Baptism!!!!

BIG NEWS!!!

I had a baptism this week!!! It was a beautiful day! This lady is one of the funniest, sweetest old ladies I have met. She is only 57 but seems older. When we first started teaching her she didn't remember anything we told her. We got so frustrated and wanted to drop her but her cousin (who is in the ward and a huge help) told us that she as diabetes and CVA. Which affects her memory and mobility. So after learning that we started teaching her in simpler terms and she started to remember what we were teaching. We started to see the light in her eyes. We started to see miracles with her. She opened up to us and started treating us like her kids. She was so ready for baptism. The week before her baptism was hard. Satan tried to stop her. Putting thoughts into her head saying she can't walk and her head hurts. We continued to pray for her and just give her the love she needed. Also her daughter had all her documents which we needed for baptism and getting a hold of her daughter was one of the hardest things. However the Lord blessed us and we got all the documents needed. Saturday she entered the waters of Baptism fully aware of the choice she just made. She bore her testimony and it was beautiful! She said it was one of the happiest days of her life. She will continue to make a great member since she knows so many people. What a great day for her!!

Other things that happened this week...
Saw centipede #3. Saw my 3rd pig die in the street and saw two new born babies, kittens, and puppies!!! All were so cute!! If we could have pets I would take them all home!!

 Also today I got to go to the light house!! That was so much fun!!! It was really windy but going to the top of the light house was a really pretty view. That is the closest I will ever get to the ocean while being a missionary.

A great few days!!!

Love you all!!
Sister Burke!!

10 Weeks!!

Yelp! I have 10 weeks here in Capo Verde and my comp only has 10 weeks left!! Crazy!! Time fly's by so fast!! 

I also hit my 100 days on a mission this past week!! 100 days!!!!!!!!!!!! What?! That is a long time but nothing at the same time!!

This past week has been really busy!! We have met tons of people and found lots of less actives! We have also been preparing one of our investigators for baptism! Hopefully she will get baptized this Saturday!! She is one of the cutest old ladies I have met!! And she is so happy for baptism!! She can't see and didn't have glasses so we were praying to find glasses for her and one day we showed up to her house and she found her mom's glasses. So she can read now! She is so happy that she can read! That was a huge miracle!!

This past week a less active also wanted to paint our nails so we let her and got to know her better! Hopefully we can build that trust and help her come back to church! Also my toes turned our really good!!!

Sunday we met the new Area President from Europe, Elder Kearon. Cabo Verde is part of the Europe Missions and it is the best Europe mission! He really helped each one of us get motivated and refocused! It was a great!! As we were closing the meeting he said okay I guess it is time to go catch your boats since you actually have to do that here! My mission is the best! Who has to catch boats and planes to get to their areas? We do! I just have to walk 30 minutes right now but one day I will have to take the boat or plane and that day will be so cool! Ha Ha Love my mission!! It is exactly were I need to be! I love it here!

Funny things that happen this week. In a lesson and the mom is holding her naked 3 month year old son and he decided to start peeing. Yup we got peed on. we all laughed! Then a drunk lady kissed my comps arm and asked for a picture of Jesus. So we gave her a pass along card and she starts kissing it. We then walked away. Also saw my second centipeade this week! other then that just excited for Saturday!! I will let you know if it all works out!!

Lots of love!!

Sister Burke

Slow boring week.

So first I want to start of by talking about Skype. Truly it is the most stressful thing ever. I would prefer to be the one at home every time. Finding a place here is so hard. We found this place that seemed perfect but when we showed up Sunday the internet was down. Then we found this really ghetto cyber cafe around the corner that worked just fine but it was so stressful!! 

It was really weird seeing my family it has only been 3 months and not much has changed. 

I haven't talked about the family that we found a few weeks ago. Well it  is complicated. The mom and her one daughter listen to every lesson and go to church along with the daughters son. They are golden. Only problem is the daughters boyfriend is in America and she doesn't know when he will return home. They need to get married before they are baptized. So we continue to teach them but no baptism day marked yet.

Then we have this other investigator. She is a cute older lady! She is an Aunt to a member in the ward. She has a baptism date marked for the 23rd of May. She knows it is true! She says one of the ways she knows it is true is because why would we leave our families to come to Cabo Verde if it wasn't true. She is so cute!! Why would I leave my family to come to Cabo Verde a place I had no idea existed, until I  got my call, if this gospel wasn't true? Any way this investigator comes to church  and knows her baptism date. The only problem she struggles reading. So we read with her a  lot. I I am pretty sure she will get baptized! She is the cutest older  lady ever!! Plus this doesn't sound super cool in English but in Portuguese it is funny to listen to... We are talking about Joseph Smith and she is like its true its true. Sounds better in Portuguese and in her tone of voice. Just imagine an old lady speaking. Super cute. I am a terrible ex plainer.

Lots of love!!

Sister Burke!!

Another Hot Week....

So last Monday my companion and I went bowling!! All missionaries need to have the opportunity to go bowling! Earlier that day we bought a watermelon and used 3 of our back up water bottle supplies. We set up our bowling alley in our living room. It was a great time until our watermelon broke. OH and we also had perfect scores! 

Ha Ha 

  

This week I saw another pig die. Totally normal here. People raise pigs just to eat them. Crazy!!

The holiday of the workers was May 1st. My first one in Cabo Verde.  So no one works. It was crazy!! Loud music everywhere, drunk people and lots of parties!! In the streets, where all the business are, there was no people. They were all in the house areas, tons and tons of people. 

Also I have now gotten 4 misquote bits. They look terrible, but this is normal for me. However it does freak out my companion. I just have always had weird reaction to bug bites.  

Other weird things this week. I saw a boy chasing pigs up a hill. Oh No Pigs on the loose!! I also saw  a car on a roof and not sure how it got up there but that was interesting and a good laugh. A the little girl in the cyber place keeps handing me her purse and tape. Cutest thing ever. 

Now on a spiritual note. Alma 26:16 "Behold I say unto you I cannot say the smallest part of which I feel" So much happens in one day that it is truly impossible to write it all. Today I have been on my mission for 3 months. 

Time fly's by so fast and I still have so much to learn. I don't feel any different, I am just tanner. I don't speak the language very well yet but I try really hard to communicate with the people.  I know I will not be fluent in the next 15 months but that means I have lots of room for improvement. The people of Cabo Verde love me so much that they are helping me speak the language, even if they are teaching me creole and not straight Portuguese. In the next 6 months I hope to understand and speak more fluently. The lord truly blesses you if you are serving him. It doesn't have to be a mission by small acts of kindness you are serving God. I love my mission and all the blessings I have seen so far!! 

Quote of the week: "Little growth occurs in the comfort zone. Little comfort occurs in the growth zone." - unknown. 

Love you all!! Thank you so much for all the love and support!!!

Sister Burke!!

P.S. All roads lead to the ocean!! I love living so close to the ocean!! Too bad I can't touch the water! ;)