The Last One

Well this is it. I thought I should post one more time to finish things off. I am home now and it is great to be with the family again and also to have carpet, air conditioner, and real ice cream. I am kind of in a daze right now so I will try to make this post coherent. My last two weeks on the mission I worked hard and we had success. Nobody was baptized, but we marked some baptismal dates. I worked on my last day the same as I worked on my first day, maybe a little more distracted though. Some highlights were going up with the zone to the volcano and eating grapes grown there, Seeing turtles in the ocean finally, and baring my last testimony at Zone Conference. My last few days I said many goodbyes and bought some souvenirs and had an interview with the President. There was also a very emotional last dinner with everyone going home. The trip itself was awful but I am here now so who cares. I love Cape Verde and the people there. I cannot imagine my life without this mission. I know that this is the work of God going forth to all the world. I know my Savior lives. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

1.volcano
2.us dying
3.we were above the clouds
4.the og district 20b

Queimada Guincho week 4

This week was pretty average I will not lie. I am happy and content but there is not much to say. We are trying to help many people out but it is a struggle to help them keep commitments. Djonny and Tânia are still interested in being baptised and following Christ´s church, but they are waiting on a visa to America and if they are married they will have to wait 5 more years. So we are still trying with them but they cannot progress for now. We talked to this guy named Mário this week who was in jail for a while because he sold drugs here. It is funny because he is this way big dude who really likes studying the bible and stuff. He is very sensitive to the spirit as well. He still has to resolve a few things. We will see with him. Well I know that this Gospel is of God and I will testify of that until the last day of my life. have a great week.

Queimada Guincho week 3

I have learned a lot this week about the importance of enduring until the end. And not just enduring but enduring well. I am sure that almost all returning missionaries learn this. I do not have a lot of time this week but I will just say that I love The Lord and I konw that he lives. Also the work is  going well and we are focusing on doing more Family Nights with the members. These will be my last 3 weeks as an official representative of  Jesus Christ. I will make them count. Have a great week!

Queimada Guincho week 2

One more month as a missionary. I will take advantage of it. The area is as good as ever. We are finding lots of people to teach and have some people who are preparing for baptism. Djony and Tânia came to church last week and are preparing to be baptised on my last Saturday here. The 27th of July. They are way cool people and I already love them a lot. I told Elder Damas that I was going home and I think it helps him to apreciate my being here. We had some family nights and activities this week to help out the investigators and members. Sometimes looking at the waves here I really wish that I could go swimming. The waves are so nice. I have learned a lot this week about being disciplined in my thoughts and enduring to the end. I plan on staying focused on my mission until the end. I know that this is the cause of truth and that we all play a part in preparing the wolrd for the second coming. Have a great week.

Queimada Guincho week 1

Last transfer! I cannot believe it. I am liking the new area and the new comp. He is very excited to be a misionary. He speaks some english and I am helping him learn it even better. I have not yet told him that I am going home. I am here on the other side of Fogo closer to the volcano. We cannot see it from of our area but I passed right under it on the way over. This area is green and we live right next to the ocean. We are getting to know the members here and we have some investigators already. Tony is a kid who we contacted and taught the restoration to. He is way cool and wants to follow Jesus Christ. He said that he would be baptised if he got an answer. Then there is Djony and Tânia. We helped them move houses one day and then we taught them the next day. They are cool people and we hope to see them progress. On Sundays here we split up with the members and one stays in Queimada Guincho with a ward and the other takes a car to a group in Atalaia. This Sunday I went to Atalaia and it is higher up the mountains and way pretty. I am loving it here and will say more next week. I know that we can all repent and become better people, more like the Savior Jesus Christ. Tchau.

Patim week 12

This was my last week in Patim. I will be flying to Praia to pick up another kid, or new missionary, and we will be coming back to Fogo and white washing a new area. This means that we will be replacing two missionaries there. I do not actually know where in fogo the area is so I will update you all on that later. That is why this mission is the best. You never know what is going to happen. I am excited to end my mission with an awesome last transfer. This last week we saw some more success. Vandira has a lot of potencial to be baptised, but her mom will not let her. She turns 18 on the 11th of July so we marked a baptismal date with her for the 13th. She has a lot of support from Dila, a member. I will miss the people of this area. This area was not the easiest, but I am grateful for the things that I have learned here. I am going to make this last transfer the best yet. If you are still reading my blog thanks for staying strong.
1. Clouds up in Monte Grande
2. Our district
3. Goats eating corn. I should have taken a video they were going crazy over it

