Merry Christmas
Normally we would be trying to decide which one of our Kids family’s we were going be with on Christmas morning. We will miss all of our family, and mostly we will miss watching our grand kids opening their presents. That’s the fun part of Christmas. Remember meeting at Grandma Murdock’s and having chili on Christmas day. We should start some new traditions of our own.
Well this is not going to become a tradition that will last but it is the best we can do for now. We had a meeting with the Branch President in Santa Cruz. Well Christmas in a town called Santa something. We did some Humanitarian training. Then we told him we had brought some supplies with us including some toys. Wow, his eyes lit up and he said “Toys”? There you go getting ahead of yourself again, nothing in Jamaica is what we expect. He said they have some young children in his branch and he wanted to start a nursery but they did not have any toys for the nursery. He said he had been praying for some way to get toys for the nursery. We went out to the truck and after I gave him some toys he skipped back into the church and sang “I have some toys, we have a nursery!” over and over again. I love this job.
Looks a little like the Star of David don’t you think? Santa Cruz is a six hour drive away so we stayed at Treasure Beach. A little beach mostly visited by locals. Our room was 50 yards from the beach. We had the beach all to ourselves so we swam and walked on the beach and took pictures. The first time we really got to relax since coming to Jamaica.
We hope that you take a moment to relax and ponder the meaning of Christmas. The ocean has a way of making time stand still for a while. Christmas here is very different. There is not the hustle and bustle of shopping, or advertising here. Most people shop for the day, not the week or month. Having enough to eat today is what they focus on. Members here cook meals for shut-ins or neighbors who are less fortunate than themselves. And that is saying something… Presents under the tree are a luxury most can’t afford. They forward the feeling of Christmas in how they spend their lives in service to their fellow man. May we all seek the Christ Child this Christmas Season.
No I don’t know what it is maybe you can tell me. We didn’t dare touch the spines… but we have seen the delicate shell on the beach, minus the spines of course.
Next we went to the Mission Christmas Party. All the missionaries were there except a few who were on other Islands. We had Christmas Pizza not Grandmas chili but different than what we expected. Poor pizza delivery man was on a motorcycle and had to make four trips.
After dinner President Hendricks handed out presents from home to the young Missionaries. Everyone got a present except one lone Elder. He was looking kind of sad. So I snuck up and told President Hendricks about the young man. They scrambled around and found a box from a far sighted parent of one of the Elders marked “Other Elders”. Inside was several extra presents for “just in case”. Our just in case got three presents. Father Heaven looks out for all his Missionaries.
Have a Merry Christmas
We love you
Elder and Sister Murdock