Hello Family and Friends It’s a great week in and for Jamaica. Here’s what’s happening.
We transferred all the old hygiene kit form our emergency container to the Salvation Army’s truck. Next week the Salvation Army will receive a shipment of new hygiene kits. We will put the new kits back in with our emergency supplies and get a few extras for the branches to distribute to the poor and needy. The rest will be distributed by the Salvation Army for the poor and needy they serve. Dad has to think fast when the young Elders were tossing those boxes down the line. We moved 936 boxes of hygiene kits that day. It was awesome!
Missionaries will work all day for some Pizza. These are some of the wonderful Elders we get to work with today; Elders Meacham, Layton, Tuala, Farb, and Carter. After they ate their pizza they worked some more and then we sent them home with the leftovers. Yeah they love their pizza…
Jamaica was preparing for Elder Holland’s visit and the hopes of having the first Stake in Jamaica.
The Public affairs Committee is responsible for recording and publicizing this Historic event. As part of the committee we helped in this process by recording the meetings. This picture is of that Committee.
Front row is Sisters Whitehorn-Smith, Pinnock, Anderson, Ulett. On the back row is Sister, Britton and President Brown.
Then the long awaited Conference. Yes we made it we are a Stake. Our first Stake President is Andrew Lue. He was Branch President of the Spanish Town 1st Branch. His 1st Counselor is Royce Britton, who was Branch President of the Spanish Town 2nd Branch. The 2nd Counselor is Patrick Medley, who was the Spanish Town District President. They will be an awesome Stake Presidency. Everyone was so happy and you could literally cut the Spirit with a knife; it was that strong in the room. They also called a Patriarch. That is Lloyd MacPherson. He was the Spanish Town District 1st Counselor. So there will be a few changes going on around here and it will all be wonderful. So now we have 6 wards and 2 remaining branches in the Kingston Jamaica Stake. It will be a time of learning and great growth. I imagine it won’t be long before you will start seeing and hearing about the new Stake on the Church internet sites.Sister Murdock sang in the choir. Dad sat at the very back so the members could have all the forward seats so the pictures are all from very far away. There were a lot of returned missionaries and their parents who came for the Stake meeting too. Even the very first Jamaican member was here. One past Mission President (Gingery) was in attendance as well. We were approached by many of the returning missionaries who wanted to know how to come back here as Senior Missionaries. They served here decades ago and still love the people and the island. We told them to do what we did…plan ahead, save your money, and have family support…when you do your best, the Lord will do the rest. It is an absolute truth.
Well the time is far spent so just a few last comments…We had one family birthday and it was yesterday, June 7th and it was Victor’s wife Megan. She is such sweetheart and we love her to pieces. We are so glad she and Victor found each other. They are expecting the birth of their 1st baby, a little boy, this month so we are anxiously waiting for ‘the call’ so we can see this wonderful little addition. Having Skype and the ability to see our children and grandchildren has been such a great blessing. Each one of them is so precious to us…
May the Lord guide and protect you all, and may you all choose to grow your testimonies and grow closer to the Lord.
Love
Mom and Dad
E/S Murdock