear family,

Things are going really well here in Jamaica. I have a new companion (trainer) from Gilbert, Arizona. His name is Elder Larsen. Elder Larsen is awesome we get along really well and hes way cool. He's served in the Cayman Islands, has been a District Leader 3 times and has trained twice so I'm in good hands. How are things at home no one wrote to me this week. You have to tell Alyssa, Adam, and Matthew to write me on here. How are Roxanna and Astrid are they progressing still? 

I had a trade off on Thursday and went to Santa Cruz in St. Elizabeth for a day and spent the night over there with Elder Ashton one of my Zone Leaders. It was a lot hotter there but we had a nice truck so it was nice to drive around. I had my first brown bottling experience there (openly breast feeding in front of you while your teaching) so ya that was awkward.

I had my first "patty" which was really good its like beef and cheese inside a fried tortilla like thing that tastes exactly like a cheezit thats the only way to explain it. We are going to make spiced bun and cheese with Sister Mcloud on Easter Monday. (Elder Mcloud's mom. He came out the same day as me hes in the pic that was sent to you) so we are buying the raisins, cherries, and peels, and she'll have the rest so that'll be a good cultural experience. I'm excited to talk to you on Mothers day.

We had dinner at the Anderson's house with the sisters yesterday which was some good American cooking. Elder and Sister Anderson are the senior couple in our area that are in charge of the CES in Jamaica and as well as the scholarships and stuff like that for the Jamaicans here. Mandeville has been nice its a lot cooler than Santa Cruz was I thought I was gonna die in Santa Cruz the humidity was awful.

Hope everyone is doing well. Love you guys and keep me posted on whats going on :)

Love, 

Elder Clark

Moms message - 5 minutes later Jake received my email...they crossed in cyber space and here is his reply in answer to some of my many questions :) (Note to self.....NEVER wait until Monday morning to write my missionary again!)

I only have a couple minutes to reply to this before my time on the computer runs out.

 

First tell Alyssa she looks beautiful and I hope she had an awesome time.

 

It hasn't rained here in Mandeville so Ive been really lucky. We see the sisters all the time we see them at least 4 times a week so Ive gotten to know them really well. Sister Payne was the girl on you tube that opened her call to Jamaica I think so you'll have to look that up again.  2 sisters are leaving in July and the 2 others a few months later so that would leave sister Everette from North Carolina who came to Jamaica 6 weeks before me. So that means some new North American sisters are going to be getting their calls to Jamaica here soon, exciting for the sisters putting in their  papers at least 3 spots open for sisters to come here :).

 

They only pick the tougher sisters it seems like and mature enough to handle this country. Ive only been here 3 weeks but according to everyone else Ive met and what Ive experienced I think its safe to say that Jamaica is one of the toughest and definitely one of the most dangerous missions, but its such an awesome experience.  Crazy stuff happens almost daily Ive gotten used to it haha :) I think my companion is writing to you guys.

 

Love you all got to go and I'll have to tell you more next week. Love you. Jake :)

 

Last message from Mom - we received a great email form Elder Larsen - prayers are answered and Jake will be blessed to have such an awesome trainer, happy missionary = happy family :)

Jamaica - Week 2

Hey Family!

I read your email it was pretty long but thanks for keeping me updated. I bought a card reader so I'm going to try and send pics over. Send me gel and goodies if you send me a package haha :).

Conference was really good we went down to the Mandeville building to watch Conference because they have a satellite. Mandeville doesn't take that long to get to we just taxi on P-Days because  we have stuff to carry when we go shopping. I had my first patty on Saturday which was good they put it on coco bread. I've mainly had chicken (brown gravy, and curry) from members along with rice and peas and veggies.

I'm getting my haircut after this. Glad to hear about everyone and I read dad's email as well so glad to hear everything is pretty OK. My companion is cool we get along pretty well.  

Work is hard here because its pitch black at night and we go in because everyone is inside and we have to stay out of a lot of dangerous areas at nighttime. We are teaching Daphne who's 6 year old grandson was shot and killed about a month and a half ago. We hear gunshots every so often nowhere is particularly safe here but I know we are being watched over. We are also focusing on Nikki who is a young single mother and Tiffany who is a smart 13 year old girl who I hope will decide she needs to get baptized.

I'm going to try to get most of the pics over to you so I wont be writing a ton this week. But keep me posted and I'll for sure write more next week.

Things have been good though the Branch President and his family are very nice we live in an apartment behind their house.

Tell everyone hi from me.

Love,

Elder Clark