Cape Verde Week 35

Bom dia,

Sorry I am late with my news letter, but things got a little hectic around here this past weekend. It was a pretty typical week, what with District meeting on Monday, piano lessons etc. Wednesday we held our Thanksgiving activity. We had all the Elders and Sisters in the area meeting at a local restaurant for lunch of chicken, salad, French fries and rice. Then we headed over to the chapel and had desserts and played some games. They then watched the “Best Two Years”. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Thanks giving group.
Playing Swap after thanksgiving dinner.

Sister Pollard, Alencar, Silveira followed by Elders Neumann and Morales.
We made a number of visit is this week; Sharon also went out with the Sisters on Tuesday. We also had Elder Friaca and his family over for lunch. They were a pleasant couple from Sandy. I am not sure about the casual shirt with name tag, a topic of discussion with President Tolman. Elder Friaca and his parents on a mission tour.

Our language skills are slowly improving but it is still difficult for us to understand what others are saying. It takes both of us to interpret what has been said. But we manage to get around and visit some. Friday evening we had an activity with the Ramo 4, which unfortunately was poorly attended by church members. We had about 40 people in attendance and only 7 or 8 were members. We played games and then they had some food that was judged, not nearly enough food for everyone, just enough for a taste. Sister Silveira was a judge and this was very hot chilli!
Elders Morles & Ballantyne with Sister Waller
Saturday was spent indoors as Sharon started with some stomach problems again, and it continued through Monday of this week. We are not sure but think she has a bacterial infection. So I started her on some antibiotic and she seems to be doing better.

Sunday was a busy day. I spoke in 2 Ramo’s, we fed two very hungry missionaries and then had choir practice that evening. Sharon was starting to feel a little better and so she attended the choir practice.

We got some great news from our daughter in law, Becca, we are going to be grand parents again come June. We just now have to wait for the ultrasound for the big news. My brother, Bob and his wife Bonny, received their Mission call to serve in Edinburgh, Scotland. We are excited for them and the adventure they will have in Scotland.

Hope everyone had a very good week and Thanksgiving. Til next week.

E/S Waller, Mom & Dad, Chuck & Sharon, Bama & Bampa

Cape Verde Week 34

Bom Dia,

Well another exciting week has flown by here in the land of blowing dust!! We have been blessed with continual sunshine and milder temperatures. It has started to cool off in the evenings some, but the days remain hot.

We made it through transfers but still are waiting for the new missionaries to arrive. They have arrived in Praia but without their luggage, so it will be at least 2 or 3 more days before they can be sent out to their new areas. Sister Pollard did arrive and is now working with Sister Alencar. Even though they live above us we have rare seen them this week.

We are working on getting a Humanitarian project completed in the next week or so. We will be traveling over to Santo Antao and distributing new born kits. We will get to see the green side of the Island again. We are working on getting set for an Ophthalmology visitor in January and then in February the return of Steve Jorgensen and Joe and Linda Peterson. We really are looking forward to their visits and the service they provide to the members and community.

We have had a few opportunities to visit with investigators this week. Sharon has been going with the Sisters on Tuesday and Friday afternoon. They do walk her legs off though. We held FHE at an investigators home this week and I presented a lesson on the Temples.

We also have started to work on getting the Family History center up and running. They have a nice room in the new Chapel set aside with a microfilm reader and computer. Hopefully we can soon get the microfilm of Cape Verde records soon and open the center. Genealogy here is going to be a real trip. Most of the children born are to single mothers. Family units are not the tradition, which makes it hard to move the Church forward. I was told by one of the missionaries that when President visited the islands back in 1999, he said “If the members will start paying their tithing the rains will return to the islands”. Well they still aren’t paying their tithing and they continue to break the Law of Chastity which makes it for certain, that it will stay dry and hot for awhile to come.

This evening we are to attend a youth talent show for the District. They are doing a dance show, it should be fun. Added note; it was very entertaining and the youth did a great job. There were a couple of dances that I wanted the Elders to cover their eyes, but all in all great program. Lunch with the Sisters and Sister Bikhazi liked her lunch as did we all.

Sister Alencar and Sister Pollard; who is from Lacy, Washington and in our good friends Phil & Kris Cramers Ward. Small world!!
Well hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving this week. We will be thinking of home and friends gathered around the table. We are having a Thanksgiving dessert day with the Elders and Sisters. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will adjourn to the church where we will have dessert and play games for the remainder of “P” day.

Love to all,

E/S Waller, Chuck & Sharon, Mom & Dad, Bama & Bampa

PS E/S Wirthlin, no we don’t get to swim just look. What a beautiful area of the world you serve in. E/S Leavitt we truly enjoy your newsletters, what an adventure you are having in Nigeria. Studious Sisters in NY you just sound so happy and busy, busy busy. We just love all your newsletters. Thanks for including us. Welcome to E/S Hinton in Sri lanka.

