Week of October 13, 2017

Inauguration

This week the health clinic we financed had its "inauguration" or grand opening.  The community center was cleaned and painted, and it was a big day.  There was even a cake.  Here is a photo of our translator, Noeme, before the inauguration ceremony.










Here's the cake.  I don't know where they got it-- but this was the first time I have seen a decorated cake (western style) here.

















This is Presidente Teixeira, President of Praia stake on the right, and Bishop Neves, Bishop of the Achada Grande ward in which the health clinic resides.  When humanitarian missionaries do a project they ask local priesthood leadership to come to the closing ceremonies.  This is because our work is funded by donations from church members, so the gift of the health clinic to the community is a gift from church members worldwide.  President Teixeira spoke briefly at the inauguration, and they were given these certificates.

Rui Vaz

For a field trip last Saturday we drove up into the mountains near Praia to a little village called Rui Vaz.  We had heard the view was spectacular and indeed it was!

New Translator

Our translators have certainly been a blessing to us!  and they have also been blessed as they have worked with us.  Our first translator, Manuel, got a good internship working for the company we bought the chickens from.  Our second translator, Rosa, was accepted to school in Portugal, and was able to get a visa to go.  Our third translator, Noeme, received an internship in the US and was able to get a visa.  And below is a photo of our fourth translator, Elder Duarte.

Elder Duarte is pretty wonderful.  During his mission, when I was asked to give brief training sessions on health, I could call upon Elder Duarte, a zone leader, to talk about hard subjects....like diarrhea....and make them funny.  Elder Duarte's release date was three weeks ago.  He went to the airport with the other missionaries also going home, ready to return to his family waiting for him at the airport in Lisbon.  He was denied passage!  His Portugese "green card" had expired during his mission.  So the mission office is working on getting Elder Duarte a visa to go home!  It's supposed to work the other way, you get a visa to GO on a mission, not to go home!

Being Portuguese, Elder Duarte's Portuguese is beautiful and he is fluent in English.  So he has been helping with translation work.  He may get his visa and go home any day now---we hope!  Any day!  But he has been a great help and we have enjoyed working with him.