District Conference in Fogo

This weekend we had the privilege of returning to Fogo for their Distirct Conference. We had Elder Dyches with us from the European Area Presidency.
The weekend started by picking up him and the Oliveiras at the mission home and heading to the airport for a 8 AM flight - which of course did not leave until 10:30. (Cape Verde has only one airline and so you just take what you get. We always laugh when they say "Thank you for flying Cape Verde Airlines. We hope you will fly with us again." Of course we will - there is no other option - no matter how late you are or how often you cancel our flights.)
Once in Fogo the President and the Benedicts took Elder Dyches around the island showing him the unique challenges of this beautiful place. The few roads on the island are cobble stone and they circle the edge of the island. There is no going straight across the island to the other cities in the most direct route - unless you want to drive through an active volcano. No one owns a car and transportation is sparse and pretty much none existent after dark or when it is raining. If you remember the pictures of Fogo from previous blogs then you know how steep the sloops are and how narrow the roads. When it rains cars have been washed off the mountain and taken into the ocean. These issues make it difficult to gather the leaders for training and the district for conference. Not to mention how tough it would be for a young district presidency to be able to make visits. So while they were showing Elder Dyches the difficult dynamics of Fogo, we took off in the rent car and did a little sight seeing ourselves.

After that we meet up with the missionaries. They were so happy to see us! Well it was mostly because we had their mail - a whole suitcase full. After we passed out all of that to them, we all waited anxiously for Elder Dyches. He gave a very powerful one hour training to the missionaries. He was a mission president in Portland, Oregon and he knew very well what they needed to hear. It was wonderful and wonderful to hear a talk in ENGLISH.
After that there was a new member meeting to which all the recent converts came. Elder Dyches gave them a wonderful message about how to maintain a testimony and the power of prayer. After that we return to the hotel and had a late night snack in the restaurant with Elder Dyches and the Oliveiras.
Our accommodations were beautiful

- it s a shame we couldn't use the pool or go to the beach. Ha.


The next morning, while the others were in training meetings, we made it to one of the missionary district meetings. Then we asked the missionaries and the zone leaders if anyone had any problems with their housing or anything we could help with. The sisters were having a problem in their apartment as the lights in the front room no longer worked. Umm. We found the circuit box and saw that a switch had popped so we flipped it back on and like magic it worked. They were amazed. The zone leaders said they needed fast ferry tickets for two Elders but were short on funds - could we buy them? so off to the fast ferry office we went. Then we met most of the missionaries for a baptism. We were very much enjoying that when President Benedict called in a panic. Sister Benedict had taken the car and he couldn't reach her. President and Elder Dyches were back at the hotel and needed a ride to the next meeting. We raced out to pick them up which was good that we did as we found out then that Robert was suppose to be in the next meeting.
I went back to the hotel for an hour to leisurely read my scripture and then meet up with the sister missionaries for some time with them. After that I went to the church and listened in the RS room to the end of the Priesthood training meeting. The view was great. That is Robert in the chapel.

That night was the adult session of district conference. To start if off they had a choir consisting of all the return missionaries. I took the picture from the stand. I had to take two shots so I could catch what was on both sides of the chorister. Aren't they amazing. And they sounded good too.

The theme of the conference was pretty much directed at that group singing. It was about the importance of getting married and the marriage covenant. Some members who had attended the Temple just the week before bore their testimonies. Wow. Elder Dyches them gave great advice about how to stay on the Lord's path which leads to the Temple and eventually eternal life.
The next morning we gathered at well .... a paved field with an awning over it that is both a basket ball court and a soccer field.
For the last year Elder Benedict has been serving as the District President. Now that the Benedicts mission is winding down it was time to call a new President. But who? The Priesthood here is so young - and I am not talking new I am talking everybody with the priesthood seems to be under the age of 30 and so many are not married.  But the Lord always has a plan.
The conference started with 25 men being sustain to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.  I don't normally take pictures in meetings - in fact never - but we were encouraged to take a few for the history. 

The choir was amazing.

The Benedicts spoke as did all the members of the new presidency and then it was time for Elder Dyches but he added four more speakers. Another couple was called to bear their testimonies and then he asked Robert and I to. I stood and looked out at nearly one thousand people and thought of a line in my Patriarchal Blessing. Then for the first time I bore my testimony in Portuguese without looking at any notes and without making one mistake. I think I floated back to my chair. I bore my witness that God lives and loves us, that Jesus is the Christ and that they appeared to Joseph Smith. He was a prophet and he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God. I told them the Book of Mormon was a precious gift for if people will read it they can come to know for certain that Joseph was a prophet and that the gospel has been restored. I told them I had read it many times and that each time I did I received a testimony anew.  Robert bore a similar testimony and encouraged them to make family scripture reading a part of their lives. He encouraged them to teach their children while they are yet young the language of the scriptures. That is a big problem here. The scriptures are in Portuguese but they speak creole. Most children don't learn Portuguese until they go to school and are fairly old before they are proficient at it. That could be a real disadvantage to them in their gospel learning. I often think of the scriptures in which Nephi thanks his father for teaching him in the language of the scriptures, as did Enos and the sons of Mosiah. In fact it is a great theme in the Book of Mormon.

Here is a picture of everyone leaving at the end. They are such a warm and wonderful group of people.

Here is Elder Dyches taking time to talk to some of the members of the choir.

Here is a young Elder's Quorum President that Robert gave some training to. It was nice to meet his wife and so cute son.

And this is one of our recently returned missionaries. He is from Fogo and was called to serve in Cape Verde Mission. He served on all the islands but Fogo and he was an outstanding missionary. Well he walked into President's office at the end of his mission to be released as a missionary and came out a Branch President. Released and called in a blink. But the story gets better. At the beginning of his mission he baptized this young woman. She never forgot him. Now they are talking of marriage.

This morning we were talking of how amazing the weekend was. All the perks of a conference but none of the heavy responsibility. It was amazing. We love Fogo and its people and can't wait to go back! Here we are at the airport waiting for the flight to take us back to Praia. It was late - of course.