Thanksgiving already?!

We left Jamaica to go to the states for Ryan's graduation 2 days after Easter and I just got back this week 4 days before Thanksgiving! Yup! It's Thanksgiving. By the way, last weekend was Labor Day here in Jamaica. Renee had Friday and Monday off from school. So we went from Easter to Labor Day to Thanksgiving all in a timeframe of a month!



After being in the states a month I must admit I have experienced a little culture shock in returning. I didn't realize the many things I had become accustomed to here on the island and then to be gone for an extended amount of time brings me back to some things that I sincerely forgot about. For example the horrible road conditions. Since I have returned home I keep hearing groans come out of my mouth when I am in the car. I had forgotten how bad it really is! It is like experiencing the road conditions for the first time.

Another thing is the high temperature! While I was in Phoenixville I wore long sleeves and a jacket most of the time. Even when I was inside I found myself to be chilly. Since I have returned to Jamaica I am soooo hot! I had forgotten how sweaty one can get in doing even basic chores around the house!

While we were celebrating with Ryan at VFCC, then travelling to some services in New England, then spending Mother's Day at the Brooklyn Tabernacle with my firstborn leading the worship!, then travelling with Ry to some more churches I got accustomed to U.S. style of worship. All of a sudden this morning in the Thanksgiving service I started to giggle as we sang:

"I am blessed from my head to my toes
I am blessed from my toes to my head
My hands are blessed
My feet are blessed
My lungs are blessed
My heart is blessed
My stomach is blessed
My liver is blessed
My kidneys are blessed
I am blessed."

Yup this morning everything in me got blessed! I am glad I got back in time for Thanksgiving! Oh I wish my house was full of family and a great big roasted turkey!

There was a guest speaker this morning. After he preached the sermon he gave a blessing to the congregation.I really liked the very last thing he said, " May every breath we take motivate us to worship."

That's what it is all about. Worship to Jesus in the good times and bad. Realizing that He is on the throne. He is unchangeable. He is unshakable. He is Unstoppable. HE IS.
Whether it be Easter or Thanksgiving, He is on the throne and after this month I have to say I am really glad about that!

Mannish Water for Easter........no, I think I'll pass!

Okay, everybody that eats mannish water loves it! So why won't I try it?

Mannish water is not water at all. It is soup. It is sometimes called power water and is rarely on a restaurant menu but rather made and sold along the street.

Do you really want to know what is in it? Goats head, that's what's in it!



These precious little goats that I see along every road end up in a pot. Poor things.

Mannish Water

INGREDIENTS :

•Chopped up goat head
•Garlic,escallion.thyme,pimento seed, salt to taste
•Whole green pepper,black pepper,
•1pk. Chicken Noodle
•3-6 green bananas
•½ lbs.Yam
•3 small Irish Potato
•Flour for dumpling
•2 chochos (optional)
•1 Whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper


METHOD:

1.Wash chopped goat head
2.Put in a large pot (pressure cooker best) with enough water to cover the meet
3.Add 3 teaspoons salt, 8-10 seeds of pimento and let cook and 5 crushed garlic cloves
4.Cook on a medium/high stove till meat tender
5.Add more water and and also 1pk. Chicken Noodle
6.Peel and cut up potatoes and chochos and add
7.Peel Green bananas (or cut off the top and bottom and slit in skin)
8.Add Peel and add Yam when bananas almost cooked.
9.When almost done black pepper,thyme,couple pimento seed,escallion, whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper (do not let it burst open) and let simmer
10.Serve hot

I love carrying my camera in this country, you never quite know what you may see along the way!







They are so cute....well at least along the road! How bout some curried goat instead?




We went to Kingston to try to find a small ham for the three of us for Easter and they are so costly that we changed our mind. Maybe mannish water doesn't sound so bad after all!!!

Happy Easter!

Bugs Bunny and the Assemblies of God!

1940 was a very good year! Bugs Bunny debuted its first cartoon, Superman hit the radio. Franklin D. Roosevelt was our president and I bet you have to think about the VP. Tired of thinking....well his name was John N. Garner. Winston Churchill became Britain's PM and Hitler invaded Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.

Social Security benefit checks began and the first McDonalds opened in Pasadena, California. Something else big happened in our lives and Denny and I weren't even born yet!!! The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened, it was the first multi-lane highway. Man have we put in our itineration miles and money into that road!

The federal debt in 1940 was $50.7 billion, unemployment was 14.6%. The cost of a stamp was 3 cents. Gone with the Wind won the Academy Award and the A/G came to Jamaica!

1940 brought progress to this country as well. Bauxite was discovered. The People's National Party was started in 1938 so the party was in its infancy. The population of Jamaica was 1,228,000 persons. Jamaica didn't gain its independence from England until 1962 so I am sure the Anglican Church was strong.

Another huge development took place and the A/G still cranks it out today. The Jamaican sound system was born! Loud is the word! Funny that they both came to be at the same time!

When the A/G came to Jamaica it was only 26 years old in the U.S. pretty cool to think about!

This week we participated in the 71st General Conference of the A/G. In the U.S. we call it General Council. The A/G is 71 years old. There are 82 churches and 65 pastors in the island.



