Monte Sossego week 6

And 2018 comes to a close. It passed by so fast, and I know that this last year has made a huge impact on my life. 2019 is going to be another great year. Christmas was great, talking to my family, having a barbeque at my Bishop´s house, and eating some pies at a senior missionary couples house. On Monday night we sung Christmas hymns in a square in the city. This week was a little rough ono the work side, but we had some cool experiences. There is this guy named João who wants to follow The Church. On Sunday we got a rundown of the new church program that they are implimenting. I am very excited to improve my study of The Savior and His teachings. I hope that everyone takes it seriously. We did see a guy we knew in our area ge hit by a car. He was alive but was taken to the hospital. The roads here are dangerous. We got transfer calls today and I am staying here with Elder Floyd. He is a new zone leader so I will help him out. He actually has one more transfer than me and is a very good Elder. I am excited to work with him. On transfer day we get to call a bunch of people and tell them when they are leaving. We are still working with Delmira and her daughter Shirly to be baptised this month. Have a happy new year.
1.Caroling
2.Christmas at Bishop´s
3.District photo

Monte Sossego week 5

This week we had two Christmas parties. One for the missionaries in our zone, and another for the ward. The one for missionaries was a blast but this year they wanted to focus on the more spiritual part of Christmas which was great. Christ has taken on even more of a role for me if that is possible. We played a Christmas Jeapordy game and my group won. We also did a present exchange and I gave Elder Flake who is in my zone some ranch dressing that I found in an American store. I got a turtle magnet from Elder Adriano. This week was rough for finding new people to teach and I think that it is because the Christmas season. No one is home or wants to talk to us, except members. The ward Christmas party was great and on Sunday we watched the devotional from Utah. We were able to bring a family to the Ward party. Their names are Jacline, Maiara, Cleidir, and Vitória. Also this week we visited the Stake President and his family and they gave us real chili. It was so good. I included some pictures of them. They have a crazy son. Things are going good here in Mindelo and I look forward to talking to my family tomorrow. Have a Merry Christmas.

Monte Sossego week 4

And another week goes by in a flash. This week we did a division with the Elders in another area called Fonte Frances. I went with an Elder Adraino who is from Angola. He has the same amount of time on the mission as me. This week was honestly a little disappointing with the work until the end. We were trying very hard to help people make the commitment to be baptised, but nothing was really working. On Friday however we were blessed to find a cool new family: Anivaldo, Suéli, and Rafa. Later that night we commited a mother and daughter(Delmira and Shirley) to be baptised on the 12th of January. They are really commited too and came to church yesterday. We are working a lot with our recent convert Nando who is having some family problems. He is a good guy and is still coming to church. Christmas is close and so we are preparing for some activities. We made a paper Christmas tree and put lights on it. On Saturday we spent the morning doing a service project at a hospital. We actually cleaned out in front of the hospital and boy did it need it. The news came to film us, but I did not get on the news. It felt good to do some manual labor. I will include some pictures from Praia and the mission council. Bye.

Monte Sossego week 3

This week was crazy because we had the misson tour with Elder Sabin and we went to Praia for a mission leadership council that they have at the beginning of every month. The conference with Elder Sabin was very spiritual and while he spoke simply, I learned a lot. We had to organize the lunch and it was a lot of running around but it was good. Later in the week we flew to Praia to council as leaders about the mission. It was my first so it was all pretty new. It went from 9 in the morning to 7 at night. We made a lot of goals to help out the mission. Being out of our area for so long was not good though. We are having trouble finding people that will progress. We are preparing for the Christmas season by sharing messages with members about lighting the world. We are helping a lot of people to realize that Christmas is not just a festa or party. We have some families that we are teaching but I will not say their names because I want to wait to see if they really have desire to follow Jesus Christ. Today for fun we hiked over a hill to a small sandy hill that is cool for flips and sliding down. have a good week.

Monte Sossego week 2

This week was a good week of hard work, ups and downs, and preparation for the Mission Tour that will happen next week. I did a division in my old area Fernando Pó and I saw some old friends. Yesterday we left with President Amo to work in our area. It was really good actually but I was a little nervous. This week we had some days where we found nobody to teach and then other days where we found like six people to teach. We are working with this lady Irana who went to church and wants to be baptised. She makes cakes and sells them to big markets here.We are also hoping to teach her kids. A cool recent convert Mercedes brought her friend Davi to church without us even asking her. Mercedes son Cristian was a less active member but he flipped a switched this week and now is reactivated and excited about the gospel. This P-day we went golfin with a member on a dirt golf course. It was great and fun, but we were terrible. The member was good though. Life is good here in Africa. We had some sweet family nights in our bishop´s house who is loaded but who lives out in the middle of nowhere. We have had to do some work with a restaurant that will cater for the Mission Tour. Life as a Zone Leader is pretty awesome.

                                                    

Monte Sossego week 1

Hello again and I hope that you all had a great thanksgiving. Me and Elder Boehme made a good meal of mashed potatoes and chicken. He is a good cook because his Dad worked as a chef his entire life. I am loving Mindelo and I am loving being a zone leader. I will not lie though it is more responsability, but I believe that I am up to the task. Our zone, Mindelo East, which includes the island of São Nickolau, is needing some motivation and focus. We are working hard to baptise 5 people in December for our area, and I hope that our mission can reach the goal for baptisms this year. As a zone leader I get a lot more chances to talk to President Amo which is cool I think. This Saturday we had the baptism of Nando, the most prepared man that I have ever met. He was left by his family long ago because of a drinking problem, but now he has so much desire to do what is right. We will continue to strengthen him. Our area is really cool with great people and a great view of Santo Antão. I love this work and I wish you all a good Christmas season.

Várzea week 24

Last week in Várzea! It has been a good run here but I am ready to go to work in a different area. The Marriage ran well and Lécio and Jaquelina were baptised and confirmed. I am very happy for them and I truly believe that they will stay strong. This last week we taught Adimilson, who works at the hospital. He is a smart guy but nice and very interested in the gospel. I hope that in the future I can see some baptismal photos of him. These last few days I have been visiting a lot of recent converts, just to say goodbye and bear my testimony of the gospel to them. I really want them to stay strong. Since this area is in Praia, I will definitely see them before my mission ends. Elder Silva has been a great companion, which proves that you do not need to have similar cultures or interests to be friends. I wish him the best as he ends his mission training a new Elder. The big news now is that I will go back to Mindelo as a Zone Leader. My companion will be Elder Boehme in an area called Monte Sossego. I have already done a division there because it is right next to Fernando Pó. I am excited to be a Zone Leader, serve in Mindelo with Elder Boehme, and visit some old friends in Fernando Pó. Elder Boehme (pronounced BayMee) has one more transfer than me and I already know him. It should be a good transfer. Até mais amigos.
-Me with a bottle of pure cane sugar alcohol, it is called Grog. None of them drank it.