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