Boa Vista!!!!!

Our reason for going to Boa Vista was to gather (with the help of a returned missionary there named Luis) all the members we could find and hold a Church service on Sunday.  It would be the first Sacrament meeting held on the island and seeing as it was discovered in 1460 that seemed significant to us. Luis had done a lot of the ground work by locating as many members as he could and getting their phone numbers. We were also to  explore the area for a place to house the missionaries that would be sent there February and to find a place big enough for them to live in and to hold a church meeting in. The first thing we did when we arrived was to rent a car - a tiny one.

We had no idea what we were getting into. All we knew was that the island was just a bit smaller than Santiago, the one we live on, and it was not so mountainous. We also knew that only 4000 to 5000 people lived there compared to the 250,000 who live on Santiago. That sounded odd as 4000 is about how many students went to Kingwood High School on any given year.

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This is one of the first things we saw - a temporary earthen bridge. The next picture shows why. The rainy season was especially tough on Boa Vista this year. This river swelled so high with water and debris that it took out the bridge. That was our first clue as to the infrastructural on the island. 

 Because the return missionary we wanted to meet with was working at one of the all inclusive resorts on the far end of the island, we decided to spend the day exploring. I stood on a hill between two hotels to take this next picture. That is nearly a quarter mile of white beach between me and the ocean. It was beautiful!

Now getting to such places takes patience. Some of these roads are 300 years old. I thought the bolts on our tiny car were going to come loose.

We laughed when we saw this. We were only going 40 and thought the fillings in our teeth were going to rattle out.We couldn't even imagine doubling our speed.

And there is not much to be in a hurry to see. Except for some tiny towns, this island is deserted.

 At the far end of the island, in the middle of nowhere, literally with nothing around it, we found this. This is where Luis works. He and about a thousand people on the island are bused to these resorts to work. 

The guard, assuming we were guest, let us in with no question. After all what nut would be out there in the middle of no where if they weren't staying at the hotel. Later when he saw us just waiting around for Luis to arrive, he realized his mistake and nearly panicked. Once you are in, everything is free. We could have had lunch or whatever we wanted. He asked us to please wait outside the gate for our friend. He was very nice to us especially when he realized we had not taken advantage of the situation.

On the way back we saw another all inclusive resort. This one is close to the airport and looks like a giant sand castle.

This is where we stayed. It was on the outskirts of the town, the only one of any size on the island, Sal Rei.

It was very quaint and clean and looked a little like the Alamo to us Texans. In the front you will see the outdoor restaurant that was really good. And these stair lead you to the hotel rooms. Robert had only one complaint. He barely fit in the shower. In fact one morning he dropped the soap and I heard, "Suz, I'm going to need help." There was not enough room for him to bend down and get the soap.

 We were at the right place though. The first person we meet at the hotel was a woman who had been baptized with her ten year old daughter a year ago in Praia. She was so excited to hear we were going to start a church here.
Saturday was spent working with Luis. We visited members and called others. One of the missionaries in Mindelo called Robert about something (he was still acting mission president) and when he found out what we were doing he gave us the name and phone number of a man who had moved there. Costa had been baptized several months ago. We called him and told him of the meeting that would be held on Sunday. He said he couldn't wait and came right over to the hotel to meet with us. We found out that many of those that would come worked at the resorts and some of their schedules conflicted so we decide to hold a morning and afternoon Sacrament meeting. We were also a bit disappointed to find out that some of the members were visiting other island that weekend.
But we also tracked down a man and his family (his wife and two sons) that lived in Povoacao Villa. It is a tiny town about 20 miles away. They had no way to get to Sal Rei so Robert volunteered to pick them up in the morning. With the car so tiny I could not go with him.
Sunday morning I stayed behind and got the room ready. We couldn't find a place to meet on such short notice so we meet in our hotel room.

The first meeting began with an opening hymn, How firm a Fountation, with Mario giving the prayer. Robert spoke of the plan to open up a branch of the church here and gave those present an idea of when that might take place. Then Luis blessed the sacrament and Costa passed it. Following that Luis and Robert gave talks and the remainer of the meeting was opened to the bearing of testimonies. All the members present bore their testimonies, including me and in Portuguese. This is a picture of us at the close of the meeting. The little girl in yellow was the daughter of the woman who worked at the hotel. She was working and could not attend.

We gave each family there Bibles and Triples, containing the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. We also gave each one a copy of the November Liahona, containing the latest conference addresses of the Leaders of the Church.
The next meeting went the same as the first and again all bore their testimonies. Luis and Costa had come to the second one as well to help out with the administration of the sacrament. We were surprised that Itovina had also chosen to come to both.  Here we are at the close of the second sacrament meeting..The young girl holding the baby is named Susie. I won't forget her name or her brothers standing behind her. His name is Abinadi, the name of my favorite prophet in the Book of Mormon.

It is hard to express the spirit that is felt on such occasions. The love that was felt and the instant friendships that were formed are hard to explain. The gratitude we saw is also hard to express. These people have gone years without their church to attend. They are such good people and I can't wait for the branch to be formed there for them. Sunday night also came with a sweet peace as all of the sudden Robert's phone stopped ringing. We knew then that President had arrived in Praia and Robert was officially relieved of his temporary mission president duties.
Monday we looked at apartments and found two that will do perfectly. They are both on the main road about a block from the central praca. We are just waiting for word from the realtor to know which one will be available in time. The rest of the day we spent walking all through the town mapping out where things were such as the hospital, pharmacy, bakery, grocery store, bank and various other things the missionaries will need to find. It is a great little town and you can walk to everything. It has a bit of a tourist flare, unlike Praia, because so many people come to the resorts on the island. They are bused into Sal Rei to see the town and get native souvenirs.
We loved the little port there. And were shocked to meet a young couple who had just sailed there in a 26 foot sailboat - from Holland. It took them 6 months. Amazing.
Our last night there was spent walking on the endless white beach. We got caught up in it and walked two miles and then had to walk it back. I'm not complaining. It was beautiful. Here is the sunset.   

The next day we flew to Sal, the next island over. It was my kind of flight - 15 minutes. There we meet with the four missionaries on that island and took them out to dinner. We got a quick tour of the church and an apartment they are to move into this coming week. Then we sat in the airport until nearly midnight waiting for our flight to Praia. We love Praia, but we left a bit of our heart in Boa Vista.