Patim week 11

As it heats up here in Patim, Fogo, the mangos continue to increase in number and quality. They are probably my favorite fruit here in Cabo Verde. Also this week we met some rabbits and ducks of a member. These are the first rabbits that I have seen here. I am excited for the future of this area. We have a lot of potencial baptisms, the members are getting more excited, and we had three investigators in church. Dila, a recent convert, brought her friend Vandira who is 17 or 18 and has been to church a ton in the past. She was not baptised only because her Dad did not let her. She migh be 18 now so she can make her own decision. I will you all on her situation and age next time. Augusto e Mimizinha, some strong members, have left with us a lot this week and this has helped. We are working with Geovani and his mom, Cristina, and his brother and sister, Taissa and Cris. They will hopefully be baptised in the month of June. Cris and Taissa went to church on Sunday. We will do all that we can do but in the end whether thy baptise or not we will have been successful. Have a great week.

Patim week 10

This week was just one more week of hard work, with not much to tell, but there are some things.
I was trying to do some push-ups and clap my hands behind the back and I ended up bashing my chin on the hard floor. It split the skin on my chin but it is all good now. I included a picture. The heat is picking up here but I will not have to deal with it for too long. We are continuing to have dificulty getting people to come to church. This week Edy did not go to church, but we will still work with him. I still have faith that he will make it. Our branch´s frequency is pretty small and we are doing a lot of activities to try and bring it up. One good thing that happened on Sunday was Geovani getting the Aaronic Priesthood. He is a good kid. We are still working with Liany and Kenira to help them come to church and progress. On Saturday we did some more service for Vadu who was building that stone wall. It was not for a temporary shelter but he lives somewhere else and is building a permanent house here. They will eventually cover the rocks with cement. This time I actually felt like we made a difference. We moved a lot of rocks. Last thing is that we had Zone Conference this week and we learned a lot as always. This time it was just our zone. Well that is all for now from Fogo. I know this Gospel is true and go find someone to serve. Tchau

Patim week 9

This week we worked hard and were rewarded with some progress in our area. One day this week we tracked it and we walked 10 miles. Last week in total we walked 40 miles. I think that I have walked an insane amount on my mission. We were blessed yesterday to have Edy come to church. I had given him a shirt to wear but he did not even weat it to church. He is the brother of Dilla, a recent convert. We are excited to keep working with him and we hope to mark a date with him for baptism this week. He is 19 almost 20. We have been sleeping on thin pads on the ground since I have gotten here, but this week we finally got some mattresses. Now it feels like we are living it up. We had a family night the other night with Sara and her family. It was good to strengthen them. We got to eat some goat cheese again which was good but later destroyed my stomach for the night. Final thing for this week was that we had the opportunity to do service for a man who we contacted on the street. We actually helped him and his friends build a wall of rocks. It was fun talking to them. Still going strong, still loving the mission. I will see you all next week. Tchau!                          

Patim week 8

This work is very important, and because of that there is always opposition. This week felt like a battle. On the other side of the island there was a big accident where a car hit a bunch of people on the side of the road who were there worshipping a Catholic saint. 17 were injured and 4 have died so far. The people were all from Patim so this week has been full of mourning and funerals and saddness for these people. We have taught the Plan of Salvation a lot. A lot of our investigators have not shown a lot of desire. We are trying to help out Zezito but he lives so far away that it is dificult to reach him. He has also not kept the appointments that we have made with him. I love my new companion Elder Graham. He is quiet but cool, and he is organized which is awesome to me. We are now determining to work more up in Monte Grande because there are tons of people there with potencial. Lots of birthdays this week: My companions, my Moms, and my Dads. I know that life is not easy, but when we put our faith in Christ it is a lot easier, and a lot more worth it. I love this Gospel more than anything, and I wish you all the best week and a happy Summer.

Patim week 7

So this week I got my new companion or "son". His name is Elder Graham and he is strait from the MTC. He is from Idaho Falls. He is really chill and I know that we are going to have a blast together. This week I was stuck in Praia until Saturday because I forgot my passport and could not take the plane back. My son went back to Fogo before me and stayed with the Zone Leaders in São Filipe. I stayed in Terra Branca in Praia with my old companion Elder Sailors and his trainee Elder Somalo from Chile. Elder Sailors should actually be home right now but he extended his mission for another transfer. It was good to serve with them but I am relieved to be back in my own area. We had very few people in church this last Sunday so we are going to get to work visiting members and helping our investigators to prepare for baptism. We are still working with Juliana, Eder, Elisa, Carlene, Tuda, and Zezito to be baptized this transfer. I included here some dogs that were caged in a house in Praia. They are so ugly that they are almost cute as Elder Sailors said. I am happy serving the Lord and I am excited to end my mission strong. I love you all.

