Hey Everyone!
It’s been a crazy, sweet week! I received my new companion Elder Haile last week! Man he is awesome. He is the first Ethiopian missionary to be called to Cabo Verde. He is also the first person in Ethiopia to get the Duty to God, and he got to meet Elder Holland!! He is a super awesome missionary that works hard and works smart. I’m excited to keep working hard with him.
We had a sweet family night at Carlito's house. His mom made the traditional dish of cachupa and juice, it was awesome. We gave a spiritual message about faith and repentance then played games and hung out! It was bomb! Carlito was supposed to be baptized this week but he drank a tiny bit of coffee, so we are going to wait till next week. He feels really bad for what he did and knows it was wrong. He is super excited for this next week! Also, Carlito made me a weight that I can use so my muscles don’t turn into apple sauce. He made it like 60 pounds, it’s pretty nice.
We are currently working with a less active family. There is Daisy and Carlos, who are the kids that haven’t came to church in a while. We recently have started to teach their non member mom and Daisy's boy friend, Va. They are all doing super well and really understand the doctrine well. All 4 of them showed up to church this last Sunday and are playing to be baptized on the 13th of July.
We have also been working a lot with Ze and Nininha, who are planning to be married. They say they want to be married and baptized in the church. Their only worry right now is money for the wedding and the dress and suit. We are going to do our best to find some clothes we can borrow for them. They both came to church and had a great time.
The ward I am working in has just been exploding!!
The ward has really been focusing on member missionary help. Every one is really focusing on Home teachers and Visiting Teachers. The church was SO FULL this last Sunday! Man it was ridiculous. In every class we had to get a other chairs from other classrooms, it was packed. The attendance was around 170. When I arrived here like 7 weeks ago it was around 95. The members are awesome! They are all super fired up, it’s sweet. The members in the ward have such a huge role in missionary work. Talking, inviting, befriending, integrating, and having a love for others. Always be an example and always be a missionary.
There is a ton of work to do in this area. I am super excited to keep serving here, I love it so much!!!!
Love,
Elder Rice