Organizing Cape Verde's 3rd Stake!

Hey Everyone! This has been a good week! Kind of crazy, because all week we were inviting every possible person to the stake meeting!! We did a lot of divisions and handed out a ton of invites to this thing. Then on Saturday and Sunday, we were not able to get any of our work done in our area, but we got to be at the stake conference!! It was super cool to see all the changes and the people of Cape Verde coming together to be Zion. Elder Dykes (the visiting general authority) gave some awesome talks and our awesome mission president also blew the roof off the building! It's super sad to lose him here in 4 weeks... :( 

But we had some good things happen in our area! First, we also did divisions with the assistants and with our zone leaders, and I learned a ton of what I need to do better and I have seen and felt a difference!! :)

I have 2 stories for this week. First off, there is a kid here who has come to church for a full year straight and hasn't been baptized because his parents won't let him. So we have been wanting to talk to the mom, but she is impossible to find!!! One day we tried setting a time to sit down with her, and she would not agree to anything... but then she started talking about this family thing that they are doing in Cape Verde (not sure about details, but they are stressing the importance of family). So we got talking about families! :) Guess who has been carrying proclamations (Proclamation on the Family/April 1995) all transfer and never used one until now!! This guy! :) I gave it to her and she warmed up to us and set a time to sit down with us! So we are hoping that goes somewhere.

Second, not as cool...but we had this lady show up to stake conference who is super Adventist!! The first time we sat down with her we had a huge discussion about Saturday being the Sabbath, women prophets, what you can or can't eat, and all sorts of things! But she came to the organization of the stake and she really liked it! We are hoping that that helped clear some things in her mind!

Oh, and transfers happened ;) Elder Stone got moved to the other area of Mosteiros, and I got Elder Young! He was in Mindelo with me. He is cool, so we should have an awesome transfer! He is also Australian! :) I am with an ozzy! ;)

That's kind of all that happened this week!

Wish y'all the best!

Love,

Elder Naylor

We are going to melt here!!

Just kidding on the subject line, but sometimes I wonder ;) This week was another slower week, but we have seen some improvements! On Tuesday everything worked out in an amazing way! We truly felt like the Spirit was guiding our thoughts and actions! Once we were like "We should talk to Pedro," and he popped up on the road in front of us! Then, as we walked through this area to check on someone, Carina, who has been soooooo hard to find, was just leaning out the window. So we sat down and talked with her! And that went really well!

We had some good lessons, but still really don't have anyone progressing... some could be so close, but won't show the faith necessary to do the stuff we ask...

We also had zone conference and this is the last one that Pres.Olivera was doing with us. So, like it should be, it blew our minds!! I learned so much and felt the Spirit way strong. One of my good friends, Elder Christensen, gave his "leaving" testimony (he leaves in 5 days :( ). That was sad to see, but we also got to hang out with the elders after that and that was super fun like always!

I have also come close to finishing Jesus the Christ. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to understand our Lord and Savior better! I just finished the part on the great apostasy and I got a whole new look on that part of the gospel!!

Well that's all for this week. Hope all is well with the world! :) And tell Makay that he looks bazof (good looking) in his prom picture! ;)

Love,

Elder Naylor

Kusza!!

Hey Everyone! So, because of the skype call, I don't have a lot to say :) We have been having a harder time this week, but I think we made some headway this Sunday! We had Francisca show up at church and I think she liked it a lot! We think she will get baptized on the 24!!! Also, our investigator's wedding is finally getting all paid for and the date is set, so I will let you know how that goes when we get there! :) 

I am doing well, and am learning to accept the will of the Lord! There are things I want, but I have to wait until the time is right! The Lord always does what is right, even when we don't like it, but it's for the better! 

We are also getting into the hotter part of the year, and I am dying!!! Five steps out the door and I am already sweating! But I will prevail!!! Love you all!

Fica Fixe,

Elder Naylor

Phone Call Next Week!

Hi everyone! So this was a very slow week... I have had a couple of just really tough days! The area is just not lighting up very fast! There are tons of great people and we are working hard, but they are super hard to get to do anything! Some people will not even try to pray!!! This one girl has prayed about Joseph Smith and the Church and she knows it's all true, BUT she will not, for the life of her, show up to church! 

Our house

We have a really cool branch that is actually running very well! They had an activity this week where all the members got into companionships and they left into the street with like 25 Liahona magazines! They talked to people and got us a load of references and it has brought our branch together a lot! They also have activities all week which helps a lot. If we could get our investigators to these, that would be amazing! 

Cute puppy

We should have a marriage this transfer, so that will be super cool! :) But other than that, not a ton is going on here! We have some meetings on the other side of the island this week, too, so we may have another slow week this week, as well. 

