Letter dated 17 March 2014--mini companion and Achada Sao Filipe

Oi Família e Amigos!

Well Mom, I have to let you know that when you wrote me giving me a virtual pinch if I wasn't wearing green, I looked down and to my luck, green tie :P

 

Happy Saint Patricks day for all of you and also Happy Birthday, Sarah Dorman! (It helps to remember birthdays when they are on the same day as holidays.) Also, Happy Belated Birthday Kylie! Don't think I forgot. My planner is super decorated to celebrate it. 

 

This week was a ton of work but if you look at my numbers (number of lessons and new people we found, etc.) for the week it doesn't reflect everything that happened. First, Elder Conduanhe stayed with me 5 days after the transfer started. He should have gone to Tarrafal way before but because of his ear problem he stayed and I helped him with his visits to the hospital. I make that sound like he is dying but in reality, he is doing good. No reason to worry. He just went in for an exam and the results were all good. So, the same day that he left, my mini missionary from Fogo arrived. His name is Elder Gonçalves.  His is only a month older than me and he is waiting for his visa to Brazil. It sounds like he will be leaving me pretty quick though, as another mini annouced that they were leaving on the 26th. It's kind of is sad because he is a great Elder. We joke around a lot but when it is time to work, we work hard.

 

So interviews were good. So like I told you, I asked President why Achada Grande Frente didn't get Elders this transfer and his answer was the following. He, as Mission President has the keys to send missionaries where they are needed but it is the Stake President's keys that determine where missionaries are needed the most. When Achada Grande turned into a ward and got it's own building, it became much less of a priority so the Stake moved focus on the struggling branches and wards in the interior. So when President was making transfers, he literally ran out of Elders and didn't have enough missionaries to put in 2 companionships. So the area isn't closed, just empty for now. When we get more missionaries, it will be filled. He helped me understand what happened and also just helped me with a lot of things. It was great!

 

Zone Leaders: Elders Acord and Gooch

 

So, about my new location, Achada São Filipe. To give you a little idea its sort of a weird mixture of Fogo, Achada Grande, and Palamrajo (like the nicest part of Praia). For example, I could walk into one house and be like, "Wow, this place is home!" and others like "Why is this zombie dog trying to eat my ankle?" It's pretty funny. But I like the area and our house is nice. I got to our place and found some hot chocolate packets and a microwave! Oh, what a nice afternoon. But it takes about 30 minutes to walk from one side of my area to the other and it is nearly impossible to find anyone's house with just directions. The ward is nice and big. There are a ton of families and seems like a lot of the people understand what they need to do. I have been told that the area hasn't had a baptism in weeks but that will be changing soon enough. This week, we have a marriage so you can expect pictures of that next week. But yeah it's been busy and I am excited to work with the members here. 

 

 

Baptism of Mayra from last week

 

I am kind of sad that there hasn't been any signs of a baby for Mark and Christy yet. But I understand that you don't have too much control over that. It will be interesting to head back to BYU with a new President at the helm. I keep hearing about how bad that whole situation in Ukraine is. It doesn't seem to bother people here.  

 

Well, until next week everyone! I love you lots and I will talk to you later!

Tchão!

Elder Dorff

 

Letter dated 10 March 2014--Transferred and a "mini missionary"

Olá Família e Amigos!

So, I've got a lot to tell you and not a lot of time to do it, so don't be mad if I forget to answer your questions. So first, I am being transferred! Not only that, but so is Elder Conduanhe! I am going too..............(drum roll)........... Achada San Felipe! You don't know where that is? Well, it is just barely in Praia. I am the last area you drive through to leave for interior Santiago. And I am serving with............. a mini missionary! You don't know what that is? Well, for your information, it is a missionary that is from Cape Verde who is either pretending to be a missionary so we can teach or someone who is waiting for a visa to Brasil. In this case, he is waiting for his visa. His name is Elder Lopes and I haven't met him yet. It will be an interesting adventure and I haven't decided if I am going to let him cook for me or not (just because they usually don't like pancakes and stuff like that).

 

Other news. In our last week of the transfer, we had a baptism! Her name is Mayra and her cousin is the husband of a married couple from Fogo. He brought her to Church and after that she wanted to be baptized so bad. So we talked to her, prepared her and then she was baptized.

