I live on an island called Fire

June 16, 2014

Kayliza

Its so hot today! I'm dying in this place! I love it tho, Fogo people are incredible.  This week we had a rough time teaching at times, which is a rarity? here in Cabo Verde. Mostly just when there are big world cup games on, and no one has time to talk to us because they're watching the games.  The US plays tonight, so that exciting!  

Also Kayliza got baptised last week, she was sweet! 

I finally had my funny, filling up the font experience that I feel like every missionary has.  So we got there like three hours early to fill up the fonte, and ka ten chavi pra porta! We didn't have the key to get in the door.  So I jumped over the big glass window, and started filling it up.  But I couldn't fill it up all the way, because we didn't have a way to turn it off.  So I jumped down there, with my pants rolled up, and started filing up the font.  And once it got up to my knees, with me in my church clothes, I turned off the water, and jumped out, trying my best not to get water on myself.  It was kinda funny and Ill try to send some pics. 

 

Also the frequency went up in the ward, we had a couple less actives there, and a couple less actives receive callings, so that was very solid. 

When Brazil opened the world cup, it was just a joke for us to try and go teach.  We went to like 4 or five different houses of people that wouldn't let us in, so we finally found a less active who talked to us while watching the game.  Good enough for us, and I wasn't complaining about the game being on...  The world cup is so crazy.  I've learned a ton about soccer, and there is a player from cabo verde that is playing on Portugal, so everyone here wants Portugal.  I kinda want Brazil, I feel like it would be fun to see the home team do well.  

We had a pretty good week of work.  Yesterday we found a couple new investigators, and marked a couple dates.  It took a little while, but we should be baptizing every week from now on, it just took a little while to get started.  I really do just love Sao Filipe tho, its incredible.  The Lord has really blessed these people.

 
Another fun thing that happened this week was I made a new best friend.  While at a noite de familiar, I started talking to RIccardo.  If any of you have seen the land of light video on cabo verde, he is the one that is the Physical Therapist.  He was called to be a branch president when he was 18 in Mindelo.  Thats so crazy! What was I doing when I was 18, graduating high school?  He is incredible, and we just talked for almost an hour.  In my mind, he is one of the most incredible men in the world.  Just the stuff he has done to help the church grow here.  His first transfer on the mish here, he was serving in Brava, and he was the branch president there too.  He has a sick family, married in the temple, and is in charge of the EFY here in Cabo Verde.  Hes just a boss.  

Also at the baptismal service, none of the members showed up, so we kinda had to run everything.  Which isn't that uncommon, but is just a little annoying.  Giving talks without preparing anything, and doing all that stuff. BUt its all good, they're still getting it.  Right now the big focus is trying to get  Cabo Verde to be a temple ready people, so were working a lot with that.  

Well I love all you guys, thanks for everything you do, take is easy!
Elder Jarvis, Cabo Verde

The Weekly from Fogo

June 9, 2014

Well this week was a pretty sweet one from Sao Filipe Fogo! Not too much going on.  
Last Tuesday, we flew into Praia and had a conference, and that was incredible! I learned a ton, and it was just sweet! It was the last conference from President Oliviera, and I learned a ton from him. I will sure miss him. 

I also got to see Elder Fogerberg and Elder Odderstrom at the airport.  They were both incredible missionaries, and super good examples for me.  Definitely miss those guys!  

We had a good week of basketball, playing almost every morning.  I'm still kinda out of the loop about the whole NBA finals, so if anyone wants to update me on that that would be incredible! 

Today has been a good P-day, we went and got some ice cream, played some basketball, and went and looked at the ocean for a little while. It really is so pretty here!  I gave a training about teaching simply by the spirit, and used a couple of scripts from 2 nefi, 25.  I think like vs 4, 7, and 28 ish? It went well.  Talked about how the only three things that should come out a missionaries  mouth are questions, scripts, and short testimonies/examples.  If we do that, it will be simple, and they will understand.  

We had good lessons with our baptisms for this week, Kayliza and Lela, they're sweet! Both came to church, and shouldn't be any problems there! I'm also getting better at the creowl, which is a super plus.

Our frequency in church was also the best its ever been, getting 124 cabo verdians in the sao filipe 2 boundaries in attendance.  So that's good.  The stake is sweet, I believe President is coming out here next week to check on things, so that should be good.  As of right now we still don't have a bishop, or branch president, so we are kinda running a lot of things, but its awesome, the work is sweet! Not a whole lot more to write about.  Ill try to go to another place and send some pics soon. I love all you guys, and I love Fogo, its super nice! 

Sorry it was a little short, really not a ton going on, love all you guys, take it easy! 

