Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Spirit was especially strong this week

Everything is going well as usual.

P day has been great so far. We got almost all the young members in our branch to play soccer this morning, which was amazing. We had a great time.

It’s really funny that Pillow has a little brother who is a replica of him. We call him Pillowzinho (inho is Portuguese for ito like gatito little cat...we say gatinho. ho makes ñ sound)

Oh I forgot to mention that I'm teaching English here in Tarrafal. I have about probably 15 students, I teach Tuesday and Thursday. I also have to teach Institute here.

On P days, my favorite part of the day is the mornings. That is when we usually do fun things like play soccer or stuff like that. On teaching days, my favorite part is nighttime. It is very strange but usually, our more spiritual lessons will come at night. I have no idea why.

Steven had it really tough this last week. On Wednesday, he told us that he didn’t want to see us anymore. It turns out that his Grandpa talked to him and scared him out of getting baptized. We told him to read the scriptures from Wednesday to Friday and pray and give us a final decision on Friday whether he would be continuing with us or not. Wednesday my heart just about stopped when I heard that and that kind of killed our day. We left very sad.

However, we prayed for him and on Friday it was completely different. He was happy to see us, offered the first prayer of the lesson and said that he wanted to continue preparing to be baptized. He just did not feel ready. We could not have received a better answer. First, we know he has a true desire, and second, we are not going to baptize someone who is not ready, so they can turn less active later. The Lord truly helped us there.

The Spirit was especially strong this week for me. On Tuesday we had an exchange with the elders in Assomada, and I was with elder Nyaguambo from Zimbabwe in my own area. I directed the work that day, and we had 9 lessons, and one new investigator. We usually have 6-7 lessons a day.

Something else. I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting about the Temple. My Portuguese was perfect. The Spirit led me in what to say, and elder Fonseca says that I no longer have an accent when I speak Portuguese. I sound like someone from Portugal.

Portugal Portuguese is a world different from Brazilian Portuguese. I sound nothing like Brazilian and even the way to conjugate verbs is different. For example:

Estou dizendo(Brazil)
Estou a dizer(Portugal)

Oh, so there is this store we go to sometimes and there usually is a monkey just sitting. I was wondering, if it's possible to have a pet monkey in the US. Just curious...

I love my life here in this little village, and all the young people in the branch are friends with me. They truly treat me like one of them. They are a lot more physical here. They’ll do things like walk next to me with their arm around my neck, or constantly be high fiving me. You just do the same back.

I'm so grateful to be a missionary. I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I'm grateful for the time that the Lord has granted me here.Elder

Gianluca Cuestas

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

I love it here

I am doing very well.

So the most important news is that Steven had a baptismal interview last Saturday and that he is scheduled to be baptized this coming Saturday. I'm so excited for him because the elders have been working with him for a while. We have been working with him for 7 weeks. We think that he is ready and the district leader who interviewed him thinks that he is ready too. Fingers crossed I'll have a baptism this week!!!

Zee went teaching with us three days last week. He loves our company and says that we're his brothers. He is a lot of fun to be around. The only thing is that he speaks very fast Creole and does not separate his words, so sometimes he can be a little difficult to understand, and I have to ask him to repeat several times. He is very patient with me.

I can speak Creole and pretty much he's the only person I have difficulty understanding. Elder Fonseca is very surprised. I have conversations with the members all the time in Creole now. Look at the difference between Creole and Portuguese.

O que Vocé esta a procurar?

Kuze ke bo sta ta busca

Eu preciso ir á loja (I need to go to the store)

ami mesti ta bai pa loja

Ela disse que vocé esta a ir para Praia

hoje El fla ma bo sta ta bai pa Praia hoje

The weather doesn’t change too much here. Tarrafal can get just a little hot between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. I have never soaked a shirt from sweating. Once its 5 in the evening, the weather is very nice. It’s usually windy. I enjoy the weather very much here. We don’t need to use the fan in the house, and it's almost always comfortable. The only places in Cape Verde that are very hot are Porto Novo on the island of Santo Antão and Praia.

I love it here. I'm sure this is Elder Fonseca´s last transfer. He has been here 4 transfers.

We will never drop Julia. She is a member and has an addiction but has the will to change. We just need a lot of patience with her.

Who hangs out with us the most is Elizeu. He loves being with us and will go teaching with us from 11 in the morning to 9 at night. It's awesome. He has a very easy going personality and always wants to be with us.

