I Am Blessed

I can't stop taking pictures here

So if you can’t tell by my pictures, I love it here!!!!! It’s so dang pretty!! And it’s everywhere! You can just turn in a circle and it’s beauty everywhere! Right now I am serving in the biggest area in the whole mission! If you go on Google maps, we have the whole northern half of San Antao!! Two elders for all of that!! Just the city of Praia has like 25+ comps!

God's beautiful earth

And we hike... a lot! Any fat I have on me will be gone in the next few days!! But I love it!! :)

My new companion is amazing! He is super patient and really is helping me get a hold on the language!! I am so happy to be with him! He is just a funny guy!!

Branch activity

Not a ton happened this week because from Monday to Friday we were stuck in the house. My comp had an in-grown toe surgery the day before I got here, and they didn’t stitch it up, so he couldn’t walk.

Our baptisms for next week

We had a branch activity on Friday, which was awesome! I got to know all of our members and meet our two baptisms for next week! :) Their names are Francisco and Edilano! They are super cool! I would hang out with these guys!

It’s hard to talk to people right now because the Creole is different here. Have I mentioned that every island has different Creole? So every time you switch islands, you have to learn a new language pretty much.

I want to share a quick story, though. Saturday we had district meeting, which is in Porto Novo (an hour car ride away), and it ended at 4 with lunch and things. We got back to our area about 6:30. Elder Talbot and Elder Camargo were car sick, so we relaxed a little, but we really wanted to go teach, so we went out. We just walked. We had absolutely no purpose to where we were going.

We are sweet!

We ended up going up this really small ally and up like 30 steps to a dead end with one open door. We went and contacted them, and they invited us in! We talked for an hour. This husband and wife (actually married!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That never ever, ever happens!!!!!) had really great thoughts and family is huge for them! So  they have a lot of good stuff we can work with and I think they will go far!! That experience felt like Nephi (Book of Mormon), when he goes into Jerusalem and he was led by the Spirit to find Laban! He didn’t know what to do, but he showed his faith and the Lord guided him!!

It was kind of sad to miss Halloween, but even here across the world little kids dress up and run around having fun!! :)

Love you all a ton, I am great and loving my mission again!

Love,

Elder Naylor
 

Love being here

I'm Getting Transferred

Family, I love you! Not a lot has happened mission wise this week, but a ton has happened in other things. My companion and I had some problems for the whole transfer. I tried quite a few times to resolve these problems, but it just wasn’t happening. Everyone knows that I like to talk and joke and have fun, but my comp said, in his own words, "Fun doesn’t matter to me, I find joy in hard work and hard study."

I called the zone leaders asking for help. I hung out with them for a night to get a break! The next day they brought my comp over to talk. Let’s just say it ended with us being sent to different islands. He wasn’t even willing to talk things out and figure out how we could change. I wish he would have at least tried to see my point of view. So the zone leaders called President and luckily it is transfers, so he got me a new comp. and sent me to San Antao, in the area of Ribera Grande! Currently I am in Medelo on Sao Vincent.

I am sad to miss Halloween with you guys but it’s all good! :) We don’t have any investigators, but I am going to serve with a Brazilian who only knows a little Portuguese.

(About the street contact…) The guy we committed fell off the radar. They (the elders in that area) couldn’t find him, kind of sad.

(About zone conferences…) We do have zone conferences, but they happen on our own islands, and you usually don’t move unless for transfers/surgeries ;), or if you’re in the ZL position or higher.

I am now on my fourth companion, and its only my 4th month! :) But I am excited to get back in the saddle and I have heard that my new area is gorgeous!! On this computer I can’t send pics, so I will send some next week!!

Love you lots!

Love,

Elder Naylor

Humanitarian Work

I am sorry I have to be short this week. I do love to hear about home! :)

We can listen to some music here, so I would love it if you could send some music, like the MOTAB (Mormon Tabernacle Choir), all of the EFY (Especially For Youth) albums, a Glad album, and two special songs. The first song is the Piano Guy’s song called (something like) “Emanuel”, The other is from LOTRO. I would like Dad to find me the Tom Bombadil theme! (He can pull it off you tube if he can’t buy it), but that would be awesome!! Then, in the (Christmas) package, ties. That’s really all I want. And an English conference Ensign!

I don’t think you can do any sort of sponsor thing here (for those who want to get married), and we can’t do any humanitarian work, but let people know that if they want to help they can donate just generally on their tithing slips. The Church uses the money right! They (the Church humanitarian department) actually are sponsoring a big vaccine thing throughout all of Cabo Verde! Pretty much everyone is getting a shot. So that is how people can help.

For the mission work, our two baptisms fell through... they didn’t come to church. I am kind of nervous about finishing my training. People think I am going to train next. I don’t think I can do it. The work has been super hard lately. Tons of walking and disappointment. But we will keep looking for the people that need this gospel! 

Love you all,

Elder Naylor

Four Marked Dates

Pizza

This week I just kind of want to give information. We have four dates marked right now! All are super solid! Their names are Nilton, Dario, Jerry, and Kevin. They are all friends and Nilton comes from a part-member family!! Nilton is awesome. He came to church this week and has been keeping all the commitments! The other three just had a death in their family. (Cabo Verde funerals are the most depressing things ever! I could give more details later). They have been in mourning for the past week. We should get back with them this week.

Funny corner in our area.

