Monday, December 5, 2011

12/05/2011
Hi family and friends,

Here are some pictures of my new area. We had one baptism on Saturday of this 11 year old boy named DavĂ­. The baptisms are all in the town of Cova Figueira since they have a chapel and a baptismal fonte and we dont. Cova Figueira is about a 35 minute Hiace (that is a type of van for those that dont know) ride from Mosteiros. We travel there every Friday for district meetings and Saturdays for baptisms. We drive a long one side of the base of the volcano every time. Its neat. 

The other pictures are random photos of my new area here in Mosteiros.

Enjoy!!

Sister Taryn Beus 




























Monday, September 5, 2011

I'm a MOM!!!!‏

Opa!!!!! Ola Family and Friends!!!!
 
This has been a crazy but INCREDIBLE week!!! For starters, I am a MOM!!!...meaning I am training and have a mission daughter. She is AMAZING!!! Her name is Sister Vicente and is from the island Fogo here in Cabo Verde. She is serving as a Mini Missionary...meaning she does not have an "official" call to serve a mission. But she is currently waiting on her mission call which she should be receiving in about 2 weeks!!! I am going to throw her a party when it comes and get all the missionaries together when she opens it. It is going to be great!
 
So my other Mini Missionary, Sister Patricio, had to go back home to finish working on her mission papers because she too is preparing to serve a mission. She is the sweetest girl ever and I loved serving with her for a short 6 days. I was sad to see her go, but also excited to be training. Sister Vicente is just as amazing as Sister Patricio. She has a HUGE heart and HUGE testimony of the gospel. She is a convert to the church. She was baptized 4 years ago when she was 17 and helped bring the gospel to her parents who were baptized a year ago. She is FUN and smiles and laughs allllll day long. She truly is incredible. Sister Namwanje was transferred to the other side of the island here in Sao Vicente to serve in another branch.
 
So other then receiving my TENTH companion in my mission this week and becoming a Mission Mother, I have also witnessed miracles and have had BIG things happen. For starters, my sweet investigator Tony got baptized this last Saturday! We had a small and quent baptism for him that was very reverant and sprititual. It was so good. For those that do not know, Tony is our 39 year old new recent convert who has an OBSESSION with soccer....like playing. His life revolves around playing soccer. But he has a HUGE testimony of the church and has been investigating the church for about half a year now. He lives with his Mom and 5 siblings still and is now the only member of his family. It was really sweet because his Mother, older sister, and nephew all came to the baptism to support him. That is RARE here in Cabo Verdes. We will have 9 year olds get baptized and no one in their family will even have the slightest desire to come and support. So it was so great that they were willing and desired to come support him on this special day.
 
Another BIG thing that happened is that we went with Rute and Erickson (the couple every missionary has tried marrying since last January) to the Cartorio (like the courthouse) and MARKED a day for them to FINALLY get married!!!! It is paid for and done so now they have no where to go but forward. They will be getting married on the 15th of this month, less then two weeks. I am also talking and working with all the members from the branch I am serving in to help throw them a little party afterwards with a cake and such to celebrate!!! Them getting married is like a miracle for me. I have been "marriage counseling" the two (like literally) for almost two months now and it is a relief that they are finally going forward together in their lives and getting married. The other great thing too, is that Erickson is going to be geting baptized the following Saturday on the 17th! It will be a wondeful week.
 
A few other miracles happened this week. For starters, we have commited 8 people to baptism (which is a lot in one week) and we now have I think 16 with marked baptisimal dates. One of those we commited to be baptized this Saturday...and after praying about, he let us know that he feels ready and excited to be baptized. His name is Nilton. He is 28 and incredible!! Sister Namwanje and I made a street contact with him our first week in this area and we have been working a lot with him. He is probably one of our strongest current investigators and he is going to do A LOT for the church in the future...I can just feel it.
 