Am I cooking a lot? I cook every other day. Ha-ha. They were not kidding when they said that they don’t have any fast food restaurants here. I like to make rice more than anything. It cooks the fastest. This is what I do. I chop onions and place them in the pot with olive oil. I let them simmer a bit. I will then put in the rice and let it brown. Then I put the water and I add the following:

1 caldo block chicken flavor

SaltGarlic and salt mixture...not sure how to describe it

Tuna (Fish is the cheapest here)

Ceyanne Pepper

Black pepperTastes pretty good… Is it healthy?

Yes, we have Relief Society here. It's quite small compared to back home, but we do have it. We have about 45 members attending church per week....

I picked up a baby goat the other day. It didn’t do anything except make a little bit of noise. A little girl got a bit annoyed with me because it was her goat.

She said Poe nha cabrito na chão!
(Put my goat down)

I laughed and let it go.

Mulato, Batcha, Zee, and Elizeu are basically the group. We always have one of them with us though we have Elizeu more than anyone else. They're all doing very well.

We have all thought about the people in Japan and we're praying for them.

Elder Gianluca Cuestas

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

I am so grateful to be a missionary

We have made some major breakthroughs in the area this week. The transfer ended and I did not get any calls, so I will not be transferred, which is exactly what I wanted.

My companion and I are doing really well. This week was a lot less stressful, and we enjoyed each other’s company very well. I see how the Lord helps us every single day and makes it so that we're happy to be where we are.

We went to Praia this weekend for what would be Stake conference. After conference, we went to the baptism of an investigator that I worked with a lot in Praia. His name is Celso and elder Rodriguez baptized him. I also got to stay that night in Praia at my old place with elder Rodriguez and his companion. It was really great.

SO here is the best part…

I made it here. I feel like I am one of them now. Elizeu is coming back so strong and is with us all the time. Mulato, Batcha, and Zee really like me. The members here see me as one of them. These aren’t just the members anymore. They're my friends just like my friends back home would be.

I was in the Hiace back home from Praia yesterday. I was sitting next to Zee and he told me that he was so grateful that I did not get transferred. He said he sees me like a brother and that I have helped him a lot in his conversion process. He said he will never forget what I have done for him. That was one of the best feelings that I have had here on my mission.

Elizeu also got really close to me. He is constantly with us now helping us with our lessons and what not. Today he came over and hung out with us all P day just like I would do with the missionaries back home.

Mulato said that he hopes I stay some 4 months before being transferred again. Batcha said that I'm an awesome missionary. I feel at home, and I am the happiest I have been on my mission. I am so grateful for the differences that I have made in the lives of these people. Julia is going strong. We have two baptismal dates for March and April. I have participated in the reactivation of 5 other members. And now I have friends that help me in the work. I'm so happy.

It’s so funny too. I am the only white person for some 50 miles and they see me as one of them. They treat me as one of them, and I see them as one of me. These people have made my experience here incredible.

I'm so grateful to be a missionary. I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I'm grateful for the time that the Lord has granted me here.

Elder Gianluca Cuestas

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Inside the MTC by Carole Mikita

Would you like to know more about the MTC? Last week KSL 5 TV a local channel in Utah aired the following story. Enjoy it!

PROVO -- The Missionary Training Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the MTC, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The idea of how to train young men and women and senior couples to do missionary work has changed in the 21st Century -- everything from learning languages to staying fit. But it begins with leaving family and friends -- always an emotional experience.

Every Wednesday, families and friends say farewell to young Latter-day Saint men and women, volunteering 18 months to 2 years to preach, teach and serve somewhere in the world.

"It's very exciting but it's hard too," said missionary mother Kim Bracken. "It's mostly exciting. I have to admit, it's mostly exciting.

There are approximately 52,000 full-time missionaries currently serving in 334 missions in approximately 120 different countries around the world. -LDS Church Missionaries greet the 300 to 400 new arrivals each week, and 100 cars unload every 15 minutes. Every year, 20,000 new missionaries pass through the doors of the MTC in Provo.

For 50 years, they have come here to learn how to teach the basic principles of their faith.
"Before I got my call, I never knew they sent missionaries to Madagascar and suddenly everybody knew somebody that's been there," said Elder Scott George.

First, new missionaries take photos for I.D. badges. Then, they receive seam rippers to open the pockets of new suits; a place for those internationally recognized nametags.

Approximately 50 languages are taught at the Provo MTC. -LDS Church

Next, the host missionary takes each new missionary to his or her room, which houses two bunk beds -- four people to a room.

After a quick look around, they're whisked away to an important meeting, where they are paired with a companion. The pair will serve together anywhere from three to 12 weeks in preparation for working in pairs in their assigned countries.