 

Church was super good this last Sunday. I feel like it was just a natural trend that this last week everyone is giving lessons and talks on the Sacrament. It was a super good topic for our ward because it is pretty young and reverence isn't a easy principle to teach them. 

Well, next week, longer letter and photos galore.

Elder Dorff

Letter dated 3 March 2014--a reactivation story,a p-day hike and prayers requested

Hey, como estão todo mundo?
 

Well, can you believe it? It is MARCH! Wow, the time is passing like crazy. And also to think that my 6th transfer is over and that number 7 has begun! I feel old. Next transfer is my birthday and then my one year mark which will be super weird. The question is what is happening with this transfer. Did I stay or will I be going to a new area? The answer is... well, to be honest, I don't even know. Because of Carnival ( a huge holiday here) all the flights and boats are bought out for the week. So Elder Conduanhe and I will work together for one more week and then most likely be split up. It won't be a very easy week though because of all the parties and things that have been and will be going on. Tomorrow, the day of, we aren't allowed to go out and teach so it looks like we will be doing a lot of studying and enjoying some good old Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the whole day. But yeah, that's mission life.
 

I think that today was one of the better P-days that I have had on my mission. It started with a couple hours of football followed by Elder Jarvis, Elder Amado, Elder Conduanhe and I going on a hike in the other Elder's area through a valley ending at this beautiful beach. It kind of stinks that we aren't allowed to actually get on the beach but the nice thing is that you didn't have to get on the beach to take beautiful pictures. Both Elder Jarvis and I took a bunch of pictures and it was a lot of fun. We then went out to Mirage, which is a nice all-you-can-eat buffet (which, of course, is a little more expensive then the average meal, hence why I only do it like once a month). It is just a lot of fun to be with everyone.

 

Besides that, we don't have too many things that are new happening to us. We are still working to find the elect and are working well with the ward. The new ward is just about all organized and because of that it is a lot easier to help less actives and investigators. I have a cool story. Our bishop, Bispo Moniz, invited us to do a visit with the Relief Society, himself, and the Ward Mission Leader at the house of a less active named Claudia. She hasn't been to Church for 13 years but everyone knows she is a member (not only her, but her whole family). We went to her house and it started off a little awkward because nobody knew how to start to talk to her but eventually the Bishop started talking to her about how the members missed her. Eventually, we got her talking about herself and it turns out she has 2 kids who were never baptized because she wanted them to choose the Church for themselves. By the end of the visit, all the members helped her by showing her how to mark  scriptures in the new Book of Mormon she received. The Spirit was so strong. She came to Church yesterday and bore her testimony and said that she was coming back to activity, because of the love that the members of the Church had for her in helping her to remember the love that God has for her. Members have so much power in helping people find the truth and also remember the truth.
 

Thanks for all your prayers. They have definitely been helpful during this last week especially because I have been sick with "gripe", or some weird sickness that made it so I couldn't talk, ( which is a problem for a missionary!) But to be honest, there is another missionary who could use the prayers more. I was with him in Fogo but he just went home early because he was having back pains and couldn't sleep. Well, it turns out he has cancer in his back and his lungs. His name is Elder C. He has already had surgery and is going through serious chemo. He has stage 4 cancer. Keep him in your prayers too.
 

Tchão!

Elder Dorff

 

 

Letter dated 24 February 2014--Obstacles Overcome

Olá todo mundo!

So this week was a good week for Achada Grande although it definitely presented some interesting problems. 

 

First things first, we had a baptism! But in preparation to go to the baptism, like everything that could have gone wrong... went wrong. We went to her house (her name is Telma) at 3 in the afternoon. She wasn't at home like she said she would be so we started searching for her. The baptism in Praia always starts at 4 so we were kind of freaking out. We went to the other side of the city where we found her friend and her friend told us that she went to another city a good 30 minute walk away. We were trying to figure out what happened and we went back to her house and waited until she got there at 3:50. We then got her ready to leave and waited for a taxi to the baptism. Well, because of a local marriage, all the taxis were being used so we waited by the road for 20 minutes for other taxis. Then we got to the baptism and the clothes that we had arranged for were too small for her so we had to wait and use a pair that someone was already wearing. It was super stressful, but in the end she was baptized and that's all that matters. Afterwards, she said that she was just super grateful for the opportunity and she wanted to be baptized again!