So I had a miracle happen this week. I dont think I ever mentioned this, but about 4 of 5 weeks ago when we were walking to church one Sunday, I had worn one of my magnet name badges that I had ordered and just gotton in the mail a few days before. When we arrived to the church, I had looked down and the badge was gone! I still had the magnet that was stuck in my shirt, but the badge was lost. After church we walked the same way back home and it was no where to be found. I was REALLY sad. Well this week, I think on Friday, Sister Vicente and I were walking through the streets just talking, and suddenly some Rasta man calls out "SISTERS!" from the top of his roof. We look up and this man asked if he could come down and talk to us for a minute. We looked at each other kinda weirded out, then looked back up at him and said sure. He said wait one minute. So we did...and a few minutes later he walked out his front door and approached us. He then stuck out his hand and said, "I found this, do you know whose it is?" I looked down and it was MY BADGE!!!!! The one that I had lost a over a month ago!!! I wanted to give him a big hug instantly but then remembered that I am a missionary...so instead I gave him a big strong handshake and said thank you thank you thank you. I then immediatly jumped into missionary mode and started asking him if he wondered what these badges we wore ment....and explained to him all about the church. We then told him we would love to come back another day and talk to him some more. He agreed and we went back yesterday after church. His name is Adilson. He is a 35 year old man with dreadlocks who is soooo extremely kind. He lives with his parents and siblings as well (people are so poor here so we often find grown women and men still living at home with their parents). But his looks are deceiving due the his dreadlocks...but he was very open to us and intentive to our message that we shared with him. He invited us to come back during the week. The crazy thing is, is after he gave me my badge and we contacted him, as we were walking away Sister Vicente and I both looked at each other and I said, "that was not a coinsidance that he found my badge. The Lord had a purpose for me to lose my badge so that Adilson could find it and be brought in front of our path to find us and find the gospel...we have to come back and bring him the gospel." And that is exactly what we are going to do!
 
Another amazing contact experience we had happened on the same day. Friday was just incredible now that I am looking back on it. So ALL of our appointements I had marked went through leading up to our very last 8 o'clock appointment before going home. However, our 8 o'clock appointment fell through...as did our plan B and plan C. I was stuck and not sure who else we could visit being so late and close to calling it quits for the day. So we decided to do some contacts beginning from where we were to our apartment. As we were walking we were passing by a group of about 10 adults who were all sitting around in the dirt talking next to a cargo trailer (like those cargo boxes that come on those big ships that bring items from other countries). As we were walking by, Sister Vicente looked at me and said, "how about we contact them". I felt a little awkward with it being so dark and with them all seeming to be engaged in a seriouse conversation. So I shrugged my shoulders and said no, lets go down a little further and contact someone else. Within 10 steps, we both stopped after already passing the group of people and looked at each other again. We looked back at them and then at each other without saying each other, shrugged our shoulders, and continued walking. Within 5 steps this time, we stopped again, and both looked back. We both were getting strong promptings that we needed to go back. So finally, we took a deep breath and headed toward the group. As we walked off from the main road and into the dirt toward where they were, EVERY single one of them scattered...except for THE ONE, Nelly. Here was Nelly, sitting on a cynder block in the dirt being left by everyone else. We began talking to her and asking her if she had ever spoken to missionaries before. After talking to her for a few minutes and knowing that we had no one else to teach before needing to be home in 30 mintues, we asked if she had time to speak to us right then and there. She agreed and Sister Vicente and I pulled up some near by cynder blocks and sat down next to her in the dirt. We asked her about her beliefs and if she had a form of saying prayers. We had a very sprititual lesson right there with her sitting on cynder blocks in the dirt and in the pitch black with no light other then the little we had from our cell phone and she was eager to learn more and have us come back and teach her. I learned that night as we walked away that it is ALWAYS important to listen to the promptings of the spirit...cause if not, who knows which souls Heavenly Father has prepared for us will be missing the opportunity hearing the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful that we did not ignore the spirit...because Nelly was truly prepared by the Lord and waiting there for us!
 
I am so grateful for the many people the Lord has prepared and set in my path to teach and bring the TRUTH of the gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives. I see it changing the lives of so many people for the better each and every day...and in turn, I am learning and growing so much myself. It is a blessing to be here and I would not want to be anywhere else or doing anything else.
 
I know things are not always easy, but with trust in the Lord there is always a way. Heck, we even have been ordered to start wearing this gross mosquito repelant that is horrible that everyone received from our mission doctor because there is a bad case of mosquitos carrying danghei (spell check) right now in Cabo Verde...but so long as we are obedient and work through the difficult times, in the mission or in every day normal life, we will be blessed and overcome any obstacle. THAT is what I have learned and am still learning here on the mission.
 
I also forgot to mention that 3 weeks ago in church I was the key note speaker and gave a 20 minute talk at the end of sacrament on the importance of service. We are working with the members of this branch on how to better fulfill their church callings and how to serve one another better in order to continue growing as a branch and one day have a stake. This is going to be a busy yet amazing transfer and I can not wait to see the miracles that are going to happen.
 
