Week 18 in Porto Novo

Hello, I am just finishing playing another great game of soccer. Our team won, 30-28. These are highscoring games. We will receive our transfer calls some time this morning I hope. I could leave or I could stay. One thing I have been blessed with on the mission is good health. I am thankful for not having been sick yet. But I am sure that I will get some sort of disease eventually. This last week of the transfer was a bit slower, mais tranquil. We have been working with a girl named Ericka. She has a lot of potential to be baptized, and I believe that one day she will. We have a lot of dates marked for February, and I don´t know if I will be here for them. I would like to tell you guys about a member here named Jeremias. He is a very interesting person. Unfortunately he is a pathological liar, and is famous here on Santo Antão and São Vicente. He has a good heart, but I never can trust anything he says. Some of his stories are pretty funny though. This week I have loved reading on The Book of Mormon about the preachings of Alma the younger to the people of Zarahemla. He exorts us to be a seperate people(Alma 5: 57) and not be trying to blend in with the world. I really liked that. Don´t try and be like the people who are of the world. Be an example. Live so that they notice that you are different. Thanks for the support that all of you have given. Here is a picture with the homies.

Week 17

This week it is hard for me to remember much of what went on. We had two divisions this week, one with the zone leaders and another with the other Elders of Porto Novo. Both were in our area but they were actually pretty fun. I continue to learn from each new missionary that I work with. We are teaching a guy named João who at first was more hesistant to our message because of another religion but after a few visits he has come to love our messages. He truly has real intent to learn more. He came to church this week which was great. We are working with a lot of less actives right now and many are atending church. I love seeing people that we are teaching arrive at church because I know that it will make them so much happier. Carnival will start here soon and already you can hear drums at night. This morning we played soccer in the concrete court they have at the chapel. I am tired but I need the excercise and it was fun. Also I need new shoes because I am still wearing the ones I have had since freshman year of high school. Here is a picture at a family night with a bunch of members and one investigator.

week 16

And here I am again after another week of work. This week I went on yet another division to Eribeira Grande. This time I got to go up to a place called Eribeirão. It is beautiful and makes you feel like you are in Jurassic Park, but the hike up to it is literally death to your thighs and calves. Elder Roark who I was with pointed to a mountain and said we were going to climb it. I thought he was kidding. He wasn´t. But anyway we helped out a lot of people and then some nice member took us to a bar and bought us juice and muffins. It was pitch black as we walked down. This morning we went on a hike to a cross on top of a hill with some members and it was pretty cool. We taught Papai this week but is busy a lot with fishing and selling. I think last week I forgot to say that he accepted our baptismal date. He smokes but has a desire to quit, and at least he doesn´t drink grog like all of the other fisherman around here. Grog is a terrible alcoholic drink of pure sugar. We have a baptismal date marked with a lady named Ericka and she seems very excited. This week I finished reading Jesus the Christ and it was amazing. I have learned a lot about the life and works of our savior. I love him more now than I ever have in the past. What an oportunity I have to preach his gospel.

Week 15

The weeks keep going by faster and faster. I am already halfway through this transfer with Elder Malula. I could stay another transfer here in Porto Novo or I could be leaving. Elder Malula and I get along great, he is 21 and is from Draper, Utah. This week we had a zone conference in Mindelo which was very useful for us. I learned so much about the importance of personal revelation for my personal development. Presidente Amo has a sure method to recieve personal revelation. Pray, Study, Ponder, and Write. As you write the spirit will put thoughts and impressions into your mind so that you will be able to recieve guidance. It is amazing. On the boat to São Vicente we saw a group of dolphins jumping out of the water near our boat. It was probably the most amazing experience in my life. I wish I had a picture but thats pretty hard to get. Yesterday we had a very special experience. We went to contact a reference from the other Elders of Porto Novo. His name is Papai. We found him in a humble home by the ocean. He is a fisherman for a living and loves to talk to us about it. We taught him the first lesson and felt that he was prepared to be baptized so I invited him to be baptized on the 10th of February. I felt the spirit the stongest in that lesson than in any other. Here is a picture from zone conference.

Week 14

Hello again from Cabo Verde. This week was strange in that it just felt like everyone was waiting for the new year. I feel like people here are more excited for the new year than for Christmas. We have been struggling to mark baptismal dates with people but this week we marked a date with Leontina. We just need to help her to stop drinking. It was great to talk to my family on Christmas and great as well to be fed by members. There are a few families around here who are nice enough to give us food. Of course though the other night on the way to a members house for dinner I guessed the entire meal that they gave us. As they were bringing out the food my companion starting dying of laughter. It was chicken and potatoes, rice, tomatoes and lettuce, and a egg/tuna/homony salad. It was delicious still. On new years night we were allowed to stay out and watch the fireworks. They had about 30 of them at the Port. It was pretty cool. We watched them from the roof. And so begins the calender year of my mission. I feel pretty well trained and comfortable with the work. Thank you for all of your prayers as they do help. If there was one attribute of a missionary that is essential to progress it would be humility. And there are plenty of opportunities to gain that here on the mission. Here is a picture of me and little bishop or bishop´s son.