 

The one next to me is Telma. The other girl was Elder Jarvis' baptism and Ima baptized both of them

We almost had another baptism but the story doesn't make all that much sense, even to the person who experienced it. So what happened is that a person from Portugal, of Cape Verdean descent, came to our ward and said that he wanted to be baptized. He had been to Church a lot, had a testimony of everything and so we tried to prep him. Well, the night of his interview he said he didn't want to be baptized. We were confused because he was so adament that he wasn't going to be baptized. We then talked to the Bishop and found out that he literally has a medical problem where he forgets his desires and other random things. So, I guess that explains a lot.  We have been trying to find new people to teach because we don't really want to focus our time and efforts on trying to change things we can't control. 

 

Weather has been pretty nice. People are still wearing sweaters and binis and I am still rocking the short-sleeve white shirts. It has been really sunny which means that my tan is getting really nice too. One day I will have to send a picture of that. 

 

Sounds like everyone is doing good. Christy, I am working with a couple on getting married and she is due on the 14th of March too! They have no idea if they are having a boy or a girl and they are excited. 

 

Well that's all I've got for this week. I love you all, and I hope that you have a great week! (Can you believe it February is already almost over!)

Elder Dorff :)

Letter dated 17 February 2014--9 months and a branch to a ward

Olá minha família e amigos!

Vocês podem acreditar? Can you believe it? I am 9 months into the mission! That personally, blows my mind! And not only that but, last week on Valentine's day, I got my mission call to Cape Verde. It  just surprises me how fast the time is flying by. 

 

This week, we have been working a lot on trying to find new people to teach and who are really prepared to hear the Gospel and want to be baptized. At this point, we are working with a lot of people who aren't married but live with their spouses and have no interest in marriage or the Church. That is a big problem that we have run into. Because of that, there has been a little frustration for us but nothing that a little scripture study, church, prayer, and of course P-day soccer can't solve! 

 

This past week was the first Sunday at our new Church building in Achada Grande Frente. It is pretty big. Only half of it is ready so Sunday School and Priesthood and Relief Society were a little weird but was super nice to have an absolutely filled chapel for Sacrament Meeting. We had 102 people at Church and we could have had about 20 more members but when people told others about the change of location, they forgot to mention the change of time from 3 in the afternoon to 9 in the morning. It happens... but next week we hope for more to come. There were a lot of people there who haven't been to Church in years and we got to meet a lot of new people that members invited to Church with them. Also, the ward got new ward leadership so in a couple of weeks, everything should be working great. I am excited!

 

The work is going well. I love the mission field. I am not going to lie; this is by far the hardest thing I've ever done but literally, there is no other place that I would have rather spent these last 9 months.

Until next week, love you all and take care!~

Elder Brent Dorff :)

Letter dated 10 February 2014---Baptism and Blessings

Olá minha família e meus amigos,

This week we saw a bunch of blessings and miracles and because of that, I don't even care about the random bad luck which also happened. 

 

First of all, Branch Achada Grande was turned into Ward Achada Grande! For members of the Church, you know that means many more blessings and responsiblities for this area. It is so exciting! I really am feeling super happy for the members here and how the work is going to grow. Also, it just happened to be announced that we were going to become a ward, the same day as we received word that a chapel would be opened up just for our ward, next week! Which means we go from 3 in the afternoon church to 9 in the morning. Such a better situation for this area! Oh, the blessings. It is going to be so good and I am excited for the work of the rest of this transfer. Wow, the transfer is already halfway over... That blows my mind!

