An Apostle in Cabo Verde

Praia Visit

Elder Rasband visited Cape Verde this week and it was a beautiful experience.  He began his visit in Santiago, and Elder Biven flew to Praia to show him our recent humanitarian projects with Black Panthers community center in Varzea and Nós Saude at Pilorinho community center in Achada Grande.  We were unable to get plane tickets for me on such short notice.  Elder Biven says the visits went well, with our partners feeling inspired and Elder Rasband seeming to enjoy the visits, especially with the children at Black Panthers kindergarten.

A highlight of the two hour tour was a stop, in transit, at the memorial to Sgt Montrond, a Cape Verdean born US soldier killed while serving with a special forces unit in Afghanistan.  Elder Biven stopped the caravan at the memorial with permission from Elder Rasband and they took a moment to pay their respects.  Elder Biven turned to leave but he could feel that Elder Rasband was not with him, so he turned around.  There, visiting with Elder Rasband, was Sgt Montrond’s mother, and soon his father also appeared.  My brother Jim reminded me that it was Elder Rasband who spoke of Divine Design a year ago in conference.  And here was a Divine Design, a chance meeting with the parents of the soldier whose memorial we have visited a handful of times in Praia.  Elder Rasband thanked them for their son’s service, and learned that Sgt Montrond was the family’s oldest son.

Elder Rasband on Fogo

Sao Filipe Airport

At the end of the Praia humanitarian project visits Elder Rasband went on to meet with the missionaries and saints on Santiago.  Elder Biven returned home to Fogo, where we awaited Elder Rasband’s arrival.  His visit was to be the first recorded visit of an apostle to Fogo.

Elder Rasband's Plane Landing

He arrived at our airport Wednesday morning in a small plane they had chartered.  Here is our terminal on Fogo, and here is the plane arriving.  The fire truck is fun, they get it out for every arrival.  The plane is the silver blob in the right hand corner of the photo.  We watched them fly over Brava and the volcano on Fogo before landing. They were sightseeing this beautiful place!

Elder Rasband with President Pires

And then Elder Rasband arrived.  Warm greetings all around, and after a stop at their hotel, we drove to Ponte Verde to introduce him to our partners Argo Norte.  Whose president, President Pires, also happens to be the local branch president of the Church.

Elder Rasband, President Pires, and Kiara

Elder Larsen, Elder Champion, Elder Rasband, Kiara, President Pires, President Johnson, Sister Johnson, Sister Biven, Elder Biven, Elder Moreira

What a great visit Elder Rasband and President Pires had.  About the efforts to be self reliant as a community, as a branch, and about life.  We ended our visit by stopping in the chapel in Ponte Verde where Elder Johnson, our area president, offered a prayer.  Then we went outside for photos.  We had a lovely group photo with Elder Rasband and the leadership that was traveling with him as well as Elders Larsen and Champion who are assigned to Ponte Verde and President Pires and his daughter Kiara.  Then Elder Rasband. Took President Pires aside and visited with him a little more and got a few more photos.  

And that was the humanitarian tour of Fogo.  Elder Biven and I went home and took naps!  So we could be well prepared for our Fogo zone conference with 24 missionaries and the Apostle.  We received some wonderful counsel and promises.  One of the touching moments for me was when Elder Rasband said he brought both a message of love from President Nelson and a message of thanks from President Nelson.  Thanks for our service as missionaries.  I was grateful for that.  We also received counsel on being more effective missionaries.  And words of encouragement that our service will bless our families for generations.  I believe this is true.

Elder Rasband met with the members of the Fogo stake in the evening, saying that it was amazing that there are multiple stakes and districts in Cape Verde, when the first stake was organized as recently, in 2012.  We felt so privileged to witness this historic visit.  And we felt inspired, and grateful, so very grateful to be here at this time.

Elder Alaelua's Box/Car is Confiscated

Elders Alealua and Rodgers

Last time we went to Praia there was a 12 kg box at the mission home for Elder Alealua, from Australia. It needed transport to Fogo and delivery to Relva and was covered with red Australian stamps, about $190 worth, as well as a photo of Christ as some missionary packages are.  It was a really big box!  We had to do some very creative packing to get our luggage and the huge box for Elder Alaelua checked on the plane back to Fogo.  But we did.  And then it sat in our living room for a week while we thought about how to get it to Relva on the other side of the island.

