It was the best of times...

It has been a week full of the best of things. Transfers were this week and though everything that could go wrong went wrong - including the fact that the Brazilian MTC failed to tell us they were sending two Elders our way. A few extra Elders has a domino effect as you can well imagine and when you are dealing with airplanes and boat rides things can get complicated in a hurry. But we muddled through it. One good thing came from it too. Our new assistants are the dynamic duo from Canada. They grew up in a tiny town in Alberta and have know each other since they were 5 years old. They never dreamed they would go to the same mission, much less serve as zone leaders together and now assistants. Here they are trying to look tough for me. Elder Hill and Elder Dola.

Of course we will very much miss the old assistant, Elder Cruz dos Santos. He has been very good to us. But we can't be sad about it because he is going to the coveted spot of Boa Vista. He is the missionary that gets to start the church up on that island!. He is going to do great there! He is actually a very serious and hard working Elder though you would not know it from the picture. He had scratched his eye and I think he was enjoying those sunglasses a bit too much.

 Then the weekend came. It started off with the baptism on Saturday. I took this picture just before the meeting began. A whole row!Of the sweetest people you will ever meet!

Also last Sunday marked a milestone in Praia. One branch (small congregation) had grown so much that it was officially made into a ward (a complete congregation) and one of the wards had grown so large that it had to be divided. Now when we first arrived here Robert taught a Temple Preparation class to several young couples planning to be married in the Temple that summer. All of the couples were amazing but one caught our eye. We both said that we felt this couple would be leaders in the church one day. Well that day came sooner than we thought as the young man was made the Bishop of the new ward. They are both about 25 years old. Aren't they just so full of light.

Then this Sunday I found out that this Bishop had called the ward Relief Society President (leader of the women's organization). Well last summer I wrote about a couple who we helped teach the missionary discussions to. The man was a return missionary but the woman was not a member of the church. We got very close to them and when they were married last summer, we spoke at their wedding. She was baptized the next day. She was so on fire with the gospel! Well as it turns out she is the new Relief Society President. I meet her in the hallway, smiled and threw my hands up. She doesn't speak English and my Portuguese is still horrible but she knew what I was saying. She ran up and hugged me. We were both laughing and crying. Then she showed me her counselors. Here they are. The first Relief Society Presidency of the Palmarajo Ward.They are going to be amazing.

 Such moments really are the best of times.