Hey Everyone!!!

This week, President Oliveira switched transfers for this last Sunday to this last Wednesday. It was a total surprise to everyone! Transfer week is like Christmas around here, everyone always is gossiping about you is going where, who is changing islands and who is becoming AP. The zone leader that was living in our house, Elder Dola became AP! He is a cool guy. As for me, I got transferred to the other side of the island, an area called MOSTEIROS!!! The Mosteiros area was shut down a few transfers ago with the sisters, and now me and my companion Elder McKissik will be opening it back up! I will be training Elder McKissik this transfer, he just arrived to Cabo Verde like 3 days ago. Mosteiros is one of the biggest areas in the mission and my last area (Sao Filipe 2) was one of the smallest so it going to be different.

This week has been crazy and kind of overwhelming. There is so much to do here, so many to members to work with, so many investigators to find, but honestly I couldn’t be more excited!!!!! This is going to be a fantastic transfer, there are so many people here that are just waiting to be baptized, there are a number of non members that go to church that are just waiting. Apparently, the church here has just been growing even more while the area was closed, the members have continued to do the missionary work. I know this is a chosen and blessed place, and it’s the biggest honor to serve here. I know that this is not going to be easy, and it’s going to be overwhelming, but I KNOW that with the Lord on our side, nothing is impossible. It’s time to quit relying on myself and understand the will of God. I have so much to improve and do better, I just hope I can provide my greeny, Elder McKissik with good training.

Mosteiros is absolutely beautiful, probably the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. Its green (unlike most of Cape Verde) we are right next to the coast, there are these awesome mountains surrounding us and there is a huge volcano right next to us. Its honestly paradise, it’s absolutely unreal, I can’t even describe it. When we first arrived here we came into the house and the sisters from a few transfers ago had left something in the fridge, it smelt like death. We then found out that the power in the house was not working, nor was the water! Haha, we had nothing, we had to use flashlights for a few days. The water comes off and on, but its getting fixed. We talked with our zone leaders and apparently the financial office was paying the wrong person for the electricity, but now its all straightened out. We now have electricity and usually have water (we have reserve buckets of water). The people here pretty much only speak Creole. Its kinda ridiculous haha. I am understanding Creole a lot better now, but my new companion Elder McKissik is really lost haha.

We had church, yesterday, it was the homecoming of an elder that lives in a town close to here. His name is Elder Lopez, he is a really nice guy. We got to know a lot of the members at church and set up with them. We have to take a taxi to get to certain parts of our areas because it’s like an hour and a half walk. There are some really sweet members, we are going to try an work with them as much as possible this week! We also had a meeting with our Branch President, who speaks English, but he speaks to us in Portuguese. We figured out the area and what is going on. He says he has a friend from France bring McDonalds on the 28th of Febuary. Also, I heard they are building a McDonalds in Praia!!! Crazy huh!

There are ALOT of American deports here in Mosteiros. Right now we are talking to an ex-drug dealer that actually really likes us. We are going to help him quit cigarettes and alcohol. This last week we were walking down the street and this man called us over. He couldn’t stop but smile and he invited us into his house. We talked for a while and he said that he has never done something like that before. We got into to talking to him and he said that he had been praying to know the right way. I know that we are an answer to his prayer, and that we will bring the best message a person could ever ask for. A message of forgiveness, happiness, love and families. I love restored gospel of Jesus Christ so much!

Friends and family, I know that only through Jesus Christ we can reach the happiness that we all desire. Not only to reach happiness, but we can overcome hardship, difficulty, temptation and literally any problem we have. If we follow the prophet and if we follow the example of Jesus Christ we will have a great life and an even better eternity. It may be hard at times, but we have been promised by the Lord if we put our trust in him we will be strengthened and lifted up at the last day. This isn't just a church, this is eternal life.

Love,

Elder Rice

Hey Everyone,

Holy cow! This transfer has flown by. We only have one more week, that’s ridiculous!!!! Time is so obscure on the mission. Apparently some missionaries in Praia looked at a board that has the transfers on it and they are telling everyone. Apparently one of the zone leaders in our house is going AP, we will see. I don’t know where I’m going, but I am excited to serve no matter where I go!!!

