"Home" Stretch!

So, here we are. We are in the last week. Hoping to go out with a bang! 

This week was a good one! First off, Marcia is Golden! She has already been interviewed and is super solid! No questions on this one! :) I feel super blessed to have been the one to help Marlinda and her mom get baptized. They truly are an incredible family! 

We seem to have been running into the problem of getting people progressing, and then they hit a wall and we are not sure how to pass it. Zezino and Monica did not show up to church. We found Jose drinking the other day. Jadir needs to get married, but his wife does not want to get married, and its very hard to talk to her!! We also have a few people who are newer, and could have great potential if they can just figure out how to act on their faith. 

This week has been one of the hottest weeks in my whole mission!! You walk outside and you feel like you are already burned. And because it is so hot, I have been so tired. It really takes all of your energy. In one of our lessons yesterday, I had to fight just to keep my eyes open.

So, in my studies I have come across two scriptures that I love. They talk about being a disciple of Christ, which is what all of us really are! 

The first one shows how much we really need to give (this was the scripture that convinced me to serve out my extension to my mission)  Luke 14:33:

 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

We truly need to give all we can to the Lord. This is a process that takes time. A life time! But we can get there if we do it a little by little! 

Next, Luke 9:62:

 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Like Lot's wife, we can not look back! This I feel applies a lot to the other verse. As we are leaving all these things of the world behind, we also can't look back! Don't worry about it. Trust in the Lord and all will be ok! 

I will still write next week and share some final thoughts. 

I wish you all a good week! :)

Love,

Elder Naylor 

Second to Last...

So, here in the mission they call it "dying" when you are ending the mission. Now I know why! I am trying to plan out the toothpaste so I don't have to by another! ;) --And a lot of other things like that!

Takin' a Rest

Sandra and Aldina were baptized this week! We kind of had a scare because we set the interview for Friday but when we went there, she wasn't there. Also, she wouldn't answer her phone. So, we went back later that night. Not there. So we went by early on Saturday. She was there, so we did the interview and she was baptized that day! Kind of stressful, but it worked out! 

Baptism for Sandra and Aldino

Also, we have been teaching Marcia (mother of Marlinda). Ever sense the first lesson, she has wanted to be baptized. She even came up to us on Sunday and asked, "When can I baptize?" We were a little worried, because we have seen a man around a lot. But this week we taught the law of chastity, and she has no problems!!!! She will be baptized this next Saturday, and she asked me if I would baptize her! :) That will be a nice way to end the mission. 

There is another couple we have been working with. We taught them a lesson a few weeks back, and the lesson went really well. Then we talked to the husband a few days ago. The cool thing was that yesterday one of our appointments fell through, so we passed by and the wife was there. We sat down to visit and she started saying "I have been waiting for you. I wanted to go to church to find you but I didn't know where it was." It just goes to show that the Lord sometimes has a reason when things don't go how we think they should, and that He knows what we want.

This is an awesome picture of our Bishop that I took

It's coming to an end people. I am grateful for the time I have had here and the things I have learned! 

Love,

Elder Naylor 

TWO YEAR MARK!!

So, when I first got here, the member help was kind of low, but we have been working hard and this last week was really good! We had a member with us every day this week! Also, we had 8 people at church! Sandra and her daughter were there, and they are making great progress for their baptisms this next week! We also had Irena and Edmilson come! This was the first time we have had them both there! They have been going through a really tough time lately. First his cousin drowned at sea, and then when he was going to work he gwas robbed and they took his house key, so they were really worried. The last few lessons have been great with them! They seem to be the type of people who the spirit keeps touching and they are just kind of fighting it :)

We also had Zezino and Monica come to church. We have really been working with them, but they were not progressing at all. So we sat down with them one day and left it really clear. And then they showed up. I know they want the blessings that are waiting for them-- they just need to step up and follow through!

I had a good moment this week. I got super frustrated at one point with some of the people we are teaching, but I took a minute to relax and really look for what the Lord wanted from me. I am pleased to report that after that, everything went well! Sometimes I think the Lord really tries us to see if we will turn to Him. Even when we are trying to do a good thing, or even His own work. But if we keep our sights on Him, it will come out alright. I have had points when I try to figure it out for myself and I fail every time. Trust in the Lord! I feel like that is the "phrase" of my mission! 

Wishing you all a great week! :)

I was going to send some pictures, but my camera is not letting me today! Sorry.

Elder Naylor 

I Ran Out of Titles...