Cape Verde Week 33

Bom Dia,

Sorry I am a little late this week on my newsletter but it was a busy weekend. The excitement is buzzing as we have transfers this weekend. Only those who have served will understand this exciting time. Everyone is guessing who is going and who is coming. It is quite fun to know and listen to all the speculation. Well it ended Saturday evening with the President and the AP’s calling with the wait for information. We have a number of changes here in Mindelo; Sister Vaterlaus is being transferred to Praia and will serve with Sister Duarte, Sister Pollard is taking her place here with Sister Alencar. Yes there were screams!!! The Elders are way more reserved in their reactions to transfers!! We had all the Sisters at our apartment Saturday night discussing ever aspect of the transfer; who is the new AP, Zone leader, OH he is serving with him, Hmmmmmm! It goes on and on for and hour. The thing about it is that it will be repeated in 6 weeks at the next transfer. The great news is Sister Waller and I, are still companions, yippee!

We had another exciting week with 5 baptisms on Saturday. I had been preparing all week for a District talk. Since we don’t have a District council, the Presidency makes the rounds to the branches. They have asked me to also take and assignment. So I was preparing all week to give a talk in Ramo 4. This was Elder Dance’s last Sundya in the Mission field and he is Ramo 4. Evidently he decided to speak slowly for once which then took up the whole meeting. It was fine though I am sure the people enjoyed his message more, or at least understood it better.

This week has also been full of just the general things break, and need to be replaced or repaired type week. We did apartment inspections on Friday, and in general every thing was in order. We had a few missionary problems of a personal nature that needed to be dealt with, but nothing overly serious.

On Wednesday we made a short trip to the beach with the Zone, it was a nice beach and the water looked so inviting. I played a mini game of soccer with Elder Dance as my partner and we went undefeated for 5 games. The Sisters and Elders do enjoy just getting away for a few hours and being together. But they are quick to focus back on the mission and getting back to work. No major illness’s to report this week, a few cases of gripe ( flu) but other than that nothing major.

So here is hoping everyone is in good health and preparing for Thanksgiving. Love to all. Elder Bueno making the typicdal missionary face!Elder Snow after a flip face plant!
This is a little loggerhead turtle that the children caught and were going to let it grow and then have stew. Elder Dance decided to buy it and then release it into the wild. So we now have one more free turtle. Thank you Edler DanceElders Dance & Ballantyne showing off for the children. I don't think BYU gymnastics has any worries!Sister Silveira trying to figure out her camera. Sister Alencar enjoying a quiet moment.
E/S Waller, Mom & Dad, Bama & Bampa

Cape Verde Week 32

Bom dia,

Well this has been a busy week with Zone Conference and a mini missionary activity with the district. Zone conference as usual was enjoyable, seeing all the missionaries together and meeting the new missionaries. President and Sister Tolman were here for District Conference which was well attended. I believe the chapel was full to capacity. We enjoyed a nice luncheon with the Zone at a Brasilian restaurant on Monday.

The week moved forward with us working hard to prepare for the mini missionary training. President De Costa had asked that we assist in putting on a missionary experience for the seminary students. I thought he was going to running the program but he has a way of turning things over to me. So we planned a day long experience. We use the fulltime missionaries and had training on temporal preparation; packing a suitcase, iron shirts, sewing buttons, cooking and then spiritual preparation. We broke the 24 students up into groups of 2 or 3 and assigned them to missionaries. The missionaries helped then learn the first discussion and practice contacting skills. Later on President De Costa did a seminary scripture mastery exercise with the students and they knew their scriptures. After eating and some games the missionaries took a number of the youth and went contacting and teaching. They reported great success and all the students committed to prepare for missions.
We had a fleet of sailing vessels come into the harbor as a group from France and England. Also a Royal Navy Ship in the background.
Saturday was a busy day as we had 4 baptisms in Ramo 1. We had well over 50 people in attendance. The missionaries did a good job in having investigators they to feel the spirit. It was a very good meeting. Today they were all confirmed members of the church and all bore their testimonies, quite impressive. We also have another 2 or 3 baptisms set for next week, so the harvest is great here in Mindelo!! Sister Vaterlaus and Carla at the baptism on Saturday.

Today we had Elders Ence and Monteiro over for lunch and we were discussing the new couples that were coming around the first of the year. Elder Ence asked me if there would be a new nurse. I was trying to speak in Portuguese so Elder Monteiro would feel like a part of the discussion. I basically said, “Sim, nós temos o novo casal e a Irmã é um inferno como Irmã Allen”; which interpreted means, in bad Portuguese, “yes, we have a new couple and the sister is a hell like Sister Allen”. Now I meant to say uma enfermeira which can sound like um inferno. So actually what I wanted to say was, “yes we have a new NURSE coming” and we hope that she is a helluva nurse like Sister Allen, and not a nurse from you know where! Sorry but you had to be there to hear the laughter!!

Well that is it for this week. Hope everyone is happy and healthy.

Love

E/S Waller, Mom & Dad, Bama & Bampa
More pictures of the rough mountains of Santo Antao.