Farewell at Beach

San Francisco Beach

Missionaries at Sunrise on San Francisco Beach

On our last morning in Cape Verde the Moraes organized a breakfast at San Francisco beach.  The sun was rising but clouds kept it from getting too hot.

Turtle Eggs

We had had a tropical storm recently, and we were sad to find a number of turtle eggs in the surf, having been disrupted from their nests by the violent waves.  Probably, the eggs had gotten too cold in the wind and would not survive.  Still, Sister Moraes, Sister Erickson, myself, and our good husbands collected what we could grab from the surf and buried them again.  Who knows?  Perhaps we saved one.

Burying the Eggs

Turtle Egg Sanctuary

Happily, at San Francisco beach there is a sanctuary for turtle eggs.  The eggs laid in busy spots on other beaches are brought here, a quieter place, to grow and hatch in a few months.  The sanctuary appeared to be undisturbed.

Sister Moraes

Sister Moraes had kindly brought breakfast to the beach.  There was such a beautiful spirit present and we enjoyed some sandwiches, juice and fruit together.

Blow Hole

Afterwards we went to a nearby location the Moraes had found where there were some really fun blow holes.  The surf went underground and then spit up in fountains.  It was a sweet experience, as we had taken the Moraes to San Francisco beach for the first time when they arrived last year.  Their home in Brazil is near the ocean.  Now they enjoy going to San Francisco weekly, as we did before we moved to Fogo.

Last Entry

This is our last blog entry!  Where did the 18 months go?  We are excited to return to the United States and to see our family and friends.  We are so grateful for the support we received, from so many, while we served in such a remote location.  Cape Verde is a beautiful place and it has been a wonderful adventure.  :)

Goodbye

Joao and Elizabeth Baptista

We said goodbye to some dear friends.

João and Elizabeth of Remar, how we have loved working with these selfless people, so willing to sacrifice to help others overcome bad habits and bring Jesus into their lives.

The Andrades

Manuel, his wife Launda, his daughters Luna and Luana (yes, the names are tricky!)  Manuel served a mission in Mozambique and has worked diligently to become a strong husband and father.  He has improved his employment significantly since we arrived, and the family is now purchasing land so that they might build a house.  We love them dearly and are so pleased they are where they are now.  They have worked very hard.

Dinner with President Amo

We had dinner with President Amo (far end of table) and the other Casals of the Cape Verde Praia Mission.  President Amo has been a beloved friend.

Final Praia Work

Sao Filipe Basketball

Moving the Basketball Goals

At the closing ceremony for the São Filipe basketball project, the custom manufactured basketball goals were moved onto the courts and an abbreviated practice was held.  

São Filipe Basketball Players and Coaches 

After the practice there was time for a group photo.

The Ericksons 

A sweet, extra blessing during our final days in Praia was to have the company of Elder and Sister Erickson who are assigned to the northern Cape Verde islands.  They are new to humanitarian work, having arrived in mid July.  

The Ericksons accompanied us on a few last visits with partners so that they might have an idea of our work and perhaps be able to help our replacements when they arrive.  We gained strength from working with them during our last four days.

A View of Cape Verde

Green Cape Verde

Cape Verde becomes green, (or Verde!) only during the rainy season.  We have received beautiful rain during our final days on the islands.  Here is a view of the road from Cidade Velha, usually a pretty barren looking place, with beautiful green grass.  We were so pleased to get to see Cape Verde like this, especially as we depart.  They have needed the rain desperately.

Leaving Fogo

Relva Community Center

Henrique the Carpenter

Our last humanitarian appointment in Fogo was to inspect and pay for tables and chairs, and deliver computer equipment to, the Relva youth community center.  The leader of the center is having health challenges and he is in Dakar for treatment, but the carpenter Henrique, was happy to pose with Elder Biven in the new classroom.









And we got one last look at the Fogo volcano, it was raining and that was a great blessing.

Saudade a Fogo

Buying our Last Grilled Chicken

This week we closed up our house on Fogo and returned to Praia.  There were lots of goodbyes, so many people we have loved dearly.  Many of them I have already posted photos of somewhere on the blog.

This is the last time we bought roasted chicken from our chicken lady.  She had taken a little vacation for a week or two and we were missing her!  Wonderful that we were able to see her and enjoy chicken for lunch again.