So this week was good. The bad news is that Pedro was not baptized. We had a great visit with him on Tuesday. We asked him if he was ready for baptism, and he was kind of nervous, but as we talked to him, he felt better! So we passed by one other day and everything was going great! Until we went to do the interview... We knocked on his door and his cousin said he left, and that he also said he is not ready for baptism. We passed by later that day, but he was not there. Also, he did not come to church on Sunday. I am not sure what it is. People come to church and they read in the Book of Mormon, and they say they pray, but yet they can't seem to muster up the faith to do what they know is right... So that was kind of sad.

Last Sunday we talked to the mother of Marlinda after church (yes she came!!) and we taught the restoration. At the end she started to tear up, and you could feel the spirit really strong!! So this week we passed by again and we asked how she was doing, and she said "I am great, and I feel like this is the path that I should follow. I want to get baptized." So we asked how she decided, and she said that that Sunday she knew! That was a great lesson to be a part of-- to see someone realize the truth in their lives! 

We also were able to find a new family! It was cool how we found them. We were walking by and a little kid fell into the curtain of the door and pulled it off. When the dad came to fix it, we contacted him ;) Turns out the wife knew a lot already. Later, the dad said, "I don't think it was luck that he sat on the curtain in that moment you were passing by." So that was cool! 

Also, we had a little meeting with President and he showed us a video of Elder Holland. He was talking about how Peter was there with Christ and then when all was done he went back to fishing. Then the Lord came to him and asked him do you love me?. Then feed my sheep. For all of us who have the desire to follow Christ we have to ask ourselves, "Do I love him enough to leave (insert something in your life) forever? Peter was not perfect, but what he became was a powerful tool in the hands of the Lord. This really hit me, and it was nice to hear heading into the last month of my mission. When I am thinking of coming home or going back to my "nets" I need to ask do I love him! 

Love you all lots and hope everything goes great! 

Elder Naylor

It's Hard to Get People to Church...

So, we had two people preparing for church this week, Pedro and Sandra, but they did not show up to church. We passed by before church and they were all ready to go, but for some reason they did not show up. Plus, our members are really not helping. We are trying to make it work. 

I wish I had more to write, but I am not sure what I should say. We are working super hard to make things happen, but it seems like every time we get close, we lose it... For example, Zezino and Monica. They are so close to getting married, but they keep letting dumb little things get in the way. We are working on trying to help people build their faith in Christ. 

We had some good lessons in which we were getting people progressing, but again, they did not come to church. The one highlight of the week was Zelito! We found him one day in the road and he wanted to talk. We were kind of skeptical because he lives in a iffy area, and he looked kind of sketchy. But he has been reading lately, and he has said he would come to church. We just didn't have time to pass by before, but we made it our focus to go by on Sunday this week and he came to church! So, he is doing really well. We just have to keep him rolling and pick up the other people! It should be a good week! :)

I will try to send pictures next week! I don't really take very many right now, but I will try harder this week. 

Love,

Elder Naylor 

Last Transfer!!

Kind of a weird moment. I have always kind of kept the end of my mission in my sights, but now that it's so close I don't know if I am ready... Oh well, it has to come eventually! 

This week is going to be kind of short ladies and gents.

This last week Claison was baptized! He really was happy! He will be a great member! We had a ton of great plans set up to get all of our investigators to church but, of course, nothing went the way we wanted! Our members fall through and that meant we could not do a division. And then a ton of investigators had the weirdest reasons that they could not go... We are going to regroup and try again this next week. 

We have had great success in finding people who want the gospel! We were able to find 4 great investigators this week (will let you know how they do next week)! Sandra was not at church this week... but all is well! 

Elder Naylor 

Claison's Baptism

I Found Pickles!!

It took me about 2 years to do it, but I found them!!!! Of course, my companion hates them, but that's OK! :) More for me ;)

This was a good week! We were able to have 3 investigators at our stake conference! Usually, because meetings are not in the usual building, people don't go. But we had 3 people come this time! Clesison came and is progressing very well! He is set to be baptized this week. I feel it will happen. He might have some little doubts hanging on, since his whole family is Catholic, but I know he knows that this is the truth! We are also working with Sandra. We found her a week or two ago, and she has done incredibly!! Usually there are little pauses in an investigator's progression, but she has taken everything in stride, and she really liked the conference! She has a date for baptism on the 20th of June! Also, Pedro came. He is one we have been working with for a while, but he is one that we have really seen change. He has come to church for the last 4 or 5 weeks and wants to be baptized, he is just resolving a problem in Fogo before he can be baptized. But he is doing great! 