Because the A/G is small, the conference is held in the church that is located at the Bible College.



The conference is full of reports, elections, old business, new business, the general pattern of most business meetings. It was scheduled for 3 days and they worked so fast and efficiently that they adjourned last night and today became free. Love those kind of surprises!

One of the wonderful things about the conference being close is that the Bible College students are required to attend and to serve in all kinds of capacities. They are learning the ropes of A/G polity and also learning how to attend to people in all kinds of situations, housing, feeding, serving. They are indeed wonderful students.

I really can't wait till the day when I hear that one of our students has just been voted in as superintendent. I will be old and up in years but I know it will thrill me just the same as if I were seeing it firsthand.




At the conference they sit in the back. The pastors who are eligible to vote sit in front of an invisible line. The students sit behind the line. Maybe in the photos you can see them in their blue and white uniforms.

A big surprise took place yesterday. The Bible College Director read his report and then proceeded to resign. Whoa, that really surprised us. I wonder if the students were ataken back. Probably not. They touch shoulders with him on a regular basis. I remember in settings when pastors would be set to resign and people in the congregation would have discernment/a premonition that something was up. Maybe everybody had the feeling but us. Who knows!!!

This photo is of Director Kincaid, his wife Claire and the third person is Margaret the director that lives on site.



So here we are 71 years after the A/G was born in Jamaica. Wouldn't it be fun to talk to a founding member? I would love that kind of history lesson.

Momma....you're published!

I am a magazine fanatic. I am having a hard time hearing that magazines can no longer afford production and that they are going online. I would rather hold the magazine rather than my computer! I love the paper, the colors, the photos, everything about magazines! I remember as a newlywed the first magazine subscription Denny got for me. It was a big deal, still love Good Housekeeping. I haven't seen one since living here in Jamaica but I do hope they are still on the shelf in 2012!

Yes, I am one of those shoppers that stands at the grocery checkout line determining which one I want to buy! People, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Farmer's Almanac!, Woman's Day, and all the rest.

I wonder why I love magazines so much. I really don't remember my mom having magazines when I was growing up. I do remember reading the Evangel on Sunday afternoons and the Billy Graham magazine when it came. Or maybe it was because I loved going to my aunts house just a couple minutes walk from our house, to see if she had her new Ladies Home Journal with the paper doll cut out page in the back. Oh I loved it when she would share those with me.

Magazines have always been a luxury to me, I could only pick one up if I had extra money. I was one of the excited ones when 99 Cent magazines hit the stand! That I could afford! I remember when all the food network chefs made their way into the printed page. Oh that was a great time of shopping! The way to my heart is not chocolate but a magazine subscription!

When we came to Jamaica I had my eyes on what magazines I would be able to find and I came upon a great one. I couldn't find it on a regular basis but when I found it, I would jump with joy. My fix was being fed with not only a magazine with recipes but one with a cultural education.

Much to my dismay last fall after not seeing the magazine for a very long time and understanding the economic difficulties they were probably experiencing, I decided to see if they were on line. If I had to resort to that so be it! When I got to their website I read that indeed they would be cutting back on hard copies. I was so disappointed I sent off an email asking where I would be able to find perhaps, old copies. Copies from the get go! Much to my surprise after sending the email, I received a phone call from the editor and what a special moment. I think I shall forever remember the call.

From the call I could tell that Grace was a beautiful lady, I could tell that she loves her publication and appreciated the fact that I did to. We spoke for a lengthy time and it was fantastic. I was so happy when I misunderstood what was on the website and the publication would continue. After our conversation, Grace said to me, "Would you mind to send me an email telling me what JamaicanEats means to you as an American living here in Jamaica?" I told her I would be more than delighted to.

Life gets busy and we went through the holidays and new year and I completely forgot about my communication to Grace.

Last night in Kingston, Denny and I went into a little store that we enjoy to pass the time while Renee was in her violin lesson. We were both in the magazine area of the store, while I was purusing the shelf, Den called my name and said Look! Yay, My favorite JamaicanEats magazine was in! I was so very excited. I hadn't seen one for many months! As he continued browsing in the store, I was anxious to see what was in the new edition. I opened the magazine and lo and behold my eyes fell on my name. It is so funny how I turned to that page and my eyes just saw something familiar!

My little letter to Grace had been published. I couldn't settle for one magazine, I bought them out! Well.....that is a little misleading, isn't it? The store had 3 copies so I bought them. I must find more though, I have more than 2 friends and family members that would enjoy seeing the magazine again. When I go home I take copies of it as souvenirs from Jamaica, the recipes and articles are great!

When we picked Renee up from her lesson, we showed her the new copy and told her to look at the index. After she read the blurb about the American, she turned to the correct page and said "Momma, you're published!" I just thought that was a great response. How excited we get about the little things in life, like seeing our name in a magazine! Seeing our name.....I feel motivated to develop a teaching on the value of seeing our name. When someone says your name instead of HEY. The scripture has alot to say about our name....being written in the Lamb's Book of Life, our name written in the palm of His hand, many times we live out the meaning of our name. Renee means, born again. Ever since she was born, I have repeatedly told her to live out her name.