Laundry

Can't wait to call next week! (One of 4 phone calls allowed home during the 2 yr. mission--Mother's Day and Christmas Day). I'm planning to call at night, b/c I don't think I'll be very effective after. ;)  

Love, 

Elder Naylor

Still in Africa... So hot!

Hello everyone! I am still in Africa and it feels like it! So hot!! (Note: the average temps in Todd's area are mid-80's, so it must also be pretty humid!)

But it has been a really good week! The area has been moving kind of slow, but we finally got it up and going! We have a good inventory now of people to teach, and we are starting to get them progressing now! This branch is also doing very well! They have lots of activities and are actually doing home teaching and visiting teaching! That helps so much! Also, between the 2 companionships (of Elders) in our branch, we had 8 less-active members show up to church last week! :) Yeah, I was happy with that, and we had 6 investigators come, too! 

Mosteiros

This last Sunday we found a lady named Francisca, and the lesson we had with her went so well! We sat and talked a little about life and things like the mission and it was very relaxed. Then, as we moved on to teach the principles of the Restoration, I felt we taught it very well, and she asked a few questions, which is kind of rare here! We were able to set a date for her baptism in 2 weeks! She doesn't have a set religion, but studies the Bible and tries to follow it as best she can! When we taught her how to pray, she said "I already do it that way!" I was super happy! :) 

Ocean

We also have a few potential families to teach. One is going to be married here in May, and the others I feel like we could set marriage dates! 

Elder Stone and I are getting along very well! He is from Cali, and went to Utah State for a year before the mission! We are in the area of Mosteiros, and there is just one branch over in this part! They have plans to build a chapel soon, and once Fogo becomes a stake, it will be a ward! We also have our branch president and one other family leaving to the temple to be sealed as eternal families here in a week or two! Two sealed families in the ward will help so much!!!!! :):) I love Cabo Verde an how I get to see all the growth happening! :) 

We do a lot of planning

That's all for this week! Wish y'all the best! Fica fixe!

Love,

Elder Naylor

Fogo: New Area, New Comp

The world of the volcano! So I am in a new area, and it's going well! I am also in the same district as my trainer, so that is super fun! The work so far has been slow. It kind of got messed up before I came in, so we have to re-build. But there is a lot of potential, and I am excited to see what will happen while I'm here!

Fogo is cool. It kind of looks like the foothills of Utah, so that is nice! Oh, and this is weird!! A lot of people from Fogo have been to the States or have family there, so a lot of people speak english pretty good (um, or well :))! And even better!! Our house has American light switches and outlets!!! :):) I was so happy! You can also buy a lot of American things like candy and others. The branch is pretty awesome here. We have a few RM's and that helps, too. What I would like to do is to find more strong people and make this place a ward! Fogo is supposed to be a stake by the end of May! That will be awesome to see!

I am approaching 10 months, and I have gotten to a point that I am comfortable. I can leave (go out?) and sit down with someone without being super stressed, and I know what I am doing.

I am super sorry that this week will be short too, but the internet has been weird so I lost a ton of time that I could have written. I will also send pictures next week! 

Melony from my last area did get baptized, and that finished a family!! They are now all members!  Super cool! :) That's all for this week! :)

 

 

Love,

Elder Naylor

ANOTHER new island!! :)

Hi Family! First off, sounds like you guys had a really fun week! (spring break) :) Lots of fun stuff! Thanks for the pictures; it was awesome to see a little of the week! I have really fallen in love with reading in Portuguese! It's become really fun! I am excited to call you guys for Mother's Day, and we can talk and I can tell you stuff that I forget to write! :) Well yeah, desculpa! But I love you all, and am super glad you're in my life! I will send pics! :)

My favorite Restaurant i will never eat at again :(

So..... I am leaving again!! I am going to the volcano island of Cabo Verde! It was kind of a surprise I won't lie, but I will be good! I am going to be in the same district as my trainer! And with an ex-assistant!! So that will be fun!

A patch of grass that i walk on everyday! Not a ton of grass in cabo verde! :)

Sick Car!

This last week was good! We had zone conference and we really figured some things out! We had our baptism, Melony, ready to be baptized this week, but she drank coffee on Wednesday, so she has to wait one more week. She was super sad, so I don't think that will be a problem for next week! :) 

We splurged!

In zone conference we learned a lot, and we learned how to really teach people! At the start of the week, the work was moving kind of slow and we were not sure why! We were doing everything right, keeping all the rules, and trying and praying, but nothing happened. Then at zone conference, we learned that you need to relax and just love the people. So we regrouped and tried something new. We relaxed, we talked with people about their lives and really got to know them. And guess what? Everything got better!! And the people led us to the doctrines that they needed, and everything was going well!

Well, because I am leaving, I have no more details to say! But I am loving life, and everything is going great!

Love, 

Elder Naylor