HEY!

It has been another sweet week here in Santa Maria. The work of the Lord continues to accelerate. What a blessing it is to be a part of this marvelous work.

As in the past weeks we have been focusing more than ever on strengthening the branch members. We need to create a more mature and converted members and leaders. We had a total of 13 lessons with recent converts and less actives. As a result, we witnessed the most successful week for the branch that I have ever seen and heard of. We had the most spiritual and reverent church meeting this Sunday that I have ever seen. The members were quiet, the Gospel Principles class ran well (we trained the Gospel Principles teacher). We had a total of 52 people in sacrament meeting. That is the highest the frequency has been for months.

This week, we had a change in the leadership of the branch. President Jacinto was released and President Rodrigues was called. President Rodrigues is a recent convert of 1 and half years. He was baptized by Elder Bruce, before the group was established in Santa Maria. Unfortunately a few years ago, President got into accident was paralyzed from his waist down. He uses an electric chair to move himself around. He is doing physical therapy, but there are not very good resources here in Cape Verde, so he has gone to Portugal to do rehab. Pres. Rodrigues is incredible; he has a great love for the scriptures and a strong testimony of this restored Gospel. He has admitted that he is a bit scared and overwhelmed, but surely with his obedience and diligence the angels will be around him to bear him up and help him magnify his calling.

 Our recent converts, Jezidel and Judith are doing fantastic. We are really working to help them become more integrated into branch and get to know all the members so they can maintain themselves strong in the gospel.

We have been teaching a young man named Steven. Steven was actually a reference from President Rodrigues. Steven had been invited to church a few times and then just decided to come. Ever since we talked to him he can’t stop reading in the Book of Mormon, he loved reading about Christ's ministry in the Americas. He has a great desire to follow and to be baptized. Just that he is currently living with his girlfriend, and they have a kid together. His girlfriend wants NOTHING to do with us; she won’t talk to us or anything. So until this point we have just been talking to Steven. We taught him about the Law of Chastity on the 3rd visit and went right into marriage. Apparently, they both want to be married, so that’s a plus. We marked a goal for them to be married on the 25th of July. With faith and diligence, this goal can be met, they can be married and Steven will be baptized on the 26th of July!

Just the other day as we were walking on the street we heard someone shout from a bar. We didn’t really think much of it, but then we decided to go back. Turns out it was a woman calling us. Apparently we had contacted her on the street and we never passed by her house. We started teaching her, she came and watched the baptism and came to church and now she wants to be baptized. What a miracle. The only small difficulty is that she is the owner of a bar that is her only work. However, I know that if she has enough faith in the Lord, if she is obedient and abandons that type of the work, the Lord will bless her immensely in all things, spiritual and temporal. I have a certainty that the Lord would protect her. I know that she will be able to do it.

The work is going great, I love Santa Maria, I really hope I finish my mission here!

Love,

Elder Rice