FIRST STAKE IN CABO VERDE!!! April 29, 2012



The first Stake Presidency in Cabo Verde!!!  President Teixeira is in the middle.  He has such a wonderful spirit and so does his sweet wife. President Teixeira and his two counselors bore  humble and beautiful Testimonies.  What a blessing to hear their words.

Elder Kopischke (Area President, 1st quorum of the Seventy (Germany), Pres. Teixeira (2nd counselor in Area Pres. from Portugal),  President Oliveira (Cabo Verde Mission President).  They gave such powerful talks full of light and hope!


 

folding programs...

The Future of the Church and of Cabo Verde...all smiles and wearing a tie bigger than he is!

Ready for conference to begin!

                     

Some came very early in the morning and many waited around long afterwards just to drink it all in...including us!



Even the children sensed the JOY!



We also felt great Joy to be invited to go to the Island of Santiago for the formation of the very first ever Stake in Cabo Verde.  It was a magnificent day to witness History in the making! 



A special day for every Cabo Verdean Family...for now and forever!



Avelino Domingos Correio Moreno

Avelino works at construction on the docks of the ocean...he scuba dives to prepare the ground before they pour cement to strengthen the docks.  He has to go by feel because below the water where he works, it is total darkness.   He awakened early on a Sunday morning and wandered the town of Sao Filipe.  He came to a small white wall across from the church on Easter , April 8th.  He arrived at 7 am and waited and waited...then left for a while and `for some reason´ felt to return to sit on the wall and waited and waited...not sure exactly what he was waiting for...

Sunday the 22nd of April, Avelino got up at 5 am for his joy...after two weeks of reading and taking lessons, praying and thinking alot...here he is on his way to the church...with a big smile!  He said he knows now why he felt so strong to sit on that wall and wait there to be invited in.  



He asked if President Benedict could baptize him and confirm him a member of the  Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos  Santos dos Ultimos Dias.  What a wonderful day!  What a wonderful two weeks to witness a change in the life of such an amazing young man.   He has an interesting story and eyes that sparkle with a new brightness of hope.  

Everytime we visit him in his little apartment around the corner from this street, he is waiting for us.  This is the day he told us of his decision to be baptized.  When the elders taught him about Tithing from the Bible, he simply said it would be no problem.  He would use the money he used to spend on alcoholic beverages since he would not need to purchase them anymore.  We wish you could hear him pray.   He has taught us again about faith and blessings.

Loaves...



Give us this day...our Daily Bread...takes on a meaning deeper than words... here in Fogo.   I don't want to take for granted the blessing of having food to eat every day and I will find greater happiness in paying fast offerings to help those who have known all along what those words really mean.



We can buy bread and eggs at the bakery.  What a convenient one-stop-shopping at times!

and Fishes...

 I have gone to the fish market twice now. It's best to go early when the picking is fresh, when the vendors are alert and the fishermen, just back from the night's catch, are mending their nets. There are also fish vendors in the back of a pick-up or with a bucket on their head...a 'home-delivery' of sorts... hollering up and down the streets: "Peixe...Fresco...P-E-I-X-E...F-R-E-S-C-O (Fish Fresh).  I prefer the fish market very early.

We like swordfish (Serra) and tuna the best so far.  We have tried the orange garoupa and the small silver fish also.

I stand and watch as the women scrape some of the scratchy scales from my purchase.  Is this really me standing here...willing to take whole fish from mud water into my casa with eyes and fins and tails still staring at me?  In my world, the fish come in even filets, displayed on ice in clean plastic and styrofoam packages with labels shouting nutrition.  

I think of the women here and of our mothers and grandmothers and theirs as they cut and scraped and cleaned and cooked and cared about their families 'from scratch' ...and am thankful that the ocean is close to our cement homes here in Cabo Verde.  For a moment I am surrounded by parables. For a grateful moment I think I understand  a bit better about the loaves and the fishes...

What Birthday Gifts!

  

My heart has memorized moments on our Mission...to hold especially close on the days when I long to hold a grandchild's hand and laughter.  Some of these moments are sacred gifts given in the form of tender mercies...I remember the tilt of my grandfather's head from long ago, as he smiled and nodded quietly: 'well done' when I showed him a scripture I had copied down from the book of Joshua.  I Must remember four gifts for the week of my 60th Birthday!  Gifts...just to tuck me in...and I am grateful.  

The gift of refreshment in hearing the words of our Prophet at conference.  The gift of Renewal in celebrating the Easter Miracle.  The gift of Tongues and Testimony. The gift of Family and Friends.

Gift # 1: In a far away land, we gather around and squint at the computer screen in the light of the day  as we grab at every translated word that we strain to hear above the background of cars on cobblestone and the neighbors calling for their children in the heavy air.  What refreshment in familar music and prophetic messages, a homecoming moment.

Gift #2: Yesterday was Easter!  What a wonderful day for a Birthday!  I asked Heavenly Father early if He would help us to know if someone needed us to please guide us.  Across this city, a man named Avelino awakened and decided to go to a church.  He lives by a couple of churches but wandered until he found one.  He sat on a small wall across from the church and waited.  It was 7 a.m. and after some time, he left.  But soon, returned to the same wall and waited some more. 

We got ready for church and turned the corner just before 9 a.m.  I saw a man sitting on the wall across the street from the church.  "We need to invite him to come in with us," I said.  We invited him just as we went inside the gate...but sensing that he needed to be invited again, I turned back to him and he smiled and came in with us.  He sat through all 3 hours of meetings.  We invited him to our casa for lunch.  He told us about his day, his family who live on Praia, and then he told us about waiting on the wall and about his feeling in church... he said that he felt 'something special today'.   So did we.