Well, that is all I have got. I want to thank everyone for all their constant prayers and support that you have always given me. You are all truly amazing and it is a blessing to have you in my life.
 
Com tcheu amor (Crioullo),
 
Sister Beus

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Ola Family and Friends,
 
What a crazy week it has been! A lot has happened and I do not even know where to begin.
 
First of all, on Tuesday I had hit 6 months in the mission. Sister Holland and I decided to go to Hotel Mindelo and have pizza for lunch together with our comps to celebrate. It is always so much fun spending time with her. I LOVE her companion, Sister Turnbow. She is one of my favorite sisters in my mission cause she is just crazy and so funny.
 
Today is transfers and I am soooo happy to say that I am staying in my area!!!! However, I recieved a new companion. I am actually serving with a mini missionary who is from here in Mindelo. A mini missoinary is a person who is asked to serve as a missoinary for a short period of time who is from within the mission bounderies. And we have an odd number of sisters currently serving in Cabo Verde, so instead of creating a triple, our mission president calls mini missionaries. So my new companions name is Sister Patricio. She is awesome!! She served half of last transfer with another Sister and then switched and came over with me for this transfer. However, she is working on her papers right now to serve a mission and was suppose to go home the beginning of this transfer. President right now is looking for another mini missoinary in Cabo Verde who can take her place and serve with me. Meaning I will likely be training a non missoinary this transfer. We are still waiting to see what happens.
 
On Saturday we had a surprise baptism. I say surprise, cause it was...we did not plan or expect at all for one of our investigators to get baptized. Our couple Rute and Erickson who we have been preparing and helping to get married, split up for the 3rd time this transfer the beginning of last week. When we visited Rute during this time and found out, she said she wanted to continue forward in front without him and get baptized and feel and receive the blessings that come with making a covenent with God through baptism. I told her to wait and give it some time to make sure Erickson did not come back. But she REALLY wanted to get baptized. Luckily our mission president was visiting the island so we set up for him to give her a baptisimal interview. I explained the situation to him before he sat and talked to her, and he said she had to wait and make sure he was not in the picture anymore. But when he came out of the interview, he told me to give him her baptismal papers to sign and that she was to get baptized tomorrow (the interview was Friday and baptism Saturday). I was STUNNED!!! I was soooo happy, but at the same time worried. Out of all of my investigators, I have put in more time, effort, heart and soul into Rute then any other person. My love for her reaches the skies and I have wanted so badly for her to get married and continue strong in the church. However, after Sacrament Meeting at church yesterday and after Rute was confirmed a member of the church and recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost, she came up to me and said she needed to talk. She then confessed that Erickson had returned last night (the night after her baptism). And that he wanted to come back. She explained however that she had now made a covenant with God and that he can not stay. But now, she wants to get married ASAP to Erickson!! So today in two hours, we are meeting her at work to take her to the Court House to mark a day for when they can get married. All though I am super happy about them getting married, it also has made me a little frustrated. I think Rute might give me another ulcer!!! haha just kidding. But maybe by my next email they will be married. We just hope that they have a day availble soon and that they wont have to wait two weeks.
 
This week another one of our investigators is going to be getting baptized. His name is Tony. He is a 39 year old man who is a soccer attic (like playing it) and who has been taking lessons from the missionaries for months now. He just had his interview and is ready to get baptized this Saturday!!! We are so happy and excited for him!! We need more men with the priesthood in this branch. Tony is another one of our investigators who also does not speak Portugues. But at least he understands it. So every lesson with him has been us speaking two different languages but all understanding one another. Luckily now I have a companion from here who speaks both...which is a blessing!!! And now I can actually learn how to speak Crioullo (Creole)!!!! I have tried, but it is pretty hard.
 
Something sad that has happened this transfer is the island of Fogo got closed for Sisters!! I am hopeful though that sometime in the next year before I go home it will reopen and I will have an opportunity of serving there.
 
Well that is about it this week. I love you all!!! Ate mais!!
 
Sister Beus
 
P.S.- two of these pictures are from when we went out to lunch to celebrate Sister Holland and I hitting  months in the mission on Tuesday. The other one is from our zone activity last week.
 




Here are some more photos...
 
-The girl in the blue sailor dress is our investigator named Tatiana. She is getting baptized in 3 weeks. She is another one of my FAVORITE people we are teaching. She just "GETS" things and really has a strong desire and hunger to learn more.
 