We also have been working with Zezino and Monica. They are really close to getting married, but I think they just keep getting cold feet. The biggest doubt is that they want to trust the other one more, but they are not working on it! In this next week we should have a marriage date, and everything finalized.

Something that I have really learned on my mission is the power of the Book of Mormon! Everything that we believe and everything we do is built upon the Book of Mormon. If you want to know that this church is true, read the book. Everything becomes so clear, and we have a purpose. We kind of live in a poor place. There are a lot of fights and gangs and just bad things that go on (last night there were two gun shots near our house). I look at these people, mostly the youth or young adults and wonder "Where are you trying to go in your life?" When you have the gospel in your life, there is no need to fight or to work for things that are pointless.

Also in this last week, it seems like every day I ran into someone that says, "I know." If you really knew, then you would do it. The gospel, I have found out, is not complicated. It's very simple. It's not always easy, but it's simple. The way I look at it, we are all fighting (ourselves) for a spot in the Celestial Kingdom. If you are living the gospel, you are promised eternal life, but not guaranteed eternal life. Yesterday we contacted a man and we realized he had some cigarettes. Normally, I don't contact by telling people to stop smoking, but with him I did and he said, "I will smoke this, and God will forgive me." I said, "No he won't!" and he got very offended and walked away, saying how do you know. The thing is, forgiveness is not something we get by chance. You can't just do what you want and hope that God will forgive you. Like I said, it is a Fight. You have to do everything you can! If you let up, even a little, you run the risk of losing! That's a problem a lot of members have here. They get baptized and then they get lazy, and end up falling away.

Sorry if that sounded like a rant, but it is the truth that I have come to know. I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father sent his Son to give us the "chance" to come back. I am grateful for Jesus Christ, everything he has taught us, and all the help and guidance he has given that we don't have to find ourselves. We just have to follow. Trust in Him, and I promise all will be ok! :)

Love,

Elder Naylor 

Running Out of Things to Write...

I have been at this for so long, I am not really sure what is interesting to people back home! I hope I can share something interesting!  :)

So, this week we were able to have Irina with us at church! We have been visiting with her and her husband, but she came to church and she said she really liked it! So that should be great for the future! We also found a lot of new investigators this week! We seem to be finding and sharing the first lesson with a ton of people, but we are having a hard time getting them past the second visit. I am hopeful that some of these people will catch on. 

I think I have found my purpose of my mission: I am the Farmer... I plant all the seeds! I don't know if I mentioned this. For all of those who remember my days in Fogo, they were not the easiest of my mission. But I found out that after I left in 3 weeks they had 3 something baptisms. I have a feeling the same thing will happen here. I am not really baptizing a ton, but I have given out a ton of Book of Mormons. We will see what happens ;)

Also this week, we were thinking of how we could find people in one of our areas, and we thought of Vanesa. So we went to her house and asked her if she knew of anyone we could teach and she said that she didn't (normal answer! :)). So we said hey, let's walk around and talk to people. Usually, you need to drag the member around, but I gave her a pass-along card and she runs up to the first person she sees and says, "Hey you should join our church! It is super cool and you will like it!" Then gave them the card! :) It made me laugh!! It was not the perfect way to do it, but she showed great courage. Most members would never do that! As we walked around she got a lot better! 

Well, I think that's all for this week! I hope all is well at home! 

Elder Naylor 

a traditional food of cape verde (cuscus) kinda like corn bread

Cuscus

Marlinda!

Marlinda's baptism

This week was a good one. Marlinda was baptized and she was so happy! She passed the interview without any problems! Then, when we went to the church for the baptism. We showed her to the bathroom so she could change, and we went to another part of the church to get ready. When we came back, she was talking to another elder in the hall, but crying. My first thought was CRAP, but then we talked to her and they were only tears of joy! When she stood up to bear her testimony, she got about half way through and became so choked up she couldn't finish! She wanted it so bad, and to finally achieve it made her so happy! She also was able to have her mom and step father present. It was a good day! :)

The rest of the week was kind of slower. We have a really high turnover right now. We are finding a lot of people, and we start to teach them, but then they stop progressing... People have a really hard time seeing with spiritual eyes, and acting with faith. We did have a really good lesson though, with a woman named Ilene and her husband Edmilson. We had sat down after our last appointment of the day feeling like we were through, and she went walking by with a gas can. We offered to help, and walked back to her house. She then let us in and we talked a little bit. Then her husband came in from work. Normally, we go right into the first lesson, and invite them to baptism, but this time we started talking about faith in Christ and why he is important. I felt it was a great lesson! They were not able to make it to church this week, but I still thought it was great.