Patim week 6

Today has been crazy so I cannot write a ton. It was a good last week and we saw success in finding new people to teach and marking baptismal dates with them. Juliana and her brother Eder are doing good and we hope that they will be baptized on the 25th of this month. There is also a man that we found named Zezito and he is really cool. He is about 50 years old but lives with his parens who are old and does not have kids or a wife. He had stopped us earlier on the street and said that he wanted to talk to us. We passed by and taught him the Gospel and he accepted a date to be baptized on the 25th as well. He lives very far away from the church but he commited to go to church this Sunday. We had transfers today and early in the morning we had to take a boat to Praia because Elder Bennion came here to serve and I am picking up a trainee. I think his name is Elder Braham but I am not sure. I am excited. The boat over by the way was 4 hours and was basically a living Hell. That might be an overstatement but I threw up once. Good timers. Because I forgot my passport I may have to take a boat back to Fogo.  I took a picture with this guy because I liked his sweater. In the baptismal picture Sara is the little girl in blue behind her sister.

Patim week 5

This week was great, and we were blessed at the end to have the baptism of Sara. Her family was very happy. We brought them all in a van to her baptism. I got a virus taken off of my card so now I have pictures for you all. Here is a donkey and zone conference and Elder Bennion with some animals. The cat he is holding is now dead because a little girl dropped it on it´s head. That was too bad. This morning as a zone we visited a cool beach. I will send pictures later. This week we had some ups and downas with the work but one thing that was good was finding Juliana. We were with some members and we decided to knock on the door of an investigator and his sister responded. I had though before that she was Catholic and she is but she has not gone to church there for a long time. She was very open and interested in the Gospel. She has a lot of potencial to be baptized. Members really do make a ton of diference. Have a great week.

Patim week 4

Hello again. For now I will not be able to post pictures because I need to resolve some stuff with my sd card. This last week was good and we saw success marking dates with people for baptism. There is this 17 year old named Marizin who has a lot of potencial to be baptised. We marked with him for the 18th of May. We had a great Sunday remembering the Lord Jesus Christ. Easter was good because I studied in the ´Come Follow Me´ manual. I really felt the Spirit and the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Training Elder Bennion is going well. He is a good guy. I really do not have a ton to say, but I am doing great here and I know that blessings come to those who obey the comandments.

Patim week 3

Sorry but this week there will also be no pictures because I cannot get the whole pendrive/sd card thing to work. Hopefully next week. This week pasted by fast with zone conference and stake conference. We had Zone Conference copmbined with all of the other missionaries on Fogo which is actually two zones. It was fun seeing some new faces and some old ones too. As far as missionaries go than I guess that I am getting pretty old too. I had a great interview with President Amo. He showed a video from Paul when he was executed and it played the words of Paul saying that he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. It was spiritual and powerful to think about having to die for what you believe. This week we continue to work hard and have sifted through some people who will not progress, but we need to find some people who will actually progress. This 20 year old girl named Juma could be baptised this Saturday, but she does not want to pick a date. We cannot really just drop her because she goes to church every week and helps out others to go as well. Stake Conference was great. An area seventy spoke to us named Elder Phillips from England. He is a very nice guy. We and all the other members hopped in a van to get to the Stake Center. Well as I continue preaching the gospel here I would like you all to know that I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and I know that He will never abandon us. I love you all.

Patim week 2

This week was a good one, though we have a lack of progressing investigators. Looks like we gotta start findin. Oh and my English is going to go downhill now that I am serving with someone who speaks country. Cristina the Mom of a recent convert and two more investigators went to Praia to visit her oldest son who is sick there. It is a bummer, but we hope that she will come back soon. Sara is right on track to be baptised this month. There is this young man named Adonis who had a lot of potencial to be baptised, but unfortunately does not have the desire to go to church and will not tell us this. We will have to drop him. General Conference was awesome. I loved hearing the messages and feeling the Spirit. If you watched it you already know, but be ready. That is all that I can say. I did not take a lot of pictures this week. Just one of a Donkey. Maybe I will have the chance to eat some Donkey meat while I am here. I love you all. Have a great week.