 Gift #3:  We sat in front on folding chairs waiting to give our talks in Mosteiros.  The man just before me was speaking in Creole. 'Kennedy', nickname for: Jose Vieira de Pina (in the District Presidency), was sitting next to me and began translating for me by whispering Portuguese in my right ear as I was listening to the Creole in my left ear.  Soon I whispered back: "Eu acho eu entendo todo" (I think I understand all).  What Kennedy didn't understand is that by myself, I don't understand Portuguese or Creole...but Heavenly Father knows both!  I know the Gift of Tongues is real.  What a blessing in the moments when we need to understand and share the Gospel with each other. 

#4:  I often think of the scriptures as love-notes from our Heavenly Home, especially when somewhere inside of us we sense a homesickness of sorts.  It's easy at times for our spirits to miss what we have known and loved.  The tiny notes from family and friends who take time to email or leave a sentence or two on our blog are delicious and lift our days.  The influence of those whom we love is profound.  I have been richly blessed throughout my life. 



 When we even try a little bit to open the doors of our hearts...it seems that our Savior blesses us abundantly with gifts.  Oh what gifts.  What unspeakable Gifts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x5HiOp7EMo&feature=player_embedded

Oh My...the Roads!

Some of the roads, especially between Sao Filipe and Mosteiros on the island of Fogo...and from the boat to the city of Vila Nova de Sintra on the Island of Brava (the road up the mountain with it's 99 turns), will teach me many things!  Given that I am who I am...and the roads here are what they are...it is here that I will find deeper faith.  There are places where the roads are 1 and 1/2 cars wide and no buffer between the edge of the road and steep drop-offs down to the  ocean way below...But I know that I have been protected on roads before...one time in a snow storm when I spun around and was facing a semi-truck...and I was placed on the side of the road (at once) (I didn't get there...I was there)... ;)  So I close my eyes at times, listen to the great blaring Cabo Verde music, enjoy the amazing & many fellow passengers, and think about the faith of so many great people (family & friends) that I know and hope to become stronger.

There is no such thing as 'no room' in a van, truck or car.  Tires are changed every 3 months the van driver told us.  I imagine part from the sharp cobblestones and part from the number of passengers! We pile nigh unto the rafters at times, spending squished time together, each on his no hurry way to something...at times there is hardly room for the music to wander around us!

Day to Day...

We loved Conference...the parts that we could get so far.  We couldn't get the last session as the internet went down in the city, but we loved the rest!!!!  Only one part when Japanese took over the Portuguese for a bit...but we could feel the spirit strong anyway, and how wonderful to be a part of it all the way to here!  Such a nice relaxed day.  When the internet didn't work...Pres. Benedict started leading everyone in singing and I gave a mini-testimony and then others took turns as well.  It turned out to be a good meeting...but we will be anxious to listen to Conference again.

Our days over-lap with variety and there is always more to do!  We have been here on the Island of Fogo for almost 8 weeks now...so what do we do day to day?  In our first almost 2 months, we have taught Perpetual Education Classes on Wednesdays.  These are wonderful classes that teach budgeting, schooling, planning for the future, and accomplishing our hopes and dreams through hard work.  The students can then apply for a loan if they have no money to go to school.  They will repay the loan at sometimes $5.00 or $2.00 a month so others can benefit from the fund as well.  We have taken our students to stores and classes and schools and visited with them about their skills and talents.  We have been to 5 single adult activities, 2 branch activities, attended 10 Institute/Seminary classes and taught two Old Testament classes in Institute. We have set up our apartment-bought dishes, pans, bed, shower curtain, fixed electrical problems, put up cloteslines.  We have loved visiting many homes for visits, lessons, and Family Home Evenings.  We enjoy the zone conferences and district meetings.  We have given medicene at the request of the mission nurse, have inspected 7 missionary apartments on three islands.  We have spoken in 6 Sacrament meetings (on 3 islands), given a 1 hour training to a missionary zone conference.  At the end of this week, we will have stayed 14 nights in hotels and been on 5 boat rides (one calm).   Pres. Benedict has given trainings to 6 branch Presidencies as well as trainings to their branch counsels.  He has worked many hours on a map of this city with the ultimate purpose of dividing two branches into three.  There are no addresses on this island.  It is all on foot and by word of mouth.  Shortly ago, the branch records were changed from people's nicknames which everyone uses here to their given names and so in finding where each person on record lives...even some of the leaders don't know people by their real names.  They always use their nicknames and that is how they are known.  The process is slow...but we are making progress and Pres. Benedict is amazing with Google earth and some math and quadrants and footwork and patience in finding everyone.  We've helped with the Seminary Super Saturday and will help with this week's district returned and prospective missionaries activity.  And on Abril 14th will be in charge of another Seminary Activity for the District. When visitors come from other islands they can stay here with us as we have an extra room. (Another missionary couple, humanitarian (working to help people with wheelchairs and water projects), the Brodericks, just spent two days with us and that was nice!)  There are many phone calls, questions, ideas, and computer helps and more visits to do.  Inbetween we prepare meals and go to baptisms and iron our clothes and prepare our talks and practice our Potuguese and pack an overnight bag and take the boat and buy more bottled water and hope there just might be an email or two from home!  That is a quick sketch of our day to day....

We love this work and at the end of each day...we sleep so good.  ;)     Just like you... we stay busy and happy...(those two seem to go together somehow)... 


Motel room in Cova Figueira inbetween meetings!  He's pretty awesome!