-The photo of the house is the house of our recent convert, Flavio...the one who is mostly deaf and speaks and understands only Creole. His house is only the yellow one with the blue door. The brown one is not part of his house. The inside is built together with Card board boxes and the outside is made out of scraps of sheet metal.
 
-The family is our recent convert family who I LOVE and ADORE, Tina and Tony with their two twin daughters Stephanie and Romirra. They got baptized 2 weeks before I first got to this area. We visit them twice a week and have the most wondeful discussions with them. They are STRONG and Tony is going to be the future branch president, I just know it.
 
Hope you enjoy!
 
SIster Beus
 



Hi everyone,
 
Here are photos from Rutes baptism. The other one in white with her is Tony, our recent convert who baptized her. It was a wonderful wonderful day. The group picture is after her baptism with Tony and his wife Tina. Squatting down in front is our beloved branch president, President Fortes. He is INCREDIBLE and helps us a lot.
 
Enjoy!
 
Sister Beus





 

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

6 Month in the Mission!!

Family and Friends,
 
I can not believe it...but I will have hit SIX months in the mission tomorrow!!!! It is crazy that I am officially 1/3 of the way done with my mission!! I feel like I just was in the MTC a few weeks ago...and to think that I am hitting 6 months tomorrow already is way over my head!!!
 
I always want to give a BIG shout out to my wondeful and beautful mother who turns FIFTY tomorrow on my 6 month mission mark!!!!!! Para bems Mom!!!!!!! You are loved so so so much!!!!
 
Also, I can not believe that Bradyn (my little brother) is going into the MTC this week!!!!! What a neat thing and blessing it is to be out serving together at the same time. It will be neat to hear all about his experiences and to be able to compare and understand certain experiences that he will be having with my own. Rock it out in Tampa Bay Bradyn!!!!!
 
So this week has been good. Nothing too out of the ordinary or different happened this week. Do you all remember my couple who we have been working on trying to help get married who have the two little boys (I emailed home photos of their little boys last week)? Well, they have finally decided to go forward together in their lives, work their problems and difference, and get married!!! We are going to the city with them this week to the court house (or wherever it is you go here), to mark a date for when they can go and have it be OFFICIAL!!!! It will be a miracle to see the two of them get married after all of their obstacles and struggles they have been through together in the last 5 years of their life. Everybody keep your fingers crossed that things will go through.
 
I am not going to lie, I am a little nervous that I will not be here to see it through...nor 8 marked baptisms that we have for this next month, because next week are transfers!!! Transfer calls come this Saturday night and we will be finding out whether we will remain working at least 6 more weeks in this area (Cha D'Alecrim, Mindelo) or being transferred to somewhere else. I REALLY do not want to leave this area. We have a lot of really strong people who we are teaching and who are so close to taking that big step in their life to make a perminet better change in their lives by accepting to live the gosple and be baptized. That and we have are couple (Rute and Erickson) who are so close to getting married that I want to be here to help them reach that special day in their lives. But, I will do and go wherever the Lord needs me and just continue to work and spread his gosple.
 
I just remembered an interesting experience I had this week. It was actually yesterday. Earlier this week we made a street contact with this woman named Jizelle who accepted to let us come by and teach her on Sunday (yesterday). We weren't too sure about her to be honest because she was rather cold to us when we were initially talking to her for the first time. And we almost didn't even bother to go because we were over sheduled with appointements yesterday. However, we felt promted that we needed to pass by and at least try and see if she was home. As we walked up to her home, we heard music coming from inside and people yelling. The door was opened and I popped my head through the small cement oven of a home where they lived. Jizelle was sitting right inside by the front door with another woman and two men. She invited us in and we sat down on her half broken couch that was covered with dirt. The two men were sitting there laughing and began talking to us in their hard Creole while taking shots. Jizelle then pointed out which one of the two men was her "Marido" (that means husband...but they are not married. Everybody here refers to the man they live with as their husband but NO ONE is actually legally married. They just live together with lots and lots of kids). We sat and attempted to teach them about prayer and why it is important to communicate with our father in heaven. Throughout the lesson, one of the men would jump up towards the television set where there was a soccer game playing and scream "bai bai bai"!!! meaning "go go go" in Creole. Then the womens 4 year old daughter would walk in and pull her mothers shirt down and begin breast feeding (all of these things which are all very normal and typical here in Cabo Verde).  It was just a very hectic and typical lesson that always reminds me that I am not in America anymore.
 