 

Another great blessing was that we had another baptism! His name is Djo (like Jo but it is Creole). He is 22 years old and his story is proof of the importance of helping members come to church, specifically those who haven't been in a long while. We met this one kid who is one of those types of members and we asked him for a reference of someone we could talk to, and he gave us Djo's name. Through Djo, we were able to reactivate Adilson (the kid), Helder Patric (another inactive), and then baptize Djo. It was super cool. Something that really helped Djo prepare for his baptism is reading in o Livro de Mórmon (the Book of Mormon). It is really interesting how that works but it is true, if someone wants to know if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias is true, they just have to read that book and ask God if it is true. It was and is still a great part of my conversion and I would be pretty lost without the guidance of the that book and the Bible too. Scriptures aren't just books written by old guys but are literally compasses for our lives. 

 

 

So, we have this marriage (they should literally be married this or next week. Pray for this week.) and the husband got Elder Conduanhe and I matching T-shirts for a Cape Verdean soccer team. So today during soccer we wore them and we looked awesome though I can't say that my shirt helped me play better soccer. In reality, I think I played worse, but we looked cool!

 

 

To be honest, I absolutely forgot about the Olympics. I really doubt that Cape Verde has a team for the Winter Olympics, seeing that they only had 4 go to the last summer one. It's super weird to think that during the last Olympics, I was watching men's fencing with Mom and Dad, with Italy and France going at it, in the middle of the Italian Alps. Strange that was already almost 2 years ago. Somebody watch the curling for me. It is such a weird and not exciting sport but if I were to be in the Winter Olympics, I would probably choose to do that. 

 

Dad, I am just jealous that you could actually go swimming in the ocean. I've been by a beach for 7.5 months and don't think that the thought or desire to jump in hasn't crossed my mind. I resist, of course. But the boogie boarders in Mosteiros invited me to go with them once on a day when I forgot to wear the tag...

 

It's great to hear how all the missionaries are doing. Before Casey Powell went home, we were talking pretty regularly. Hey, Casey your going to have to send the first email so I have your address. I am happy to hear how Elder Bowen is doing. I keep asking Sister Montgomery (friend from BYU) if she has seen him yet.

 Well, I love you all! Have a Happy Valentines day all you love birds and family of mine. I hope to spend it at a Cape Verdean Wedding :)

Tchão! 

Elder Dorff

Letter dated 3 February 2014--Conferences and Breakfast for Lunch

Olá família e amigos!

So how is everyone doing out there? According to the emails I received, it looks like everyone is enjoying life and everything involved in it (school, work, play, family, etc.) That's great! I am doing good too. Another week has gone by like a blink of an eye and the fact of the matter is that I am beginning to feel "oldish" in the mission. It's a good feeling to have to know that I kind of know what is going on and what I need to do in certain situations.

 

P-Day Soccer

Elders Jensen & Ernst

 

 

Well, like I said this past week was good though really there wasn't much that happened this week. Just the normal... trying to find people to teach, teaching people, getting yelled at by drunk people, and seeing miracles in people's lives.

 

Something that was really cool about this last week is how we had Stake Conference here. It was a transmission from Salt Lake for Spain, Portugal, and Cape Verde. A couple men from the Quorum of the Seventy, a sister, and Elder M. Russell Ballard talked to us and they all had the same theme of Missionary Work. In Elder Ballard's talk, he related the history of the creation of the mission in Spain and Portugal, and how eventually they split and then Cape Verde was opened as part of Portugal and then how in 2002 it was split to be it's own mission. It made me realize how young my mission is and how much work there is to do. We have 2 stakes (almost 3. I received word today that Fogo is getting a stake!!), 1 district, and like 35ish branches and wards. We are so young but the work is growing. 

 

The women are usually carrying something on their heads

 

Oh hey Mom, I wanted to tell you that I found a new investigator and his mom's name is Lorinda. When I asked her name and she said that, I got super excited (probably a little too excited) but I mean what do you expect?

 

 I've decided that I need to take more photos. I haven't been very good about that these last few transfers. I do have some soccer pictures and more beach (those are kind of easy to find) pictures.

 

The Harbor

 

Well, I love you all. Tomorrow is Zone Conference which means trainings, scripture game, and a super good lunch with all the missionaries of Santiago! 

Tchão!

Elder Dorff

P.S. Elder Jarvis and I got sick of rice and so we made pancakes, hash browns, eggs with cheese and ham, and chocolate or strawberry sauce. It was awesome and Thursday has become Breakfast for Lunch day.

Our awesome Breakfast for Lunch!