Fifty-two languages are taught in the MTC. Missionaries spend nine hours a day in classes. Most of the instructors are former missionaries. For in-depth study, missionaries can take advantage of the language lab.

In 2-hour blocks, three times a day, 500 hungry young people arrive every half hour at the facility's dining hall. It's all you can eat, and last year, missionaries consumed more than 200,000 apples, 163,000 pounds of bananas and 25,000 gallons of 2% milk -- with chocolate milk close behind at more than 22,000 gallons. In addition, they ate more cereal than anyone cares to count or weigh.

In order to burn off some of those calories, the young missionaries have an opportunity to come to one of the busiest gyms in America. They exercise 60 minutes a day. Last year, instructors logged half a million missionary hours. They even have early-morning options for the young women.

"There's a 6 a.m. class that the sisters are allowed to go to," said Sister Megan McAdams, who has been called to Poland. "They have Pilates and yoga and kickboxing and a step class."

The clean-cut concept starts at the MTC barbershop.
"I'm glad to get it off. It's my first haircut in the MTC and it's my first haircut by someone outside my family," said Elder Meril Francom, who will serve in Columbia.

The Provo MTC is designed to accommodate up to 4,000 missionaries. -LDS Church
Keeping their clothes clean takes up some of the missionaries' day of rest.
"Today it's our P-Day, which is Preparation Day," said Elder Damian Darrach. "We do laundry, we write letters home." At the mailboxes, they look for letters in return.
Elder Devin Frix said, "We even get excited for each other when we get mail so it's really awesome."

What happens at the MTC remains one of the most unique religious programs in the world. More than 52,000 missionaries are living in more than 120 nations where they share their faith and service.

For most, it begins on the 40-acre campus known simply as the MTC.
There are 15 MTCs around the world. Two-thirds of all missionaries receive training in Provo.

KSL 5 and BYU TV will be airing an hour-long special on the MTC Conference Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m.

By Carole Mikita

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

P days are pretty good...

They are not as good as Praia but they are not bad either. I have grown to love Tarrafal for many reasons, and I'm very happy here. One of the most awesome things here are the members. Most of them are young, and many of them will help us and go with us all day to teach our lessons. There are a few that I have grown really close to. One is named Mulato and the other is Elizeu. They help us and hang out with us all the time. Mulato came over to our house last Friday for pizza, which I made.

The week was a bit slower, and we did not have power for 3 days. The refrigerator melted and made a huge mess in the kitchen. Kind of frustrating. We ran out of candles too, so we had to walk with the cell phone. Ha-ha

Something that will make you laugh is that Tarrafal is full of pigs. They are everywhere, and they are the friendliest animals in Cape Verde. If you click your tongue they'll start following you because they think that you have food. They'll never let you touch them, and they're scare to death of people. The little ones are kind of cute, and I managed to pick one up.

Other animals here are
Sheep
Goats
Chickens
Roosters
Lizards
Cows
And more pigs...and dogs.

Elder Fonseca likes being Branch president, but it can be stressful at times because it takes from the proselyting that we do.

Something cool is that we had a zone activity today. We have them every transfer, and I got to see Elder Rodriguez. It was so cool. We went to a beach with black sand and played Frisbee. All the missionaries on the island of San Tiago came, and we had an amazing time. I got to laugh a lot with Elder Rodriguez remembering all the good times that we had.

Ok the members and investigators

Pillow is coming back to church every week, which is good. He is a less active member, and we just have to help him with his friend choices..., but it is no big deal.

Julia is tons better. She has stopped drinking for now. This week we didn't buy corn for her. Better we went into the mountains and helped her get corn from her field that she owns. She now has food for several months, and it looks like things are going very well for her. She looks genuinely happy.

Evandro is our investigator and he's doing very well. We taught him the two most difficult things here in Cape Verde, which were the law of chastity and the word of wisdom. He accepted and is working to live those laws. We're delighted.

Steven did not come to church this Sunday, but we are not loosing hope because he has a testimony.

I had a pig follow me yesterday for about 2km. Elder Fonseca and I were laughing all the way.

Something that I've learned here on the mission is that you can get used to anything. I know it because I live in a 3rd world country right now, and I am happy.

I'll never forget the Family home evenings that I have had here in houses without roofs and one little candle to light the place. I wont forget all the joy that I have experienced here living under the poorest circumstances.

I know that the gospel is the only true source of happiness and that Heavenly father loves all his children, including the ones in Tarrafal. I know that this plan is perfect, and I have seen it change lives already.

Elder Gianluca Cuestas

P.S. If you would like to know more about the MTC, read the next post. KSL 5 TV a local channel in Utah aired a short story. Enjoy it!