We want to really help the ward here be more involved in missionary work. This is one of the biggest problems we find here in Cape Verde. We have made a plan to have every leader of the church focus on and bring to church one person every week. We will see how that goes.

Love,

Elder Naylor 

I Can Count It On My Hands!

10! So, it was great to talk to the family on our Mother's Day call! A lot has changed. Mainly in Rachel! She is tall and not a little girl anymore (kind of scary).

This week actually went very well! All of our numbers took a huge leap! We found 14 new investigators!! :) Now we just need to get them progressing!! We also have a baptism for next week. Her name is Marlinda. She's been coming to church since I came to this area, but she couldn't be baptized because her mom did not give permission. But this last week she came up to us and said "I will be baptized!" So we went by and got the permission. We really just have to review everything with her because she already knows everything, so its really easy!! :)

We also were able to set five dates with new people and they seem like they could easily progress! We will see how this week goes! 

Love,

Elder Naylor

The sign says "dont put trash here" They dont seem to be following this!

my life...

 just working out a little ;)

picture from my area

who is good at cooking now?! :)

Hey Everyone!

So, this week was a good one! I finally got my son (greenie--new missionary) on Thursday! He is super cool and has a great desire to teach everyone. Sometimes I need to pull back on the reins! ;) But things are going great in our area, as well. We have been able to get a lot of our investigators doing well, too! 

There was something about this week that things just seemed to take off! First off, we are teaching this guy named Manu and he called us on the road and said he wants to change his life. Most of the time they are drunk or lying, but for him, he actually has been doing well! He is working to be baptized the 16 of May! 

We have a member here that is kind of funny. His brother is a pastor in another religion, so every time he talks and teaches with us, he is really intense and quotes tons of Bible verses. He is really good at lighting a fire in them! :) It's kind of nice to have those talents on our side for once! :)

Hey, I ran out of time because we have to go get a water truck (we have been out of water for the whole week--one barrel is not enough...) So I will see you on Sunday! :) (Mother's Day skype call--YEA!!!!!!)

Love,

Elder Naylor 

Transfer 15 is DONE!

So, I would be going into my last transfer if there was not that little mix up somewhere... oh well. 12 more weeks then I am America bound! 

This week was a good one. We were able to finally set a marriage date with Maria and Tinho, and with Zezinio and Monica! They will be getting married in the middle of June! We also have 4 investigators that are doing well. We would have had Pedro's baptism this week, but my new companion will not get here until Thursday (oh by the way, I am training again! :)) I don't know much about my new comp, other than he is from Cape Verde! 

Nothing super special happened this week, but we were able to get those people progressing. 

Sorry, I don't have a ton of time and got to go, but I love you all and hope everything goes well for you.

Love,

Elder Naylor

The message of the gospel is HOPE.

So, this last week has been great! We finally got working on the marriage papers for Maria and Tinho and they should be married here in a few weeks! 

We also were able to find a few new investigators this week! One of them is named Talo and he had a lot of good questions when we sat down with him. He should progress very well. We also had 7 people at church! Daniel is still trying to resolve the problem he has in France.  We have been talking to Pedro and he has accepted everything we said very well, and has been to church, too.  He has a baptism date for the 16th, so that is going great! 

I had a really good moment this week. We came out of a lesson with Calu, and we were passing by this place where people play a lot of music. As we walked by, there were a lot of people looking in the window. We looked in, and there was this super old guy dancing and singing, while the other people played the guitar, drums, and sax. Everyone in that moment was laughing and smiling! It was nice, not only because those musicians made that old man's day, but that everyone that was watching got to feel it as well!! I know that a lot of those people are going through hard times, but for that moment they could smile and laugh.

The gospel is a message of hope. We can have hope that we can be happy in this life, and return to live with God after this life. We all can have that hope! This life is not easy, but honestly--it was not meant to be. But that also does not mean that we can't find the times to enjoy life. 

We are working hard to help people here feel this hope as well in their lives! :)

I love all of you, and I can't wait to come home, but I have to keep my nose down and just go! 

Love,

Elder Naylor :)

Conference and Baptism!

April 13, 2015

This week went really well, and we had a baptism! Calu really was so prepared! We just sat there and taught doctrine and he readily accepted it. He will really help people here and be a great leader-- I can feel it! 

Calu was Baptised

The main focus now is to get our inventory progressing a little better! We have been working with a lot of people, but they are all kind of in this standstill right now. I really wish I could write more, but everything has become really routine and not very exciting.