     We also have three potential baptism dates marked. One guy named Dori Etson has had bad experiences with church in the past, but we have taught him twice and both lessons went really well. We passed him on the street once and he was super happy to see us.
     Another investigator is Pedro, who is big time Catholic. In transfer 1, he refused to talk with us and would say "I am Catholic, and don't want to change," but we have kept trying, and we have made great progress. He came to the baptism meeting last Saturday, and he liked it!

Bathroom flooded and this is how we fix it.

     The other investigator is a young woman named Silviana. We have only taught one lesson, but she has tons of questions and really loved what we had to say. At one point, when her mom walked in, she said, "I am going to get baptized in their church!" jSo that made me smile.
     Our branch has also been making improvements. Sacrament meeting went perfectly this week without any missionary help.

Well that's all for now. Tchau!

Love, 

Elder Naylor

Conference and Instant Conversion

Hello Family and Friends!

Our Conference Setup

Conference was great! (See picture of our hi-tech set up!) I didn’t get most of it because it’s in Brazilian Portuguese, but I got some stuff and I still enjoyed it! :) 


I am not sure how I didn’t write about this yet, but remember the story about Julia (Bunting/working in the MTC)? Yeah, that’s nothing after this! Do you remember the Cowleys from the Garden stake? I went through all of school with one of their daughters, and guess what!?!? Her older sister is here. In Cabo Verde. On Sal. Working in the same area as me! What are the odds of that! She went to PG as well, and we knew a lot of the same people! Holy cow!

Me and my companion Elder Taulbee

So we marked (set) 4 baptism dates this week, and we have been working with 8 super sweet other people! All of them are progressing, but 2 people need to get married first, so I might have a wedding! :) It is always so amazing to see the effect the truth of the gospel has in the lives of people who are willing to listen, feel the Spirit, have the desire to keep the commandments, and commit to follow the example of our Savior. The peace and joy they receive shines from them.

An area in my Zone

Also, I had a super cool experience. We went to our zone leader’s house because they wanted to teach me something. We got there and he says, “Today you are going to do something that the natural man can’t do." Well, I was already freaking out, and then he said "Go out in the street and mark a baptism date with the first person you see." ??? So, we went out and we walked down the street a ways and said a prayer asking for the Spirit to guide us. Then we walked a little farther, and we saw this guy. We stopped him and talked to him and gave him a 10 min lesson and then asked him to be baptized. He said yes!!!! No questions asked! What!?!?! It usually takes at least an hour lesson or multiple lessons for that to happen!!! So all is good in Cabo Verde! 

Cockroach!

Love,

Elder Naylor 

PS: Todd (apparently) has a new companion, Elder Taulbee.

Sister Cowley and I with our companions (notice PG gang sign)

We made home made lasagna

Gratitude

(Todd didn't write much this week, but we assume that he is back on the island of Sal and that his toe is healing up OK. He didn't mention it).

While I have been out here I have learned a lot, and I have realized a lot about my life. I was so blessed to grow up in the family I did! I am so grateful for how you raised me! Because you taught me the value of work, even by your example, I have become someone who sweeps the house often, and does all the dishes every night, even though I have just been working all day! I wish I could just give you and dad a huge hug and kiss, but that will have to wait till I come home! I want to say thank you. Thank you for everything!!

Now to answer Dad's questions! Sal is dry and hot all the time! However, Praia had a ton of rain while I was there! We average about 60+ people a week at church, but we want to have 100 by the end of this transfer! 

I did get the package by the way!! Thanks :) For the future I can always use ties! :) Candy is great!! 

I love you all! And I wish you all the best in school and in work, especially Mom! 

Love,

Elder Naylor 

A Week in Praia

Well, I had a surgery done on my toe, to fix an ingrown toenail I have had. It was kind of scary, the fact that it was done in Africa, but it all went well and the place was very clean! :) But I am great, and I have been chilling with the AP's all week, so that has been kinda cool to see what they do! I should return to Sal.

I spent 9 hours with this guy while I was sick, we only talked a little but he was cool

Since I have been in recovery all week, I have done a lot of sleeping and reading! I have read like 8 Ensigns cover to cover! :) And I did have some good experiences! A week or two ago, I was thinking to myself while we were going between appointments, "Do the modern prophets keep scriptures like the old prophets?" and I know there are the Teachings of the Prophets books, but I still thought there was something else. Then, while I was reading the Ensign this week, it hit me!! The Ensign is it! They have teachings about modern things and all of the prophets teachings. They even have all the conference talks in one Ensign! It was so cool to realize this! I have found so much comfort and guidance in what I have read! I have always been worried about a future job, schooling, money, and what I should do, and about my future family, wife, and children. But I found so many answers through these magazines! I really am not worried about the future anymore! I just need to stay faithful, and worthy, read the Ensign, and all of my problems and concerns will be fine!! :)
The other thing I learned this week is how the Holy Ghost whispers to us! I had always kind of thought I knew before, but never for sure. I went out teaching yesterday, and I am in a flipflop because my toe doesn't fit in a shoe right now. We were in one lesson and there was a little kid playing with a book. I had been fine the whole time, but then I had the thought to cover my toe with my other foot, so I did. No more than 30 seconds later, the kid threw the book and hit the top of my shoe! Had I not moved it, it would have hit my sore toe directly!! I am so grateful for the prompting and that I was smart enough to listen to it! The Holy Ghost is so soft! It's almost like your own thought! Love you all lots!
Love,
Elder Naylor 

Shortest I have ever had my hair

We like bread! 40 Pieces

The world famous Cachupa

Rachel, does this look familiar ?!?

Praia