One Last Trip

Last(?) Inspection of Assomada Zone Apartments

Monday we inspected the Assomada zone apartments once again.  We love our sweet interactions with these missionaries.  Apartments tend to have plumbing problems here, including no running water and leaks in kitchens and bathrooms.....very few of the apartments are totally dry and some are worse than others.  We were so pleased to find that President Amo has been working on housing and the companionship in the area that has never had running water is now in a lovely new apartment with no apparent problems.  Another companionship, one in an apartment with perpetual leaks resulting in a wet kitchen floor for a year, they are moving Monday.  One other companionship has a new place identified and is working on it.  This is a very good thing.  We try to fix the plumbing problems when we go but it is very frustrating, as you can imagine, with limited access to parts and tools, and some really crazy plumbing configurations......

And we thought perhaps it was our last inspection but we have been asked to continue to do the Assomada inspections when we visit from Fogo!  We love those missionaries, we just might say yes!!

Praia Lighthouse at Dusk

Fat Tuesday Parade

Missionary Experience in the Mountains

On this inspection trip the sky was very clear and we could see the outline of the island of Maio to the east, in the clouds, as we approached Pedro Badejo.  It’s not impressive in a photo, it just looks like a shadow.   But we have never seen Maio from this island before, so it was exciting.  Then as we traveled into Tarrafal, as we came over the mountains into the city an outline of the volcano on Fogo appeared in the clouds over the sea to the west.  Brumaseca is over, the sky is clearer, and for a little while we have a view.

As we left Tarrafal we wanted to take the old cobblestone road through the mountains, something I have not done.  The scenery was spectacular, up in the mountains over the sea.  As we came around a hairpin curve a transport truck was disabled in the road and a handful of passengers were standing around.  A man, we assumed it was the driver, motioned for us to stop.  It’s important to be cautious here, but something on the drivers face caused us to pay attention.  We stopped and rolled down the window.  He spoke to us in kriole.  We replied that we only spoke a little Portuguese.  He said are you going to Assomada?  I have a passenger that needs to get to school in Assomada.  We said yes.  He went to the truck and returned with a well dressed young woman.  She got into our car and we drove on, climbing the mountains on the cobblestone road.

She asked what country we were from, we said “dos Estados Unidos”.  She seemed pleased. A lively conversation was not possible because of our limited language.  I had a box of American candy bars (purchased in Fogo, of course) and I handed her one, with a smile.  Some time later she asked about us again and I told her we are humanitarian missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She said she would like to go to our church.  I pulled a Book of Mormon out of the glove-box and handed it to her, “a story of Jesus Christ”.  She was pleased.  She was 19, studying Portuguese at a school in Assomada.

We dropped her off just north of Assomada and didn’t see her again.  What a tender mercy, to be able to help a young woman stranded in the mountains.  A missionary blessing.