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