Montego Bay - week #4

Hey fam,

As for this week-  Not much happened. We had a lot of rainy days, walking around with wet feet all day. That is always a lot of fun. I did enjoy the cooler weather.  As you all know, I love the cold, so the rain is much appreciated. 

Elder Hall and I went for a run the other morning. We ran to the coast (which is only a half mile away) and then ran on the beach on the sand. It was a cool grey morning, and the rolling waves were beautiful. Oh, Jamaica. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of it. Today, however, I am going to Freeport with Jerome and Remario, two potential missionaries and friends. I will make sure to get some good pictures of the ocean while I am there. I guess that is the place to go for good views.  We are also going to make a stop by the wall of the dead. There is a wall somewhere in Canterbury with each don that has run the area and gotten killed over the past years. I have heard there are some funny paintings for a few of them, and that it is well worth the time to see. So more pictures next week!  Soon come. 

Before I forget, I have a request- can you send a dictionary in the next package? Just a small websters is ok. I would like to have one though. 

This week went pretty well for us here in Mo Bay. Our investigator, June, is so close to baptism, but she didn't really feel sure about it. When we sat down with her this week, she pretty much told us her problem. She didn't really understand the purpose of the Book of Mormon. We cleared that up now, and she has been reading every day since. We will probably give her another week or two, but it was good that we got that cleared up.

We have also been teaching a man named Wayne. He is something around 40 and has a baby mama and two daughters. He is currently living by himself at a mourge where he works as security. He is a great guy. He is sensitive to our message, and obviously prepared for it. We had two good spirit-filled lessons with him this week. I am really excited for him.

Those are our top two investigators right now. Obviously, we have a lot more, but those are the main ones. 

We also had a couple of delicious dinner appointments this week. The Jamaican cuisine may be limited, but man, it is good. The Lees fed us yesterday. Chicken, rice and peas, potatoe salad, and juice. It nah get nah bettuh.

That is my week for you.  I hope you all enjoy your own.

Love,
Elder Pullan

week # 3 - Montego Bay

Hello everyone,

It sounds like you all have had an enjoyable holiday weekend! 

On my end of things:

I found myself on the tenth floor of the Mo Bay Hospital to "pray" for someone on saturday. The tenth floor happens to be the psychiatric ward. Highlight- As I walk in the old lady in the corner yells "You're here!" She then walks up to me and asks "Are you King James?" I say no. She then shifts to George Bush. Then Bama (Obama). Wow. It was interesting. That whole experience was one for the journal. 

Its been a likkle on the rainy side this week. I have enjoyed the cooler weather. I wish it was like this all the time. I also have started another cool drawing. And my brand new size small faber castell ink pen is already out of ink.  Mother- if you could send me like ten size 03 prisma color or small faber castell ink pens for my birthday, that would be incredible. It is always my small ones that run out on me. 

Our house- Is the second house on the right going into the dead end line next to the gigantic red roofed calvary baptist church right next to jarrett park. It shouldn't be too hard to find on Wikimaps.

So I don't forget- Elder Martin is up and jogging. He is ok. Thank you for the prayers.

(Note: We are not sure if we received the whole letter because Daniel didn't write an ending.  We will ask him next week.)

The bottom of Crawford Street Gully

The view outside our apartment

The view outside our apartment

Week #2 in Montego Bay

Hey fam,

This week was Miss Joy's baptism.  Miss Joy is a great lady.  She has been investigating the church for twenty years now.  We were all so excited for her. Everyone we talked to asked the same question- "Joy's not a member?" She has been at church for the past twenty years. Every Sunday.  She even paid tithing.  I don't know why she took so long about it, but she finally decided to do it.  We were able to set up a special interview with President Brown to ok her living situation. That all went well, and on Sunday a good friend of hers had the opportunity of performing the ordinance for her.  It made for a pretty good week. 

To add to the week, Miss Joy made us some homemade ginger beer. She told us before we took it, "It'll bun ya!" And boy, did it.  It was some sharp stuff.  Delicious though!

White people.  I have seen a few more white people here in Mo Bay than I am used to. It is a tourist destination so that can only be expected. It is weird though.  Jamaica will never let me forget that I am white, but at the same time, I feel extremely out of place around white people (unless they are wearing a nametag).  I will be in culture shock when I get back for sure!

