Alex and Adileno...



 We passed by one day and were so happy to see Alex reading the Book of Mormon with his friend.  Alex and another friend, Adileno were baptized Junho 3rd.  To know that we are loved, that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us, that there is a way to understand this life and to plan for the next!  What blessings!  Who wouldn't want to share?  The answers to life and what to do with it are in that book.  It is an amazing thing to see such joy and to witness the changes in people's lives when they come to know for themselves through prayer...that they are related to Heavenly Father who loves them!



Adileno (back row most left)Alex (4th from left back row)  Each one here has such a story.
Like Ehlder the fellow in the middle, a member for 7 months...just put in the branch presidency while he waits for enough time in the church to serve his mission. Could go on and on. Most of the people in the branches here are under 29 years old.  Presidente Veira is the Branch President and he is 3rd over from the left back row.)

 Alex and Adileno are from Guinea Bisseau, Africa.  They are here for a year or so.  One day when we were in the young adult center, I asked Alex if he would like to see a map of his country on Google Earth.  He had never used a computer and was enthralled, making the mouse zoom his country in and out, in and out.  He showed us his homeland and his city and said that someday he will have enough money to take the blessings of the gospel back home to share with his family.  Alex and Adileno attend every week and joined in the 'helping hands' service project at the church.  They both showed up one Sunday in white T-shirts.  It was a fun to give them each a real white shirt from the kind stakes in Portugal and some ties from our sweet family!

Meet Antonio Pedro de Rosa



There are many quiet heroes that we pass on the 'sidewalk of life'.  Perfect strangers whom when noticed... may turn into the gentle reminders of the lessons for which we pray to understand... for every once in a while we are blessed to see through their eyes for just a moment and we come away with increased vision.

We met Brother and Sister Rosa (Antonio Pedro de Rosa and Lucia Freire Monteiro) on the Island of Santiago.  They were kind to sit and visit with us following a great conference.  He was ordained to the Melchezidek Priesthood and will serve in the high council.  Our visit was on the day the first stake was formed in Cabo Verde. 



Antonio Pedro da Rosa worked for the Independance of Cabo Verde in the 1970s.  He was concerned for the youth and knew that life would be better for them if they gained independence.  He was the leader of a group of 15 young men.  His cousin from Portugal turned out to be a spy bent on destroying the group.  His cousin came under the guise of helping them get on a boat 'Perola do Oceano' to another island to get more help and then took them a different direction and into the hands of the portugal policia.  His story is intriguing, very sad, and inspiring, all at once. 

For almost 4 years he was put into prison to sleep on a cement floor with mosquitoes, bad food, and no covers. There was a hole in the floor for the bathroom in the very small (one car garage) sized room which he shared with 16 other people and they were tortured repeatedly.  There are many details that he keeps inside.  I felt like crying at the ones he told us. When finally, the dictator of Portugal was changed, they were released. 

Now when they celebrate the independance of Cabo Verde he is a prominent figure and has his name on a plaque in Tarrafal where the prison is now a museum of sorts to the memory of this group of young men and to all of those who helped gain the independence the Cabo Verdians savor.  

To meet Brother Antonio, you'd just think he is a quiet kind man who likes to help keep the church yards clean and the weeds pulled in the gardens there.   He was a elementary school teacher and later worked in the administration of a high school and is happy that the Cabo Verdian children can get a good education.

Brother Antonio quietly gives the credit to God for his life and his blessings. 

Giggles

The Cape Verdians love to have their photos taken and the children giggle when I show them what they look like in the camera.

There are many times on a mission when you just have to giggle!  Like being asked to lead the singing in 6/8 time and saying yes! or like having only two ping pong balls on this island.  Two of  the branches have Ping Pong tables and half (sort-of) paddles.  In one of the branches their ping pong ball is safe quarded in the Branch President's home.  Meanwhile the youth will pry the small ball out of roll-on deodorant and use it to play pingy-pongy!  Instead of bounce, bounce bounce, it is clop, clop, clop. (Our mission nurse, Sister Cummings, just found some ping pong balls on the island of Santiago.  She was so sweet to get us some for the youth centers.) 

We had to laugh when a long awaited package finally made it to Cape Verde by way of CHILE?!!!A few weeks ago, while staying on the Island of Brava two nights in an apt. of (big) spiders...(we counted 8 when we first arrived...) I was intent on staying up all night... just to stand guard (quite frozen with my feet up off the floor of course).  Pretty funny for Elder Benedict! 