Oh, it also has been POORING rain here for a few days. Today is the first clear day for almost a week. yesterday coming home from church our street where we live was flooded and looked like a giant mud river that went up to my ankles. I have learned that when it rains here, it does not just rain...but it POORS!! It is pretty fun. I will send pictures.
 
Well, that is about it. I love you all!! Until next week!!
 
Com amor,
 
Sister Beus
 
 
My dearest most loveliest Mother,
 
Para Bems con tendo CINCUENTA anos!!! O que louco que minha mae tem 50 anos!!!! Mom, I want you to know that on this VERY special day tomorrow I will be doing nothing but thinking about you and how I have the most wondeful mother anyone could ever be blessed with. I am sorry that my birthday card/photo for you could not be more lovely. But I just picked up everything off of the ground that was within 5 feet of me to take this picture for you. As you can see, the typical things that are all that is available on the ground are pieces of cement, broken beer bottles, and lots of garbage. So all though it is not pretty, it is very typical for where I live...and there for it is cooler. haha
 
Mom, I want you to know that I seriously love you more then anything else. I would not be here if it was not for you and your example to me. But I SERIOUSLY love you more then anything. Thank you for always being there for me and for always being such a huge support!!
 
Have a WONDEFUL HAPPY day tomorrow on your big 5...0...!!!! Your fabulous!!!!! I wish I could be there to take you out for a big birthday dinner. We will celebrate and go sky diving when I get back together...how about that!!! haha
 
I love you tons!!
 
Your little girl in Africa,
 
Taryn
 








Here are some photos from todays zone activity. We went to Bahia dos gatas...it is a beach town about 30 minutes away from Mindelo.
 
There are also some photos of me when I went on splits for Pday last week with Sister Holland and her companion Sister Turnbow. We walked by this school that had a giant globe out front so we had to stop and take pictures.
 
Enjoy!
 
Sister Beus








 

Sunday, August 21, 2011

View from the top of the Mountain

Hello Family and Friends,
 
This was a REALLY great week!!!! Our investigator Flavio got baptized on Saturday!!!!! Flavio is the 29 year old man we have been teaching who is 85% deaf and who only speaks and understands a little Creole. This entire week we passed by his little cardboard box/metal sheet home every day to make sure he was ready and prepared to be baptized. And EVERY DAY without fail he would get the most giant grin on his face and yell out "OOOPA!!!" each time we walked up to his door in excitement to see us. Flavio was seriously the most excited person I have ever scene to be baptized.
 
On Saturday Sister Namwanje and I were the first ones at the church for the baptism, so we stood and waited out front of the church building to wait for the others and for keys. After 10 minutes, we look down the road and see Flavio walking sooo proudly towards the church with the biggest smile on his face with his striped button up shirt and poke-a-dot tie!! AND he spent what little money he has on going to the barber to get clean shaven and cut his hair to look his best for his baptism day :D When asking him how he was feeling he replied in his 'deaf accent creole', "Mi sta feliz! Mi te aleg no mi coracao!"...meaning I am HAPPY! I have happiness in my heart!
 
The Branch Mission Leader was the one who baptized him. It was so great and the spirit was so strong. I gave a talk on the blessings of the Holy Ghost at the baptism and felt so proud of the 5 who were sitting there in front in their white baptisimal jump suits all with smiles on their faces prepared for baptism. It was a beautiful baptism. After Flavio was emeressed in the water, he turned to me before getting out and gave me a big thumbs up. He was soooo happy!!!! At the end each person who got baptized stood up front one at a time and bore their testimonies. Flavio was the first, and only one to bare his in Creole and not Portuguese. Everybody there was so proud and happy for him. In a way he is kind of like a little kid with his hearing and understanding disability. I felt like a proud mother does when there child has a great achievement. I have wanted nothing but the best for him and have grown to love him as I have watched him come closer to making this important step in life. Now that he has made that choice and step to coming closer to Christ and making that first covenant with God in his life, I could not feel more happy for him!!!
 
Sister Holland also had a baptism this week. It was exciting to be there together and both see the change the gospel made in lives of people who we have grown to love through teaching them. It is amazing to see how far we have come since our time together training in the MTC...and now here to where those we teach are making those life changing choices!! The gospel is incredible and this church is true!! I have never KNOWN it more strongly in my life then I do now as I see what it does to those who accept it and live it for the first time in their lives. It is a blessing to be here and represent Christ as I teach about the truths of his gosple being here on the earth again today.
 
Thank you all for continuing to send your love and support. I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. You are all truly wonderful!
 
Com amor,
 
















Sister Beus