Car Accident :(

9/17/11

Hi Mom and Dad,

In response to moms question, where else besides Jamaica is part of the mission. Ya the missionaries go to Grand Cayman, the Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas (Freeport and Nassau). Also Cuba is in our mission, President was just there last week. Yes there are missionaries in the Bahamas and Turks. We have two branches in Cuba one is on the military base and the other is kind of an underground branch.

This has been the craziest week so far on my mission.  Monday night we drove to May Pen to give the Elders Book of Mormons, we went around 7 p.m. We thought we were going to be late so Elder Ostrin went pretty fast on the highway and it started to pour with rain and then we started to hydroplane and spin over the highway and we hit a tree then spun 50 yards into a bog and into the bushes off the highway. We couldve died or gotten really hurt but we were ok. Well we were so far stuck in the mud and the tow truck came and couldn't get us out and then the tow truck broke down so they had to call another tow truck to pull us out and the other tow truck out. It took 4 hours to get us out we didnt get back til way late. The Assistants and Elder Tuai and Stubbs came to help us out on the highway we were between Spanish Town and Portmore when this happened. So now I am the designated driver which sucks because now I have to drive all the time and our car that is being fixed now was an automatic so  I have to learn how to drive stick in the crazy Kingston traffic, which has not been fun its like super busy (kind of like India when the Amazing Race people go there, just cars, motorcycles, dogs, goats and people everywhere) I was pretty scared to drive a stick in this crazy place but im getting better at it.

 

Oh ya and Ive been really sick the past two days I felt like I had strep throat but I think its just a normal cough and sore throat now. and my body has just felt super weak lately. We didnt get in til 6 last night cuz we had tons of work at the office to do but I just went straight to bed cuz Ive felt so nasty. Also on Thursday night we had to drive past Mandeville all the way to Junction and then we stayed the night at the May Pen house cuz we wouldnt have been able to make it back to Kingston.

Love

 

Elder Clark

9/24/11

Hi Mom,

 

No we didnt get our truck back yet and I still have to drive all the time and it will probably stay that way depending on how much money the accident cost the mission.  Ya we have been pretty busy this week we have to be home by 9 unless we are teaching a lesson then we have to be home by 9:30. We all usually excercise in the mornings and night in the six man house and others play the guitar and Elder Stubbs and I play on the keyboard we have one in our house so yes I get to play it  and I'm getting a lot better. it's fun to play I like it a lot. This week has been pretty tough on me I think this week I've been the most homesick on my mission and these upcoming months I probably will be homesick often cuz I love Sept. through December, back home everyone going back to school, soccer, work, halloween decorations, thanksgiving and xmas so ya Ive been pretty homesick this week.

 

Tell the Pollocks I said hi and hope they are doing well. Thats cool about Dane you'll have to email me and tell me where he's going when you find out.  Lots of car paperwork for registration, mail, immigration, and organizing things here. The weeks go by so much faster though when you are in the office I do have to admit.

Oh and I forgot to tell you that I taught my first district meeting on Wednesday in Portmore which went well, did I tell you I was District Leader I cant remember? It's normally just one District Leader in a District but because we're office Elders we split the teaching so I teach every other week cuz we're busy and we have to prepare for it. Us, the downtown Elders, and the Portmore Elders are in our district.

Love

 

Jake

Culture Shock at "The Office"

Hey Family,

 

It's good to hear from you. Yes I can assure you moving to the office is a good thing.

  

The office is really cool. The first time I stepped in my mouth was just jaw dropped open Sister Daniels (the office Senior couple) was having a fun time showing me around she knew I was having a huge culture shock its like being back in America again in a way nice office. We each have our own desks and computers. We drive around to the other Zones and areas to get them things they need like bikes, Book of Mormons, pamphlets etc.

 

We went to Port Antonio to get Sister Lavili's passport from her yesterday she's a new sister getting trained by Sister Payne. I'll send a pic. Port Antonio is so beautiful I would love to serve there.  Just the drive is beautiful right next to the water. I have a pic but its in the dark but the ocean is behind us the church is right across the road from the ocean. We've taken care of immigration for a new sister coming in this next transfer just a lot of driving and standing in lines. I was having flashback memories to me and you mom traveling to Los Angeles in the morning and waiting out in the cold outside the big building to get my passport just after Christmas.

 

Yes I'm still staying in shape the assistants and I went running this morning and Elder Dale will probably continue to run with me. We had to go to the Goodyear tire shop as well and buy tires and get ours switched out. Being in the office is way busy though since Wednesday we have only had time to teach one recent convert lesson but hopefully next week we'll get more teaching in. We don't really even get to study we go straight to the office in the morning and we are given work to do when we arrive. It's definitely a huge responsibility. Elder Dale was an office Elder once and then he went off island to Cayman and is now an Assistant. Once you leave the office you usually go off Island or a Zone Leader somewhere on Island. The other office Elder, Elder Baird went to go be a Zone leader in Santa Cruz. So ya things have been pretty crazy oh and we also pick up everyone's mail and packages and organize them and get them out to the missionaries the best we can.

 

I've seen President Hendricks every day so far he's usually in the office a lot in his own office we've had a couple of meetings with him mainly about the vehicles and what we're going to need to do. We email at the office but the internet is down so we are at the Kingston bookshop in the boulevard center where I used to email from when I served in Boulevard. We don't usually buy a lot of food cuz we usually eat out at restaurants with the assistants and/or Kingston Zone leaders for lunch or dinner.

 

It's so weird being in the office this first week though I don't  feel like I'm in the same mission anymore, just lots of work we have to do to make sure the work goes smoothly for everyone else on the island. Glad everyone is having a good start back to school.

 

Love, Jake

Moving to Downtown Kingston as an Office Elder!

Hey Mom & Dad,

Allright so we got transfer calls on Saturday and guess what I'm getting transferred again and Elder Paxman is staying here in Spanish Town! But I'm getting promoted yay :) I'm moving to Downtown Kingston to be an Office Elder. I will be in charge of a lot of stuff for the missionaries visas, plane tickets, paperwork etc.  and I will be living with the assistants and working with the assistants and President Hendricks more :) The office elders have a way nice truck. The assistants, us and President have the nicest vehicles. I'll get to see all of the island because they drive all over to do things. And I'll be writing to you again on Saturday because us and the assistants take Pday on Saturday instead of Monday. I'm super excited for this opportunity to be trusted with and I'll for sure work hard. It's going to be more like a job than being a missionary we only get to proselyte for three hours at the end of the day if we're not driving somewhere else. Elder Ostrin is going to be my companion he is from Santa Barbara California and he was a water polo player and I know he went to BYU thats all I really know about him. (Theres only one companionship that are office elders in case you were wondering)

I really have enjoyed my time here in Spanish Town with Elder Paxman though, its been a really awesome transfer and I made so many friends here with the members its hard to leave. Neco seemed a little upset I was going but we all have to go where the Lord wants us to go.

Well I hope you and dad had a good time and good luck with home schooling Matthew.  I did get Kristi's package it was awesome tell her thankyou.

 

We are going to Linstead today to go to Natural Bridge which is supposed to be one of the wonders of the world so Im excited for that I'll be sure to send you pics. Neco was the first person I have personally baptized. Just an interesting fact but according to President Vinas for every 100 investigators that the Jamaica mission finds and teaches we baptize 2 of them. A very low number but we just all need to keep working hard it's tough but we're really hoping we can get a stake here soon.

Love, Jake