I learned alot that night, for when it got really late I had to seriously stare at my lack of faith (I wasn't really walking barefoot in snow and my children were not dying along the path like the pioneers...) and so I determined to try to sleep, and not be a whanny!   I would have faith and I would actually lay down and close my eyes and turn it over to Heavenly Father to make the decision about the outcome.  So I asked (while kneeling on the bed with the lights on...so I have a long way to go with faith) that...if this didn't need to be a test... would Heavenly Father please let the spiders stay out for just two nights...(and He did, and to me that was a great tender mercy full of loving-kindness that I do not take for granted.)

We were at Cova Figueira doing audits this past week, when much to grandpa's amusement something darted across my path...and me in sandals!  Two mice had joined us in the little office.  I will not even put the photo of me standing on a chair...where I stayed for some time until...I realized that here again... I must decide between faith and fear, between peace and panic, and simply carry-on...so (my mind rolled it's eyes at me) and I quietly came down . After-all, how could I possibly explain my little mouse test to Mary Fielding Smith.

Some missionaries here liked a little restaurant (good food, not too expensive) but there was a large poster of Janet Jackson by the tables in the front.  She was... well...not ready for church.  They took us there one day and after the meal, I mentioned kindly to the waitress that the missionaries had decided not to eat there anymore because of the poster.  "She isn't dressed" I said.  "Oh, that's normal, we are used to that here.  She is from America," the sweet waitress replied.  I mentioned that I was also from America and this was a bad example because women are worth more than that.  A couple of weeks later, we were walking down the road and she was excited to see us and invited us into the restaurant.  The poster was gone to her great smile and satisfaction!  That was so kind of her. Most people like to do right things.  Sometimes we just need to hear other people say the words that our heart already has.  She was happy that the poster was gone too!  The funny part is that the poster had been over a rather large window directly into the tiny bathroom.  Oh brother!  I must make a floral poster or something... speaking of immodesty!  ;)

The days fly into weeks and months here.  There is always much to do.  We are having some great experiences.  Today is our Preparation day.  We have written some emails, made some schedules, some calls to leaders, made a poster to teach about delegation, and designed some headers for the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary leaders so they can begin sending newsletters as a way to communicate from the District to the Branches.  We've done some laundry, walked to the bakery, bought some swordfish to serve to our guests tonight (The Brodericks are Humanitarian Missionairies from the Island of Sao Vicente and the Blotters, from Logan, Utah, are here helping with the project.  They are setting up water projects here for homes and schools without water.  We have accomodations for other missionary couples in our home when they are on this island...but this past week has been one with only 15-20 minutes of water a couple of times a day and so it has been interesting for all of us.  We have to laugh at the memories of dorm living! 

For the past week as well, the apt. owner is here with workers and almost non-stop jack-hammering of cement walls coming down below us.  They may be putting in a restaurant someday the owner said.  I will include a photo of the project going on below us and hope Travis will tell us if it looks like our third story will remain third or not!  I asked the owner what kind of restaurant it might be.  "I can do all of them," he said in his broken English."You like American food? German? Mexican? I can do Chinesea also." he said.  So sounds like we are in for a treat...I imagine the restaurant will probably have it's grand opening in the year 2042 so I must not think of Sweet and Sour Chicken just yet! 

I heard the sound of cute little goats through the window a couple of hours ago and hurried for the camera so Brooke might identify the breed for us hoping they were like the colorful ones that were filling the road on our way home last night from Mosteiros...but I won't be posting the photo of our neighbor harvesting the goats for their dinner (right next to our car that Wilker was washing to earn money for EFY, right where the vendors were stepping on the door mats to the sound of a jack-hammer who was throwing black dust on the car again!).  The sounds, the smells, the dust, the vendors, the taxis, the neighbors, (Helga brought us figs!) make our days as we plan for our week and mop our casa. We love you and pray for you and hope you are well and happy with lives full of faith... and... giggles!  love, Grandpa and Grandma

Andrade's Decision...

Righteousness is a Seven Minute Decision.  I really believe that.  When the spirit touches us, we must decide what to do with such a blessing.  A few minutes for a prayer of gratitude and a few to write down our decision.  Then...that decision if never un-decided will blossom and bless our lives forever.  Ten months ago...Andrade made such a decision. 

