Dear Family and Friends:

 

I cannot believe that i am in Cabo Verde, the mission is going so fast!  this place is awesome, its seriously so beautiful, i love it so much.  One thing that kind of is bugging me is the Creole, just about everyone here talks creole and I cannot understand one word that they are saying.  However, when they switch to Portuguese I can understand everything.  its so frustrating that I learned Portuguese for 2 months and now everyone talks a completely different language.  The people that speak Creole mumble and slur and its impossible to understand, its basically butchered Portuguese.  However, I am getting much better at speaking Portuguese.  So we arrived in Cabo Verde and I got punched in the face with the humidity and heat and started sweating hard (Im getting used to it now).  We landed in Praia (the capital) and got picked up by President Oliveira and his wife and the assistants.  They are so nice, i love them.  Then we found later that day where we would be called.  3 of the 5 in my MTC district stayed in Praia, while Elder Martinez went to Santo Antao (i think) and I got sent to the island of FOGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Heck yeah, they have a huge volcano on the island (fogo means fire in Portuguese).  So I stayed the night at the Assistants house, condensed my luggage to 44 pounds a back pack and a carry on and went and checked out the city.  The food here is awesome, especially the bread!!!  I was supposed to be picked up at 2:30 by a member but they must have forgot cause its was 3:15.  My temporary companion elder Talbot took me and Elder Santos and I to the airport in a taxi.  Then when we get there we find out that I can only have a 40 pound bag, so i have to get rid of stuff.  Then we found out that you can only have one 5kg carry on, i have at least 30 kg worth of carry on with books and other stuff that I need. The security guy wouldn’t let me in and the plane was about to leave.  I said a quick prayer and then I see Elder Talbot talking to the guy.  For some reason I knew things would work out.  The man suddenly put an approved sticker on my bag and let me through.  I know that I wasnt supposed to be picked up at 2:30, because without Talbot i wouldn’t have got on that flight, I know that God was watching out for me.  When i arrived in Fogo i met my new companion Elder Christensen. He is tight and funny, pretty goofy too, but i like him.  He is helping me about a bunch.  

 

So the last elders that were in our area apparently didn’t fill out an area book, that means we have no addresses, no information about them or anything.  We have to start from scratch.  however we did have 1 piece of paper with names.  We went around the area asking people if they knew those on the paper we have.  Its weird have everyone knows everyone and knows where they live.  We taught a few lessons, to Dino (has a baptismal date) and Jardell (14 year old boy).  The days following, we went around trying to find everyone on the paper and doing our best to get to know the area, because neither of us have been here.  There are a bunch of drunks in the street, apparently our house  gets robbed frequently, people breast feed during lessons and there are always naked babies around.  We barely had any food this week, except bread, big change from the MTC.  Its very hot and there is a lot of uphill.  In all honesty, i have been called to the best mission in the entire world, this place is something special.  The people here are VERY open to hearing the gospel and they all love the missionaries, i love walking down the street and the little kids yelling ´´Eldahs, eldahs´´ and then they run up and give you a high fives, they are so cute.  

 

The members here are awesome, they are always working to help the missionaries, they truly love the gospel.  You can tell such a huge difference in the members and non members, you can just see it in there eyes, if they are truly happy or if they just get drunk for no reason.  There are a few young men in our ward that have sent in the papers, will send them in or have got their call (most to Mozambique).  We have had probably 4-5 different members walk with us and help us out, its bomb.  Its weird how almost every person we have talked to has either talked with the missionaries before or have already been baptized and are inactive.  Inactivity is a HUGE problem here, many are baptized without a firm foundation, maybe being baptized just for the missionary or they don’t know the proper way to be converted.  That’s something that bugs me because a lot of it is due to the missionaries that just want to get a baptismal date and they want numbers.  In my opinion, that is not the way to do it because many of these people will say yes to baptism any way, they need to learn to be converted.  By the way, i got to invite two people to be baptized yesterday, Jardell and Neta, they both said yes.  Neta works every Sunday so we have to figure out how she can keep the Sabbath day to be baptized. 

 

I have so much to work to do, so much to learn, I have been so humbled in my circumstance.  I am so excited to love the people of Cabo Verde and serve them.  This gospel can change lives, and it is so apparent when we got to church.  I couldn’t be more excited to be here, i love this place so much.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and the fullness of the Gospel in contained in the Book of Mormon, this I know.  And I know that any willing person so read the Book of Mormon, I promise, and willing person to read the Book of Mormon and pray will receive an answer.  An answer that will lead to happiness in this life as well has eternal life, happiness and joy in the life to come.  I love you all so much!

Com Amor,

Elder Rice