Sisters Transfiguracion and Carvalho in Cova

The opportunity arrived when the sisters in the neighboring town called, they had been out of running water for a month and did we have any ideas?  No running water is a very hard way to live.  We came to understand that because of the drought, Cova Figueira, where they live, is only getting water every other day.  And even that much has not been getting to them.  We felt we should go to Cova and check on these sisters, see if we could help, check their pump and perhaps prime it if necessary......and we could take Elder Alaelua's box with us as Relva was just beyond Cova.






So.  We loaded our car with mail and tools and fresh fruit (which is also hard to find in Cova), and off we went.  But we didn’t get far. Fifteen kilometers out of town we were stopped by the police.  They reviewed our church provided registration and licensing papers and discovered that yes, (despite our recent pleas of concern to the office) yes, our insurance had expired.  We were required to follow them to Cova (good thing we were going there anyway, because it was still 30 minutes away) to the police station where they confiscated our car.  Because in fact, Germany had not paid our insurance.  After all.  

Cova Figueira Police Station

Long story, covering about three hours.  Things were a little strange at times......the police chief lent us his truck so we could do our business in Cova.  We checked on the  Cova sisters’ water and learned that the Cova Elders, Elder Silva from Brazil and Elder Ramirez from San Diego, had gotten up on their roof and filled their water tank for them.  We also visited the Elders Silva and Ramirez, delivering mail and a new iron.  And now since we were without transportation, we left Elder Alealua's box with them.  They insisted on going back to the police station with us to make sure we were okay.  We love those good Elders.




So at the end of the afternoon in Cova, unable to recover our car because Germany had not in fact paid the insurance, we left the police station. This was a big experience, but it really wasn't a good time to be taking photos.  Except...

Cova Figueira Chief of Police

Sr. Andrade, the police chief, did agree to a photo.

Cova Figueira Elders

We located the hiace (small bus) going back to São Filipe, and with prayers of gratitude in our hearts, we began our journey home in Cabo Verdean style.  We passed the Elders on our way out of town.

A hiace is a large van with four seats behind the front seat. This is a super efficient way to travel, and the general business plan is to pack as many people as possible into the hiace.  So for a significant portion of the trip there were 22 people and a small child in the hiace, as people almost literally hung from the roof, with one foot on the floor and an arm on the back of a seat for balance.  We had laughed when we had followed a hiace on Santiago island that had a person crammed between the last seat and the window......that occurred in this hiace.  And we laughed again.  We were on our way home, the music was good, the people in the hiace were good natured and happy, joking about how full the hiace was because of the “touristas“ (meaning us) and I smiled and laughed “não touristas, somos missionarios!!”  When it was over we felt we really would have missed something had we never ridden in a hiace while in Cape Verde.

Service Opportunities April 15, 2018

Service Opportunities

Jennifer & Miora

Cabo Verdean society is very communal.  People help one another and serve each other lovingly.  Here is one type of very important service, Jennifer is braiding Miora’s hair.  Miora is a frequent visitor to our porch, where she and her younger sister Diana come and we play ball.  Jennifer was baptized yesterday.

Filo, Iolanda and Relief Society President

Our Relief Society Sisters serve by visiting the home for the elderly on the other side of São Filipe.  I got to go with them, it was perhaps a two mile walk in the afternoon sun.  They had their umbrellas, I had not remembered to bring mine, so they shared.  

Photo of Filo, the Bishops wife Iolanda, and my Relief Society President, and a second photo at the home of the same.

Johelen, Relief Society President, Filo and Iolanda

Resident Playing Guitar

One of the elderly residents at the home brought out her guitar and sang traditional Cabo Verdean music for us.  Everyone seemed to know the words to the ballad!  

Bishop Teixeira and Resident

Our Bishop attended our Relief Society service meeting at the home.  He chatted and laughed with the residents.  Our Bishop is a taxi driver in São Filipe and has other business ventures.  