Elder Jarvis, Sao Filipe  

First week in Fogo

June 2, 2014

So this is the first email from Sao Filipe Fogo! Im in love with this Island.  Period.  The people are just so incredible, and so down to earth and nice.  When people talk about cabo verde being beautiful, clean, and incredible, they're talking about Fogo.  Not that I didn't love the island of Santiago, because I did.  But it just felt like a big city.  LIke people are always going places, and taxis are everywhere, and its just loud.  And here everyone is just chill as can be.  Everyone hangs outside, and no one has any care in the world. 

As far as the work goes, this place was just made a stake last week, and there is a lot of work to be done here.  There are So many less actives, and just members that think of church as optional.  My area was struggling when I got here, and were getting it off its feet a little. We should baptise next week, and baptise every week after that, it was just struggling a little when I got here. Only had a couple of investigaors, a lot of kids...  But we are baptizing 45 year old named Lela next week, and shes awesome! 

 

My new comp is named Elder Gunther, and he's a boss.  Its so much fun living with Elder Gooch and Bazzarone.  We work, but we have a lot of fun together. Definently the best four elder house in the history of the mission.  

A couple funny things that happend this week. (My dad asked for these..) I was with Elder Bazzarone and we were teaching this blind guy, who is awesome by the way.  And were were just talking, and then all of a sudden he just let loose in song. Like a cathloic Jesus song.  Then he was like, "Kuze, bo ka ach k ame canta durrett?" (What, you dont think that I can sing swave, like cool

(There isn't really a good english word to describe durrett, its creowl for like cool, but more than cool))) It was so funny! Then later we were ending the lesson. And it was him and this less active that was there.  And the blind guy that sang did the first prayer,  so bazz asked the other guy if he could close. But the blind guy wanted to close.  But we cant let the same guy say the opening and closing prayer, so the less active said a beautiful closing prayer.  And right when he finished the prayer, like right after he finished, the blind guy just started talking really loud, and Ill translate it.  So it was like, "we say these things, in the name of jesus christ, amen." then right after, before anyone else could talk, the blind guy was like, "Hold on a sec God, Ive got a couple of words of my own" So it was kind of like a relay prayer.  Like how you hit the cut off guy in baseball when throwin from center to home.  The first guy finished the prayer, then the second guy picked up, told god to wait, then said his own prayer! It was the funniest thing of my mission, and bazz and I couldnt stop laughing the entire time!

  

I also had a funny experience I just thought of from my time in Assomada. So we had worked with this less active Tony, about 55 ish, always drunk.  And one day he came to church, drunk as could be, but he did come.  And after church we went to his house and talked to him, and he was still a little drunk.  But we were like, "Toni, its awsome that you came to church today!" and he said thanks.  Then we were like, "It would have been a little better if you had came sober tho..." And he just says looking up, and raising a finger like a professor teaching a class, "But I came." and we responded,"It would have been better without alchol" He then responded the same way, pointing and sayin "But I came:)"It was soo funny! Then he proceeded to give us a reference of a school teacher who was married (Which is like finding gold, because no one is married here) and he had already been to church a couple of times.  Like the best reference ever.  Then Toni, Still drunk, offered to go teach him with us right then and there.  But we polietly declined, and visted them later with another member.  That family is getting baptised next week, and Im a little sad Im missing that, but its life...  

I also miss the monkeys of Assomada, and the people.  But Fogo is beyond incredible, and I never want to leave this place.  Fogo is definantly the new Praia now.  

When I first got on the mish, Praia was bumping, all the funniest missionarys were there.  Gooch, Bazz, Evans, Bruce, Christensen, Accord, Darling, Grogel, Smith.  Not its Fogo with Gooch, Bazz, Evans, and a bunch of new awesome young missionaries.  I love Fogo.  People really just don't care about anything, the most laid back, sit on the porch, talk to everyone, just nice, good, friendly, down to earth people.  

Another thing is that I literally went from the coldest area in the mission, to the hottest.  Its like 110 degrees, every single day.  We do have ice cream, and a lot of american food.  There are a ton of people from the states that got deported for breaking the law in Boston, that move to Fogo. We bought pancake mix, syrup, oatmeal.  Just american things Ive missed the last  months.  The Creol, here is a little different, and I can understand most of it, just a couple words and the accent are way different.  

For the spiritual side of things.  We had a really good lesson with Lela and we talked about how some people build their lives around the things of the world. And some build their lives around christ. And the ones that always build their lives around the things of christ, always have room for other things. But if we do it witht he things of the world, we rarely find time for God. It was a super good lesson.  

  

We also have just a beautiful view of the ocean from here. Its up on a hill, and it leads right down to the ocean, super pretty. It just has such a different feel than Santiago.  

Its good to hear that Ben is going on dates and what not. A little strange, but good.  Crazy the finals are coming up.  Im a little dissappointed no one gave me an update on whats going on int he world of sports, but hopefully you guys can tell me next week.
I love all you guys, thanks for all you do, have a sweet week!

Love elder Jarvis, Sao Filipe Fogo