Welcome to Jamaica Mon!

   Jamaica. Just saying the name conjures up images of sandy beaches, cool breezes, and a tall drink with a little umbrella sticking out of it. Ahh, yes Jamaica. Or as they say here Jah-maay-cah; gotta love the accents here.

   Moving to Jamaica means a return to the childhood home of Suzanne. It's so cool to see her in her "native environment", to hear her speaking patois and remembering things long forgotten since leaving the island nearly 30 years ago.   

we arrived early and got good seats

         

     We have survived the first month and are adjusting to a new routine, new congregation and new territory in the ministry. Helping to ease the transition was attending the Special Assembly Day our first weekend here. The assembly hall is an open air hall, so for us this was a different experience attending. 

   Of course for us being here is not just a return home but we want to keep busy in Jehovah's service. We have been active in the ministry and Dani is the first one to "strike gold", starting a Bible study with a young girl she met way up in the hills.

   

   Our congregation's territory is made up of two very different parts. We have a section near the Kingdom Hall that is in the city. It is a typical city territory and is worked frequently. There is another part that is more rural; it is up in the mountains just outside the city and worked less frequently because of the distance. We go up here once a week to preach and each time it is a workout. We climb and  climb and climb some more to reach all the homes. We have been covering this area more intensely during our Memorial campaign. There are lots of trails and homes off the beaten path so there is plenty to keep us busy here.

   Besides the ministry, we have also received some assignments that are keeping us occupied as well. For my part I have received a special  assignment. Something with which I can utilize all my talents, experience, skills and abilities (smile):

forrest gump wannabe :-)

    We have the privilege to go once a week to the Assembly Hall to help maintain it. We are happy to help doing whatever we can to maintain Jehovah's house. We aren't just cleaning; we're cleaning for Jehovah. I'm not just mowing the lawn; I'm mowing the lawn for Jehovah.  I will never again just attend an assembly as I now appreciate how much goes on behind the scenes. It is very easy to take for granted that when we arrive everything is neat and clean and orderly, but much work is needed to keep things running smoothly. We feel privileged to have a small part in keeping things running.
   So as we will continue to adjust to our new home and congregation. We hope to have good experiences to report soon. And who knows, maybe we will even get to go to the beach and enjoy the cool breezes and a tall drink as well ;-)