In our area we walk a lot. We have two main parts of our area, but they are separated by a good 15 min. walk, and sometimes we have to make the trip more than once. 

I truly am loving the mission, and I feel my self growing. I think I already mentioned that, but it's true. Conference was great and I know that we are being led by men who are called of God! If we trust in them, everything in our lives and after this life will be fine. Next week I promise I will have more! :)

Love,

Elder Naylor

A Good Week!

April 6, 2015

This week was a kind of crazy week. First off we had interviews with President and those went really well! Nothing really special to say about that, but it went well! :)

Then conference weekend is always a lot of work and really disappointing for attendance... For some reason people here think that conference weekend is a break from going to church... NOT! Oh well.

Maria and Tihno did not go to set a marriage date with us.They are hung up on a little doubt that is not worth it. So we will work with them this week and get back to progressing. 

Otherwise, all of the people we are working with this week are doing great! They all came to church and are set to be baptized this week! This area has been good. We just need to find some more new people to work with this week. 

Sorry I don't have a ton to say half the time. I did learn this week in my personal study something cool! So, does anyone know how long the brother of Jared was on the boat? 344 days!! That is practically a year!! Imagine that long on a boat! I thought the mission could be tough! :) It was just proof to me that the Lord will ask us sometimes to do hard things, but he has all the intention in the world of blessing us!!! Hold on people and look to Christ. He is the only one that will lead us to our Heavenly Father! I know that he lives and he paid for our sins. 

Love,

Elder Naylor

Another Ballin Week!

Leaving Sao Nicalau

So to start off, Praia has been great! I went from 6 lessons a week in Sao Nicalau to 25 lessons!! :) And on Tuesday we are going with one of our couples to set their marriage date!! :) Their names are Maria and Tinho. They have been coming to church for a while and are super ready!! So that will be fun.

P-day lunch

We also are working with another couple named Saturnino and Nilda. They are the type of family that doesn't progress very fast, but every time we leave, I feel like we made a little progress! We already have given their son and Saturnino a blessing. The son was really sick. Saturnino thought he had a curse on him, so we gave him a blessing! But they are great. We are also working with Zezino and Monica. They should be married here in a few weeks!

We also have three people set for baptism on the 11th of April!! They are Daniel, Famara, and Calu. Calu was supposed to be baptized this week, but we were not able to sit down with him, so we pushed back! But all three came to church and are doing great! 

Things here are just great! The work is going great well, and I am feeling a lot better than I was! Yeah for the mission! :)

Elder Naylor

A road in my area (really dry here...)

I May As Well Have Switched Planets!

Well! Praia is nothing like Sao Nicalau! It is a night and day difference here! People are really friendly, and they will actually listen! 

So, the first great thing is: We were teaching a lesson, and we asked our investigator how his prayer went when he asked the Lord if Joseph Smith was a prophet. He said he had prayed and asked and afterward he felt more hope for himself and for his family. We then explained that what he felt was the Spirit confirming the truth of what we had taught him, and he agreed. He even agreed that he would be baptized as soon as his doubts are cleared up!!

Second great thing: We also are working with 3 other families and they are all working towards marriage! So that should be awesome!! 

Third great thing: We also set a baptism date yesterday for this coming week with a man named Calu! I saw him at church and I thought he was a member! His wife is a member and his son is a missionary in Portugal!  We taught him the lessons and he accepted to be baptized this next week! So that was awesome. 

I don't have pictures this week because I don't want to walk around with my camera, but I will be sure to get some this week! 

That's all for this week folks! :)

Love,

Elder Naylor

Transfers--Now I'm in Praia!

So I got transferred again. I am finally going to the country capital Praia...It should be good. It will be nice to have a strong ward for once. ;) 

This week was good! We had 6 new investigators. We also have been teaching this man named Jaime. I think I talked about him last week. We talked to him again and he was great. We even sat down to talk with his wife. So hopefully everything goes well!

We did a lot of door contacts and road contacts and things were still going hard. I am starting to see how it must be in other parts of the world!! But Praia should be good. President says that Praia is on fire right now, so that should be good. My comp. is Elder Hartman. I don't know much about him! :)

I have a funny story though! We were teaching Jaime, his wife, and his mom when we asked his wife to say the closing prayer. What ended up happening was that all of them just said things they were grateful for and then said "amen"!! It was funny! :) We will work with it, but it was a good lesson.

Photo: Leftovers from Carnaval! 

Love,

Elder Naylor 

PS: Elder Naylor has decided to extend his mission by a month--his current release date is July 21st. We are so (sob) happy for him. ;)