One Gate at Sao Filipe Airport

And this is the Fogo airport, where we have come and gone on humanitarian business.  It’s little!  And usually it’s a quick stop, the flight to Praia is only 26 minutes. On the last trip there was wonderful, heavy rain and our flight was delayed for a few hours.  We grabbed a cab and finished one last humanitarian errand and then went back to the empty apartment for a few hours.

Front Porch

And this is the view we have had from our front porch, while living on Fogo.  Brava is shrouded in clouds today, but what a view.

Roof Top View - Sunset Over Brava

And here is another view of Brava from our roof, where we go at night to watch the sunset.  What a beautiful place.  And the people are every bit as beautiful as the location.

Beds, Basketball, and Fishermen

Beds for REMAR

REMAR Bunk Beds and Mattresses

Last week we traveled to Praia for humanitarian work.  We visited our partner, Remar, where LDS Charities recently provided beds for their women’s facility.  We are pleased with how beautiful and strong the beds turned out to be.  We are grateful to Remar as a partner, because they do all the “legwork” on our projects, running around Praia finding the things they need and then submitting “proforma facturas” with pricing information we use when we submit the project to Germany.  If the project is approved, implementation is easy because we’ve already got the resource lined up and ready for purchase.

Elizabeth Baptista - REMAR

We have grown to love our partners Elizabeth and João, who work so hard to help those entangled in addictions and bad behaviors.  It has been wonderful providing a little help.

São Filipe Basketball

Searching for Steel with Bila & Blick

Basketball is a newer sport here.  While soccer is very common and there are soccer fields EVERYWHERE, there are fewer basketball courts.  We have worked with our partner Bila Santos to help him as he organized a youth basketball club in his community of São Filipe.  Since basketball goals are difficult to find, Bila enlisted a welder to help him build two goals.  We were really excited when we found basketball rims in a local sports store, so the possibility of building the goals became real.  We then visited a steel store with Bila and Blick the builder/welder.  The basketball goals are to be complete a few days before our departure.  

Calheta Fisherman

Sister Biven and Sr. Francisco
 da Silva

We went shopping with the president of the Calheta fisherman’s association.  He wanted fishing line and wet-suits to help improve fishing productivity in Calheta.  The theory behind the wet-suits is that fishermen can get in the water and look for the fish.  Perhaps in another world the fisherman might request fishing radar.   It in this low tech world, where cooperative work is so valued, giving a fisherman the role of looking for the fish in the water was the proposed solution.  So we went to the fishing store at the port, and then we went to a sports store in one of the wealthier parts of Praia to find the wet-suits. We were so touched when, upon completion of the sales, this good man, a fisherman, president of the local fisherman in his community, pulled out his organization's rubber stamp and stamped the receipts we received, and signed them.  He was our partner.  We were doing this together.

Elder Biven with Sr. Francisco da Silva

Pro-Pesca

Casal Biven and Fishermen

Today we went down to the port to meet Pro-Pesca’s fishing boat.  The boat and it’s motor were part of a project with a local fishing coop who works with individuals to train them in fishing and give them an opportunity to have more food for their families.  

Dividing the Catch

The Pro-Pesca boat is a little smaller and takes four fisherman.  They went our for a few hours but the water was very rough so the catch was small today.  We have seen more on our other visits, and heard of more on other days.  the fish were divided into four piles, and each participant chose a pile to take home.  It was sobering to think about how much work, today, anyway, yielded a small dividend.  Fishing, and eating fish, is the major source of support for many families in Cape Verde.

Berthing a Boat

While at the port we learned more about how the port works, with all the fisherman present stopping to help pull an incoming boat up into the dock.  That community spirit is present in other aspects of Cape Verdean life, where people are often willing to help others in need.

Moving a Missionary Apartment

Moving an Apartment

We have inspected every missionary apartment on the southern Cape Verde islands at one time or another during our mission.  That’s a lot of inspections, and some apartments are better than others.  You want the missionaries to be safe, that is the first concern, but you also want a clean environment.  We have seen some difficult situations, and we have been so pleased to see many of those difficult situations changed.  We were especially grateful to go to Mosteiros today and help the Fogo zone leaders move the Mosteiros Elder’s apartment.  What  great activity for out last week.  It was work!  But the Relva Elders came and helped.  That area was closed last transfer, but it will be re-opened
tomorrow with the arrival of some new Elders, 
who will get a brand new apartment!

Relva Elders, Slater and Nicholls