This week was Carnival, a holiday thing that is celebrated in Brazil. I’m not exactly sure the point of it but kids and teenagers and some adults march around the town in very immodest clothes, dancing and doing weird stuff. They blare music for like 12 hours and just go at it, its ridiculous. For Carnival, the area was like a ghost town! No one was home. We did manage to find 1 person to teach and we taught him in his store standing up. All missionaries were told to be home at 6:00 to avoid carnival at night.

We had an investigator last transfer named Else, the mom of a member that went on a mission. We started teaching her with her son Alex that went to the mission and it just wasn’t really getting anywhere. We dropped her for a while but then we felt like we should start talking to her again. Turns out she believes that this church is true and she wants to be baptized. She came to church this Sunday, it was awesome! I don’t know if I already talked about our investigator Janee. We taught her the restoration and challenged her to pray. She prayed and she said she felt something different and she felt a bit confused and so she went and talked to her friend, probably her pastor which then told her a bunch of stuff about Joseph Smith that was false. Now she is really confused. She has a huge desire to know the truth and has incredible faith for a 16-year old girl, but we are going to help her know the truth.

One small thing that is hard in this area is that people just leave their houses whenever. So we could be having an awesome lesson with a person and they are super pumped for baptism and then you mark with them and don’t see them for 1 or 2 weeks. It’s very difficult to follow up with them when this happens. Not to mention, sometimes we pass 3 or 4 times during the day and they are still not there. We have an investigator Ana that really wants to be baptized, but her mom will not let her because she is already a part of a different church. Her mom doesn’t even go to the church but she won’t let her daughter leave her church even though she wants to join ours. We have tried to teach the mom many times but she always says she can’t. The only way that I think we can get permission is if we teach the mom the restoration and help her understand for herself that this really is the only true church.

Antonio, Domingos and Helena got baptized this week, it was truly INCREDIBLE! The family from Ponta Verde brought even more family to watch the baptism, so we are going to start teaching them now too. That family is truly incredible; they were definitely prepared by the hand of the Lord. After the baptism, Antonio bore his testimony and it was incredible. Antonio is a pretty shy guy that doesn’t really show emotion, but he just couldn’t help but smile and say how happy he was, it was so awesome!

By the way, Aguinaldo, our recent convert came to church for the first time in a white shirt and a tie that I gave him. He looked absolutely awesome. He just looked so happy, it was indescribable. We taught him for weeks when he was drunk and now he is church clothes. On Sunday Aguinaldo received a calling as the assistant of the Priest Quorum. He was so happy. Aguinaldo also help us last night with a division, he looked like a missionary. Ever time I see him I just give a huge hug, I seriously love the guy.

Cape Verde is a truly special place. The people here are amazing and so prepared. It is the biggest honor to be here and be a servant of the Lord. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. We do have a prophet and apostles just as days of old. I don’t know why I got so lucky to be a part of this church, but I can’t even describe to you all how very thankful I am. This church has brought the most happiness and joy and knowledge in my life. This church is true.

Love

Elder Rice

Tudo Bem,

 Como esta? This week was AWESOME! It was a little weird because we had a bunch of random stuff. For example on last p day we had to set up this marriage for a couple that will be baptized this week, Domingos and Helena, and Domingo's brother Antonio will be baptize too! We had to turn in papers to the city hall a week ago and we went to go pick them up. Well turns out the office that is suppose to open is closed, we waited for 30 minutes, then we got some other stuff that took another hour. Then we went with the couple to ''registro'' not sure the word in English to mark the date. We wait a while, then it’s our turn and the lady says we forgot to get a signature which we were never told, we went back to the city hall, got the signature and headed back. Then the lady said that it was spelt wrong so we back and tried to get another copy but the guy was gone. Finally the lady just said we could bring it back the next day. Things are not incredibly organized here haha.

