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.

Week 12 and 13

Hello and I hope that all of you have a merry Christmas. It has gotten a lot cooler here these past couple of weeks and with the strong wind it has been in the sixties. We went on another division to Eribiera Grande this week and it was beautiful as always. We had to walk a short part of the way because road was under construction but it was kind of fun. We had the ward Christmas Party two days ago and I participated in the exchange of presents and someone gave me a Cape Verde Towel. I gave my person a cool hat for a soccer team in Portugal that I knew he liked. It is hard to find people to teach around the holidays here but we have been working hard. We are trying to mark a baptismal date with a girl named Marta. We need permission from her parents so it hasn´t been easy. My new companion is Elder Malula. He is from Utah but everyone around here thinks that he is from Cabo Verde so it is always funny to see people´s reactions when he tells them he is American. We get along great. He has 6 months left on the mission. Elder Cañizares was transfered to Assomada, São Tiago.
This Christmas day we will try to find service to do or maybe some lonely souls who need comfort at this time of the year. I am greatful to have this Christmas to serve and help others find Christ. Bom Natal para vocês.

Week 11

This week we had our Christmas party on São Vicente in the larger city of Mindelo. I took some pictures from the boat. The water here is so beautiful and clear. It is too bad that I can´t swim. Being with all of the other Elders from my district is super fun and they are really cool people. The Christmas Party was great though I forgot to take pictures. I went to a leadeship training before it with my companion though I am not a leader. I learned a lot about the responsabilities of a district leader and how we should minister and administer to our districts. For lunch they took us to a pizza restaurant and we ate a lot of pizza. It had the thinnest crust that you could ever imagine, but it was delicious. After we ate dessert which was brought by each district. We made brownies, which is always a good idea here in Cabo Verde. They were gone in a second. We are also promoting a church thing here called Seja a Luz do Mundo. We pass out cards and contact people through this. It feels like Christmas here in spirit though it is warm. This sunday was rough for investigators in church. We had Gilson because we passed by him before. We are going slow with him because his mind is never very clear. We are tryng to help him quit smoking. During our time in São Vicente we stayed with my grandpa, Elder De Jesus. He is from Brazil and he training my trainer, Elder Cañizares. He goes home this transfer. We have transfers next week so I will see what the Lord has in store for me but I will probably just stay here and recieve a new companion. I am almost done training and I know that the Lord turns our weaknesses into strengths if we just stay humble. Feliz Natal.

Week 10

Hello again. This week we had a zone conference in São Vicente, the island next to Santo Antão. It was great because a member of the seventy, Elder Johnson, came to talk to us. He did a whole tour of the mission. I included some pictures from the boat on the way back to Santo Antão. I had two divisions while I was there because we have to take a boat on tuesday and then stay til thursday and take another boat. The language in São Vicente differs from Santo Antão. It was interesting to teach and talk to different people. Interestingly enough, most of the people on São Vicente are from Santo Antão. At the conference we met lots of other missionaries because this conference included all of the northern islands. It was great to talk to them. With Christmas approaching the weather has cooled down to about 75 degrees. We had fast Sunday yesterday which was dificult but it payed off because we had six investigators in church. One lady, Ducha, came which was very suprising because she has a phobia of going outside here little shop that she runs. We are teaching a guy named Gilson who has a lot of desire but he smoked and drank a lot in the past and now his mind is a little broken. He is great and loves the peace he feels in the church. The other night my companion fed this cat that he found meowing because he likes cats a lot. The I made him put it outside. This week went by fast because of the conference, and soon I will be done training. I am excited to continue to progress.
My testimony on this mission is centered on Christ and at this time of the year we should learn a little more about him. Happy December.

Week 9

Óla, bzot dirét. That is a little bit of kriolo for you. I have really come to appreciate the langauge here in Cabo Verde as it is so unique and special. Many people will speak Portuguese to us here, but at the same time the language that everyone speaks in their houses, work, and recreation is Kriolo. A question like ´what is your name?` becomes ´qual é seu nome?` in Portuguese and ´mone ká bo nom` in Kriolo. We are not supposed to speak Kriolo though many missionaries here do. This week I was only able take a few pictures but I chose to try and capture some of the beautiful scenery. We can see the island next to us, São Vicente, pretty clearly. We went on slpits this week wit the Elders from Porto Novo North. It was interesting to see the other side of the city. We had a little thanksgiving lunch with those Elders. We made mashed potatoes and gravy and had some other stuff which was pretty good. Yesterday one of our investigators came to church after many months of difficulties. It is a miracle that she was able to come. She has had some bad experiences in the past with other members and missionaries. Her name is Leontina and we set a date for her baptism in december. I can say now with confidence that I love these people here in Porto Novo. I want their salvation and will continue to work hard every day. One more thing, my companion needs a root canal and they only have doctors who can do that in São Vicente. I am brushing my teeth more often now so that I do not need any sort of surgery or operation. Anyway everything is great and it is getting a little colder which is nice. When it hits 75 degrees people throw on the coats to keep warm.