St. Vincent Christmas 2012

At the Branch Christmas party we sang and danced to "How'd ya like to spend Christmas on St. Vincent Island." Brent was a hit in his shirt, tie, socks, shoes and LOUD flowered shorts! The audience laughed so hard when he came out!

This is Wesanet Tewoolro from Ethiopia. She is our neighbor who teaches micro biology at the medical college. She was our special guest for Christmas!

 

Is he cute or what! I just love that he helps and carves the turkey!

 By the way turkey tastes so much better away from home! The missionaries just loved it!

Many buy pork for Christmas dinner. USDA approved???? I don't think so!

All 10 of us on the island with our Christmas smiles!

 

Life in St. Vincent

We are shopping for vegtables in the market. The lady is weighing tomatoes on an antique scale.

 We asked her how old the scale was and she said, "Oh It not vey old. Naaa"

You can see Brent in the background.

These men are repaving the street BY HAND! Two were shoveling asphalt out of the truck - two men were handling the wheel barrows - two were shoveling - one man smoothes it out with a roller - and one supervised. Everything is labor intensive!

Ther are NO clothes dryers! Every one (including us) hangs clothes on the line.

The buckets on the roof are to collect the rain water to wash with - otherwise

you have to carry your water from a pubic tap.

This man was washing his pot at the public tap - then he made cowhide soup

 with dashine (kind of like a potato), yams, and caloo(like spinach).

He cooked it outside on a fire. We did not stick around to try cowhide soup!

We are in the village called Cemetery Hill. This is the cemetery. Ther are no new plots to buy

so they resell the very old ones because the bodies and coffins have rotted away from all the rain and heat.

The hospital is the big building below the cemetery. It is the scariest place I have ever been in. 17 to 20 beds in a ward with hot sweating bodies lying on them. Sheets and pillows only if you bring them from home -  no bed gowns - no towels or toilet paper or toilet seats in the bathrooms - no fans or airconditioning - just breezes blowing through (if there is a breeze)!

 

 

Opossoms and Clipper Ship

It is now Opossom hunting and eating season!

 Dinner anyone? I think NOT!
They don't call them opossoms here - they call them Manicou!
This man was selling them for $25 EC (about $8.50). We could have negotiated for $15, but we were not anxious to eat one. We talked to several branch members who say they are "very good indeed".
 They cook them with "coconut dumplins"! Yummmm or Yukkkkkkk! It appears they are closely related to rats!

A beautiful Clipper ship sailed into the harbor! I couldn't drag Brent away! He wanted to take it home! It is from Star Clipper Cruises, you can look it up on line! It only costs between $5,000 to $10,000 per person for a week long cruise.

Assie Small, isn't she beautiful! She is a sister of the heart and I
would do anything for her! She was an orphan on the streets at 8 years old.
Joined the Church at 14 and went on a mission to Canada.
She has 5 children (4 to 14). Sews without patterns... just looks at you and your shape and creates. She is an amazingly wonderful person and forever friend. She is so intelligent and loving. She carries herself with amazing grace and dignity. I love her.

 

To Biabou and Georgetown to Teach Investigators and Visit Members

Lunch at our favorite "Chicken and Bake" restaurant in Stubbs on the way north.

 

"Here We Go Round The Mullberry Bush"

Sister Samuel and Tintin. Tintin's husband, Herman, is a pastor of a church in Georgetown. They used to live in England. They have a small restaurant in which they sell "fish and chips" British style. They were very good! They also make a "local fruit juice" that is "heavenly"! The ladies are picking mullberries from a mullberry tree. They look a lot like rasberries and are delicious. They are one of the fruits in the "local fruit juice". They actually call it "local fruit juice". There are different kinds all over the island.

 

We shopped hard to find this Christmas tree and decorations. People don't do much for Christmas here. They do "Nine Mornings" which involves the nine days before Christmas. It begins at 5:00 a.m. downtown. They have a different celebration every morning. Our neighbor Erroll wants us to go with him. We probably will! The big thing for Christmas is to hang up new curtains and clean! Seriously!

 

Brent is at the top of the stairs about 200 feet up a "gap". He is helping Sister Edwards and Sister Trumphet. He almost stepped on a lizard coming down with them.

 

Demarie, baby Hannah and Henderson

Henderson works as a security guard at the medical school by our home. We see him often at 6 a.m. on our morning walks. He is very friendly. He asked us to go to Biabou, which about 30 minutes north on the "windward" side of the island, to meet his wife and baby. We went and they invited us back. When we went into their home today, he brought out a Book of Mormon that he said was given to them by Elder and Sister Henderson. He spoke highly of them. He said that he was involved with the LDS Church in Grenada. He had some questions that led into a very sweet gospel discussion. The spirit was so very strong. They accepted our challenges to pray and read scriptures together. We were invited back next Friday!

A Morning in the Market

 The fruits and vegetables are very good

...very fresh and they are tree and vine ripened.

Carts are used for deliveries all over the wharf and market areas.

 

This man is a "shoe cobbler"...or shoe repairman. Notice the "shoe last"

on his work bench. Up inside his hat is HAIR! It is in dreadlocks. He is a "Rasta"...

a religion that eats healthy and smokes marijuana!