We taught a lesson this week with a guy named Dany. He has been going to various churches, checking their doctrine and trying to find the right church. We had a lesson about the Restoration and I asked if he had any questions and he said he had one. Then he pulled out various scriptures about the Sabbath day being on Saturday. Almost instantly I felt the spirit leave. From then on he just began to bash. His points weren’t even the valid. I refrained from bashing with him because honestly that gets nowhere. Because to be honest, we have scriptures that can counter whatever we want, but the thing he needs is a spiritual conversion. I basically said to him that what he is talking about has no importance if Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son and was called as a prophet. Everything we have hinges on Joseph Smith. If he was a prophet of God, we are the only true church on the face of the Earth. I’m grateful for the testimony I have of that truth, and with this I pray that I will never waver.

 We had another unexpected ZONE CONFERENCE this week, but this time with President Oliveira, his wife and the assistants. President Oliveira was sick, but still he went hard core. He laid it down. In Portuguese the work ''faka'' means knife. When someone does something wrong and is called out we call it a faka. Many fakas were handed out. I think it is called faka because when being called out it feels like you are being stabbed in the heart (at least that’s my definition). I didn’t get any but others did haha. That night, the entire island of Fogo elders stayed in our house and demolished our food supply once again.

 I went on a division with the new French Elder, Elder Guy (pronounced Gee). He traveled to Brazil before his mission and learned Portuguese in 2 months. He is 26, a convert at 23 and a boss. He teaches very well and with sincerity. His testimony is HUGE! I love the guy; we had an awesome time teaching together.

 One of our newer investigators Ninizinho (zinho is pronounced like zinyo) is doing well. He said he knows this church is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet and wants to follow the path and be baptized. Unfortunately, our recent convert, Aguinaldo that passed by his house before church to walk with him, saw him drunk. We are going to talk to him this week!

We will be having the baptism of Domingos and Antonio this week. I’m so pumped, they are so ready!!! Anyway, transfer is flying by, but it should be a great week!

Love,

Elder Rice

Hey Everyone,

I can’t believe another week has passed, I’m already starting the 4th week of this 2nd transfer. I can’t even comprehend it. It has been a great week, but a little slow at times. We had ''family home evening'' at a member named Eddys house tonight. We brought one of our investigators, Nira and she really liked it. The Cabo Verdean's really like to place this game called ''water in the face'' where a person walks around with a cup of water and the people in the circle have to name a object of a chose topic, like fruits. If the person in the circle says the fruit that the person with the cup has, the person throws water directly in their face. The Cabo Verdeans love it and just laugh and laugh. Even when the person getting splashed in the eye just laughs.

We had zone conference this week! It was awesome, all the missionaries of the island of Fogo met here in Sao Filipe and we had a conference. They also stayed at our house and ate all of our food haha. We made a giant tub of yogurt that is really good. For the zone conference, various missionaries gave trainings. For one of the trainings, there was a challenge to train a member, receive a reference for a new investigator, contact that reference with the member, teach the reference, mark a date for baptism and give them a calendar to help them prepare. We went out and found our recent convert Aguinaldo (who is awesome and received the priesthood this Sunday), but he said he could not talk now. Then we went walking and found a different member. We found this teenager Dennis who loves working with us. We did a lesson and he showed us a reference, named Flavio. We went to Flavio's, taught, marked a date for baptism and gave him a calendar. I know that what happened then was not something we were capable of achieving, but with the Lord on our side anything is possible.

This week, I also went on a division with Elder Bruce, who works in Congreson ( a little above Sao Filipe). I slept the night at his house, did studies with him and worked with him throughout the day. We had some great lessons with some very prepared people to hear this gospel. One funny thing that happened was that while Elder Bruce and I were sitting down, this Cabo Verdean came up to us and starting to talk to us in English. He didn’t have the best English, but we understood. In the middle of his sentence he was smiling and he said ''We should fight'' and then he just continued on with his sentence. I don’t think he understood what he said. We just laughed.

 This week has been pretty hard, but I know that it is all worth it because this gospel is worth it. I can’t imagine my life without the gospel of Jesus Christ to give me guidance and happiness. I am so grateful for the blessing I have of sharing the ''best news'' with the people of Cabo Verde. We are children of God and he has a plan for us.

 Love,

Elder Rice