He lives in a small town named Relva; really only lava rock homes going up and down the hill.  No bank, no grocery stores to speak of, one truck in town to haul things here and there, some cars, many many barrels to catch rain, dogs looking for food or shade, some pretty mango and papaya trees, and open-hearted people.

Andrade gathers friends with his smile and he has many.  Last Aug. three of his friends came to him to ask if he would help them sell drugs. For one with no money, this offer was great. The drugs would come through connections on the boat from Praia.  At the same time, another friend of his, Maria da Silva, told him that she wanted to introduce him to some young men wearing white shirts and name tags.  For one who had questions about this life, this offer was great.  He was a friend to all of these requestors...of course he said, "Yes!"

Andrade sold a lot of drugs during the month that he began taking lessons from two missionaries who walked 2 hours along the windy mountaneous roads from Mosteiros to his home.  The things they taught him on those Sunday afternoons made sense to his spirit...and soon he began to travel to attend the meetings in Mosteiros. 

When his mother found out what he was doing, she asked him, "How can you go to church and sell drugs at the same time?"  The question stared at his heart and at once he understood his own sadness and his own happiness.  He had a decision to make.  He explained to his three friends that what he was doing was wrong and he would not sell drugs anymore. 

On September 22, 2011, Andrade chose to be baptized.  Two weeks later he was called as the 2nd counselor to the Young Men.  Two weeks later, he was called as the Young Men's President.  He told his friends about the church...and soon more people were traveling to Mosteiros for Sunday meetings than there were people in the Mosteiros branch.  A home in Relva was for rent.  It could house the church and serve as an apartment for missionaries.  He called the church leaders.  With permission, he gathered a few chairs from Mosteiros and some from Cova Figueira.  On January 25th, 2012, the first meeting in the Relva Branch was held.  Sixty-three people were in attendance. 

Meet Presidente Andrade.  He was called to be the Branch President of the Relva Branch in March.  During our April visit, there were 90 people gathered in the room with people out on the veranda, some sharing chairs, and some standing.  To get to the pulpit to speak, I practically climbed over the laps of the leaders due to lack of space. I could have gone the other way and knocked over the tiny keyboard and climbed across some of the members laps instead!  A plan to extend the building is in the works.

Last month, Presidente Andrade gave his mother a blessing and promised her that she could quit smoking and quit her daily-life-habit of drinking coffee. And she did.  She smiled when he told us her story, "I have not had coffee since that blessing," she said. "I don't even want it anymore."  She was baptized the end of May.  One seven minute decision can influence many lives forever.  When I see the happiness in the eyes of Presidente Andrade and his Mother and the members of the Relva Branch, I am so thankful to witness the miracles of this work.   

"Let's go visit some more of your friends and family..."

It really is such a gift that each of us get to choose for ourselves what kind of life we want forever.   Many become deceived by indecision...but in the end even the decision of apathy applies.  We get this time to choose to go forth or not.  Faith is a fierce, yet fragile gift given  to those who seek it...and who walk with it...like Andrade.

                                                                         2nd Nephi 10:23 

Song of the Heart





Young, old, inbetween...all SING!  Cape Verdians sing with abandon...like Brasilians who love to
sing out strong.  Even I sing here...with no worries about proper notes or perfect pitch.
We sing out...outloud!  There is no holding back or glancing around...just a loud imperfect/perfect sound...
of hymns (sometimes too slow or too fast  or too this or that)...and too amazing for the heart
to hold it all in...so we sing..out...OUT-LOUD! 

  

Then one day we visited a woman named: Lulucia.  We have visited her family before.  She had wandered away from what she knew for awhile...but she could never forget the words of a song that she had saved for years about what she once knew and about the gospel being true...

President and Sister Oliveira asked her to pull the words out again and sing them for our zone meeting.  She said her heart was touched...as was everyone there.

They were inspired to invite her to share a gift that will welcome her back.  We visited again and knelt with the whole family.  They know what they need to do to be together forever.  There is always a bit of sadness when people wander away...and when they return...the joy is amazing. 

I love that Heavenly Father gives us gifts and talents just to help us remember.  I love that music is like a prayer unto Him.  D&C 25  I love that the Cape Verdians sing out...WAY to the rafters... OUTLOUD!  Just makes my spirit smile! (sometimes to a giggle)-(sometimes I swallow tears).

In America, (for the sake of the whole), I generally pantomime because I love the lyrics and don't want them to give up congregational singing on account of me...

but here...I sing OUT!!!