Patim week 1

Hello from the island of Fogo. Right now I am in Sao Felipe, the main city on this island. We will come here every P-day to play soccer with the other missionaries and buy food because our area has nothing. There are stores in our area but they do not have a lot of types of food. I love our area though. The people and the members are so cool. It feels it little cooler here at night and all in all Fogo has a real country feel. I have already met all the members in our small branch here, and we had about 30 people in church this morning. There are some people that we are trying to work with to help them be baptised in the month of April. A Mom named Cristina and her kids. There is also a 9 year old girl named Sara who is the daughter of some members who will for sure be baptised in April. There is this area called Monte Grande that we have to hike up to every few days to work in. At night the stars are breathtaking. My companion, Elder Bennion, is from Idaho and is not ashamed of being a redneck. He was in the army for a few months before the mission. I am finishing his training and helping him with his portuguese. From our area you cannot see the volcano because it is blocked from view by taller mountains.

Monte Sossego Week 18

This my last week in th area was good but Hamilton, Vagner, and Vanelson were not baptised. It was sad because they partly lost the desire and partly were stopped by their Mom. I am not going to worry about it though because today I am going to Fogo, a diferent island in the southwest part of this archipelago. It is the island with the volcano on it. I will be serving in an area called Patim and I will finish the training of a new missionary. I am pretty excited and next week you guys will hear all about that area. This morning we played soccer again with teenagers amd members. It was pretty fun. I will be district leader now. I said good bye to everyone and It is kind of sad leaving this island. i have been on it for so long. Have a great week yall.

Our last district meeting and António, a great member who always left with us to teach.

Monte Sossego week 17

This morning we played soccer with some kids in our area. Hamilton who we are teaching was there and he went to church by himself yesterday. After church he said that he wanted to be baptised. We are hoping that he, Vagner, and Vanelson will be baptised this Saturday. They were not baptised this last Saturday because Their Moms were against it but the Moms do not have much of a role in their lives and now Hamilton the oldest wants to be baptised so we think that they will allow it. It is a blessing from God that Hamilton wants to be baptised now. We have been working with some less actives these days and some came to church on Sunday which was also good. This will probably be my last week in the area and on the island. I think that next week I will be transfered out. I heard that there were/are some strong winds in Colorado. I hope you all are ok. Things are good here in Cabo Verde. I would suggest reading an article in the february 2019 Liahona or Ensign by Elder Uceda of the Seventy on prayer. It is awesome. Have a good week. Here are some pictures from zone conference, teaching Hamilton, Vagner, and visiting some cool members who have a disabled son. He is the cutest.

Monte Sossego week 16

Today we have not done anything cool yet for P-day but it is like that sometimes because we run out of things to do here. Carnival is past which is a blessing. We had a good mission council in Praia and saw some old mission friends.  This week we have had a lot of tasks to do to prepare for zone conference and renewal of our visas. The older couple that is serving here will go home for a bit because of health issues. That will make renewing our visas harder because they normally help out a lot. Vagner and Vanelson showed up to church and passed their interviews, but we need to talk with Vagner´s Mom because she is not about him being baptised. Vanelson will turn 18 on the day he is baptised and he has already mentioned that he wants to serve a mission. Bernardo is going to church every week but he has school and work and so he tells us that he has no time to talk to us. So it is possible that he wants to go to church but just doesn´t want to be baptised. hopefully we can help him to gain the understanding and desire that he needs. Something that I know is that we as missonaries help out a lot of people to plant those seeds of faith and enter into the straight and narrow path, but like The Savior Jesus Christ taught, there are many who give in to the cares of the world, or do not have the right motives, or give in to the temptations of the devil. It is principles such as scripture study and prayer that we apply in our lives daily that help us out. Sorry no pictures from this week, Just some more from last week.

                                                                                                  

Monte Sossego week 15

This morning we went hiking over to the other side of São Vicente and got some great views. We walked through a secluded town called Salamansa and hitched a ride back to Mindelo. With Carnival being tomorrow this week was slow. Nobody was home, but on Saturday we fasted and 6 people showed up to church. A couple named Sidnei and Jennifer showed up and we were about to give up on them. Bernardo went and he is definitely getting baptised this month. He has been great but not getting a lot of sleep because he has been making costumes for Canival. Vagner and Vanelson showed up to church and they are excited for baptism which I think for them will be the 16th of this month. THis week we were able to bring Suéli and Ruth to the Family History Center in the city and we sent four names to the temple. It really was not that hard. Our President now wants us to send a name to the temple for every baptism we get this year. I did another great division with Elder Edu this week and we had a blast. He is a crazy guy but I love him. He is from Nigeria. Thankfully tomorrow we are going to be in Praia for Mission Council so we will miss Carnival. We had some nice family nights and a lunch with some members which helped us get through this week because when I say there was nobody in our area that is just about true. Everyone left to see the parades of Carnival. I hope you all have a great week.