Seeing my name in print made me appreciate the magazine all over again and especially my new email friend, Grace. I wonder what she thinks about her name! I will have to ask her!

Doesn't taste like fruit to me!

Jamaica has some really good cuisine, ya know...jerk pork, well jerk anything is good. Rice and peas that are not peas at all, but rather kidney beans. Easter bun with cheese. Pumpkin soup and festivals.Escovietch fish, ackee and saltfish. Pattys and yam, boiled or mashed,I like it anyway it comes. Rock buns and guava jelly. Well the list goes on and on! Jamaica has some really good food. It also has great fruits, papaya, pineapple, mangoes and coconuts. Grapefruit and guava, bananas and lots of em. Lychee and cherries. Naseberries and otaheite apples. Star apples and sour sop. Watermelon, oranges and limes. Just about everything fruity!! But breadfruit....what is that?

It is said that Captain William Bligh brought breadfruit to Jamaica from Tahiti in 1793. Why you ask? To feed the slaves of course. Guess what? The slaves didn't like ,so it grew out of control and was used to feed the hogs. They eat anything. Reminds me of the commercial many years ago..give it to Mikey. Mikey will eat it! Those hogs...yup they eat anything. I have observed plenty of hogs and chickens in the back yard of the New Vision Children's Home.

Today, no breadfruit for the hogs. Some smart Jamaican said, wait a minute, let's figure out a way to make it yummy and start using the breadfruit on our table. Well, I can imagine it went something like that!

Today breadfruit is made a hundred different ways! Jamaicans roast it, bake it, boil it, steam it and make it into chips, they make it into porridge and even punch. They marinade it, pickle it and fry it, that's the way I like it! They use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They puree it for their babies.

I'll never forget the first time I saw it. It was along side the road at a fruit stand and I couldn't get over the size. What is that? I asked. It is the size of a watermelon but certainly isn't a watermelon!



If you want the breadfruit for soup, you need to pick one that is young and light green with no brown spots.

If you want to roast one, you need to choose a dark green one. I wish I had a photo of the roasted ones. They too are really interesting, they kind of look like the brown coconuts ..only with an ashen hue to them. When I have seen them on the roadside I haven't had my camera!

Okay, so what does the breadfruit taste like if it doesn't taste like fruit? Jamaicans say it taste like doughy bread. For some reason I just can't get that taste. I think it is because I eat it with my eyes open! I taste potato maybe that is because I have eaten it fried and I imagine potato chip! Maybe I need to eat it blindfolded!

We are able to watch the breadfruit grow right here on our property. The tree is an evergreen and it can produce fruit for fifty years or more. When I see the fruit hanging down, I just wonder how in the world does it do that. They are so huge! amazing! Most breadfruit are seedless although there are many varieties with seeds.




As I have researched the breadfruit I find that it is everywhere even in Florida! It is in Key West and Vaca Key. The next time I go there I will have to see if it looks the same!



I can't end off a blog like this one without a recipe in case you have a bresheh tree in your yard! yup that is what a Jamaican would call the breadfruit, bresheh.

Porridge

1/2 medium fit bresheh
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pints water
2 ounces sweetened condensed milk
3 ounces evaporated milk
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 ounce flour
Put water on stove and turn fire on high. In the meantime remove the skin and heart from the bresheh. Cut the vegetable, whoa, vegetable..I thought this was a fruit, into small pieces. Add pieces to a blender with a little water and puree. Add pureed ingredients to the boiling water and add salt. Boil and stir. To thicken the porridge add the flour. Add the other ingredients and sweeten to taste. Serve in a bowl with ground nutmeg.

Sounds yummy doesn't it. Come to Jamaica for some bresheh, that is if you don't live in Florida!

Bible College Students....ready for anything!

This Bible College thing is really neat! The Jamaican Bible College has students who are pretty special! Two of our students are Haitian and the rest are Jamaican. A few of them were able to come to the service on Sunday with Irvin D. Clown and then to the house for some concentrated clown learning! We had a beautiful morning and then the time at the house was priceless. I love having them anytime we can! They light up our lives.




Andre, the brave one!



This moment was priceless. Mousa is one of the students that Irvin chose to volunteer. Renee went into the audience to find a girl and her dress matched his tie perfectly!



Cherley teasing Lolli!





Many hands make the work go faster! Lots of balloons waiting to be made into creatures!



After a Jamaican lunch of rice and peas, barbecued chicken, and salad, they took to the living room for a couple of hours of hands on training and teaching. What a great opportunity for the students and Irvin as well.





We love you Irvin D.Clown!

When clowns come to your house!

What a special treat to host a professional clown at the house! Kevin Ross is a children's evangelist and is a true, blue, clown! He has a Mastors of Divinity degree from ORU and spends his life clowning around! He taught my Ryan tricks of the trade in years past and now teaches Renee how to be a clown, not that she needed much help! While Kevin and Uncle Marty were here, Irvin even got violin lessons! Funny how the mind of a clown works! What fun. What ministry. What memories!