Gira Lua

Dinner with Friends

Dra Liliane, Sr. Alves, Enfermeira Vanusa

We have been developing a project with the Red Cross in Mosteiros to provide some blood sugar monitoring meters and strips.  Additional project team members are the director of the local hospital, Dr. Liliane Siva, in the center of the photo, and Sra. Vanusa Timas, a lead nurse pictured on the right.

We are enjoying working with Senor Alves, the local Red Cross president.  He is a man of enthusiasm!  Being president of the Red Cross is a volunteer position just like being a missionary.  Several times we have chanced upon him during the day working for the local water company in the countryside outside of Mosteiros.  He is always smiling!

Approaching Gira Lua

To develop the project we went to Mosteiros to talk to Senhor Alves and his partners at the Mosteiros hospital. The director of the hospital was amazingly capable and it was an excellent meeting.  We are now confident this project is a good idea and we are preparing to submit it.  But the there were more surprises.  After the meeting, Senhor Alves invited us to go to lunch with him.  So, with him in the car, he directed us to the small village of Pai Antonio in the the mountains outside of Mosteiros.  We parked the car and made a five minute walk out onto a cliff to the Restaurant and Pensão, Gira Lua.

Overlooking the Sea

Sr. Alves Takes a Look

Wow what a place.  As the smell of good food came to us inside, the hostess, a Cuban medical expat, invited us to go up to the roof and take a look.

The roof was like something out of Lord of the Rings, it was a jet-way into the atmosphere.

Lucindo and Elder Biven at Gira Lua

Elder Biven and Lucindo take a look.

Sr. Alves with Casa Biven at Gira Lua

Group photo at the end of the drop off.  Of course!  You can see I was ready to find a less exposed place to sit.......
















The meal was excellent, tuna, beef, vegetables, beans and rice, with a marinade of peppers...... food for hungry people.  For dessert there was candied papaya and Fogo goat cheese.  Famous stuff, and so good.  What a nice interlude from our humanitarian work life, to enjoy the island for the food and the view.  It was an amazing experience we will never forget.

Working on Fogo

Humanitarian Projects

Nelo Alves - Mosteiros Red Cross

We have been working hard on Humanitarian work, with Elder Biven busy setting up appointments and submitting projects to Germany.  Here is a photo of us with Nelo Alves, the president of the Red Cross in Mosteiros.  He has a great desire to implement a diabetes education and monitoring program in the Mosteiros community.  We are working with him on  on the details of his project and hope to submit a project proposal in the near future.

Elder Biven, Dra Nunes de Pina and Lucindo

This week we completed our project to supply hygiene kits and training for the prisoners at the Fogo Regional Prison.  This a a photo of the director of the prison, Dra. Edna Nunes de Pina, receiving a kit.  We were not allowed to take photographs inside the prison so we took this one next to the road outside the prison gate.

The Relief Society of Sao Felipe 2nd ward goes to the prison every two weeks and does a devotional for church members and other interested prisoners. Typically around 15 prisoners attend.  They were a little overwhelmed when all of the prisoners came out, perhaps 65, and listened to and participate in their devotional.  At the conclusion of the devotional, they handed out the kits.  It was very sweet, we received many handshakes and thank you’s.  On the right in the photo is our interpreter, Lucindo.

Fogo Elders and Sisters

We have now been residents of Fogo for four weeks.  While it has been intense at times, it has also been wonderful.  We are part of a small community.  We walk to the airport for exercise in the mornings, and we are also able to walk to the bakery and to church.  We see the zone leaders and other young missionaries often, helping them with transportation, visas, and housing.  I continue to receive the medical calls for the mission.  Here are photos of some of our young friends:

Sao Felipe District Lunch

A district lunch in São Filipe

   

Mosteiros District Lunch

A district lunch in Mosteiros.

Sisters Cavalcante and Rice

Sister Cavalcante from Brazil and Sister Rice from Canada.  Beautiful women!

Elders Alaelua and Rodgers

Elder Alaelua from Australia and Elder Rodgers from Cedar City, Utah.  This week we transported a 12 kg care package from the mission office to Fogo for Elder Alaelua.  That package has made a long journey!

Elders Ramirez and Silva

Elder Ramirez from California and Elder Silva from Brazil