My companion- Elder Hall is great.  He seemed a little odd at first, but we are over that.  I love working with Elder Hall.  We teach well together, and get along fine, not that I have ever been a hard person to get along with.  He has a lot of song lyrics and guitar chords printed up from when there was a missionary with a guitar in his apartment.  We have been able to transpose most of them to uke, and have enjoyed jamming to them. 

Mo Bay is a great place!  As far as the red light district goes, it is both unavoidable, and not a problem.  Is there crime involved in the operation? Undoubtedly.  Welcome to Jamaica.  I live in the ghetto.  There is crime everywhere.  There is nothing to worry about. 

We are generally not supposed to ask the family to participate in special prayers, but at this time, I am going to ask you to pray for Elder Martin. Elder Martin was hit by a car a few days ago in Linstead. He is currently in the hospital in Kingston. He was in critical condition and went through a surgery, but last we heard, he is conscious and ok.  Please keep him in mind as you pray this week.

Mother- Can I get your lasagna recipe? We may go and make some lasagna one night with my best friend, Allison. Allison is 33 with a 6 year old kid. She comes teaching with us all the time. She is by far my favorite member here.  So yeah. The lasagna recipe would be good.  Thanks.

Dad- Talk ideas. The only thing that comes to mind now is Alma  13. It is a chapter that I studied over in depth the past few days. It talks a lot about the priesthood, foreordination, worthiness, and mechizedek. It would be worth a read.

Thankyou for your love and support.

Tek Cyare,

Elder Pullan

Week #1 in Montego Bay

Hey fam-

Happy new year!  It sounds like you all had a good one. I am loving Mo Bay so far. It is a very unique place. I will tell you a bit about it:  Mo Bay. Is tha dopest. I have only been here a couple days, but as of now, it is my favorite place on the island. I think I like it more than Kingston. The bay is beautiful. I haven't been down to it yet, but I will get there eventually. We spend most of our time up Mount Salem. We have a lot of great investigators that are so prepared to hear the gospel. They are great people, and good friends to me. Montego Bay consists of lots of close together, generally smaller houses. They are built up in the hills, so there are lots of small steep side streets that branch off of the main road. Just like the rest of Jamaica, most of Mo Bay is ghetto, run down, old, and grimy. It just wouldn't be Jamaica without it though. 

As far as the branch goes, it is about as big as the May Pen branch, and is pretty strong. Our branch mission leader is Brother Lee. He is a great guy. I think you would enjoy his accent. Classic Jamaican. "Yes Breddren".  The Montego Bay  branch is growing quickly. I have high hopes for it, and I am excited to be here.

I have not been downtown yet. I have caught glimpses of it from the hills though. It looks really nice and Americanized. Maybe we will stay there when we come back. Or we will stay up in the ghetto with some of the members. I guess we will see. I have seen the beautiful ocean from a distance, but have yet to see the white sand beaches that are supposed to be so great.

We live right next to Jarrett park. Jarrett park is a big Cricket field/stadium. There aren't any games going on now, so we don't have to deal with crowds.  Our apartment has three locks on it. We have the Iron veranda gate, an iron gate across the door, and then the locked door. Welcome to Jamaica. This is the way everything goes here. Gates, locks, and lots of fences.

My companion is Elder Hall. He is a quirky guy. Its ok though. He is a good missionary, and we get along well. I am in an apartment with Elder Dawkins and Elder Farb. Our apartment tends to be on the more quiet side, so I just chill at my desk and play my ukulele in the little free time I have. I am getting good by the way! Can't wait for you to hear me.

Later today, we will do our shopping and wash. We have a washing machine now! No more hand wash! I might just have to teach you all how to hand wash when I get home though. It is all part of the experience. I love you guys, and I am grateful you are doing so well. I wish I could write a likkle mo, but I am running out of time.  I'm sorry to hear about Grandma.

Till next week,

Love, Elder Pullan

(Note:  We looked at Montego Bay on Wikimaps and found Jarrett Park and Mount Salem. Hopefully, Daniel can give us an address next week so we can zero in on his street.)